וַיֹּ֨אמֶר יְהוָ֜ה אֵלַ֗י מָֽה־אַתָּ֤ה רֹאֶה֙ עָמ֔וֹס וָאֹמַ֖ר אֲנָ֑ךְ וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֲדֹנָ֗י הִנְנִ֨י שָׂ֤ם אֲנָךְ֙ בְּקֶ֙רֶב֙ עַמִּ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל לֹֽא־אוֹסִ֥יף ע֖וֹד עֲב֥וֹר לֽוֹ׃
און גאָט האָט צו מיר געזאָגט: װאָס זעסטו, עָמוֹס? האָב איך געזאָגט: אַ װאָגשנור. האָט גאָט געזאָגט: זע, איך צי אַ װאָגשנור צװישן מײַן פֿאָלק ישׂראל, איך װעל אים מער װידער ניט פֿאַרגעבן.
Rabbeinu Bahya
These two attributes of G’d are particularly manifest at Bet El. This was also the reason that the heretic King Jerobam was careful to erect not one golden calf but two golden calves. The Jewish people in the desert had made one golden calf for themselves when Moses did not return when they expected him. They had thought that he was dead and they felt they needed a new symbol to replace Moses and to serve as their visible inspiration. They were fully content with a single leader.
Jerobam had a different motivation. He wanted to counteract the Divine attribute of גדולה and hoped that the presence of that golden calf, something G’d hated, would drag away spiritually positive influences and forces from Jerusalem, i.e. from the Temple. The second golden calf which Jerobam made was intended to counteract the Divine attribute of גבורה, as he wanted to be the stronger of the two kings ruling over Israel. This attribute is the specific attribute with which a king ought to be endowed. He hoped that by weakening the presence of this attribute in Jerusalem he would thereby strengthen his own hold on that attribute. The reason that he placed both golden calves outside of Jerusalem was that he wanted to undermine Jerusalem as the עיר דוד, “the city of David.” Jerusalem was also known as the עיר הצדק, “the city of righteousness (Isaiah 1,26)”. The power of the Kingdom of David was concentrated in that city as the attribute of righteousness is manifest in that city. צדק, righteousness was the outstanding attribute, the virtue of David. We know this from Isaiah 32,1 הן לצדק ימלך מלך, “a king shall reign in righteousness” (the king being the Messiah, a descendant of King David). Jerobam was intent on nullifying this monarchy. It had been made even stronger both symbolically and spiritually, seeing that the Temple in Jerusalem was “opposite” the celestial Temple. All these considerations prompted Jerobam to distance himself from the site of the Holy Temple and the holy city Jerusalem. The Talmud Sanhedrin 102 phrases it thus: וירבעם יצא מירושלים מפתקה של ירושלים, the words: “Jerobam left Jerusalem” mean much more than that he set foot outside the walls of Jerusalem. These words mean that he wanted to put all that Jerusalem stood for behind him, never to return to that city.” Actually, Jerusalem comprised the five lower emanations. He wanted to escape the restrictions inherent in one’s being on the level of the lower emanations only. His plan was fatally flawed as he meant to attain access to higher emanations only in order to dethrone David and what his dynasty stood for. This is why the sages applied to him the verse from Proverbs 28,24 “that if someone robs his own father or mother saying he did not commit any sin he thereby becomes a companion to the destroyer, i.e. איש משחית.” What he did was to rob the higher regions of G’d’s universe in order to make profane use of his plunder. Seeing that the regions he robbed were the emanations known as כבוד and תפארת, that Jerusalem comprised the lower 5 emanations beneath that of תפארת, harmony, this is the mystical dimension of the verses in Kings I12, 26-27: “Jerobam said in his heart now: ‘there is a danger that the kingdom will return to the dynasty of David. If the people were to go up to Jerusalem to offer meat-offerings in the House of G’d in Jerusalem and the heart of the people will become friendly towards Rechavam their master the King of Yehudah, they will kill me and return to Rechavam the King of Yehudah’”. The King took counsel and constructed two golden calves saying to the people: “enough of your pilgrimages to Jerusalem; here are your symbols of the G’d of Israel, the ones who have led you out of Egypt.” The plural used when he said הנה אלוהיך ישראל, referred to the two emanations or attributes of G’d which we have mentioned.
When the Book of Kings proceeds to describe where these two golden calves were placed, i.e. one at Bet El and one in Dan, he had clearly violated the commandment לא תעשון אתי אלוהי כסף, “do not make beside Me silver or golden deities (Exodus 20,23).” However, the worst part of his sin was that he portrayed what he had done as a shortcut to heaven, wanting to make his people believe that now that they had symbols of higher emanations than were to be found in Jerusalem there was no longer any point in making the trip to the Temple in Jerusalem. The Book of Kings testified to Jerobam’s real concern namely that when the people would make the pilgrimage to Jerusalem it would not take them long to find out that they had been fooled by their King, and they would then kill him.
You are aware that the prophet (Amos 7,8) already predicted doom and retribution concerning Bet El and said that he saw the attribute of Justice demanding the destruction of both Bet El and Dan. The wording there is: והנה א-דני נצב על חומת אנך ובידו אנך....ויאמר א-דני הנני שם אנך בקרב עמי ישראל לא אוסיף עוד עבור לו וקמתי על בית ירבעם בחרב. “Lo, my Lord G’d was standing on a wall and He was holding a plumb line. And the Lord G’d declared: ‘I am going to apply a plumb line to My people Israel, I will pardon them no more. And I will turn upon the house of Jerobam with the sword.” The “plumb line” mentioned is a measuring rod used to determine the guilt level of the people. The numerical value of the Hebrew word אנך is 71, an allusion to the 71 elders in the Supreme court needed to pass judgment on a Jewish King. The words לא אוסיף לעבור, mean that G’d will not continue to appear to ignore the iniquities perpetrated by the King as well as his people. The unusual expression ונשמו במות ישחק, “the shrines of Yitzchak shall be laid waste,” which is also part of the prophet’s prediction should really have been ונשמו במות ירבעם, “the shrines of Jerobam will be laid waste.” The reason for this unusual statement as well as the unusual spelling of the name Yitzchak with the letter ש instead of the customary צ, is due to Jerobam having seized on the attribute of Yitzchak, i.e. גבורה in his nefarious scheme. The letter ש is reminiscent of the element אש, fire, itself an allusion to the attribute גבורה.
Jerobam had a different motivation. He wanted to counteract the Divine attribute of גדולה and hoped that the presence of that golden calf, something G’d hated, would drag away spiritually positive influences and forces from Jerusalem, i.e. from the Temple. The second golden calf which Jerobam made was intended to counteract the Divine attribute of גבורה, as he wanted to be the stronger of the two kings ruling over Israel. This attribute is the specific attribute with which a king ought to be endowed. He hoped that by weakening the presence of this attribute in Jerusalem he would thereby strengthen his own hold on that attribute. The reason that he placed both golden calves outside of Jerusalem was that he wanted to undermine Jerusalem as the עיר דוד, “the city of David.” Jerusalem was also known as the עיר הצדק, “the city of righteousness (Isaiah 1,26)”. The power of the Kingdom of David was concentrated in that city as the attribute of righteousness is manifest in that city. צדק, righteousness was the outstanding attribute, the virtue of David. We know this from Isaiah 32,1 הן לצדק ימלך מלך, “a king shall reign in righteousness” (the king being the Messiah, a descendant of King David). Jerobam was intent on nullifying this monarchy. It had been made even stronger both symbolically and spiritually, seeing that the Temple in Jerusalem was “opposite” the celestial Temple. All these considerations prompted Jerobam to distance himself from the site of the Holy Temple and the holy city Jerusalem. The Talmud Sanhedrin 102 phrases it thus: וירבעם יצא מירושלים מפתקה של ירושלים, the words: “Jerobam left Jerusalem” mean much more than that he set foot outside the walls of Jerusalem. These words mean that he wanted to put all that Jerusalem stood for behind him, never to return to that city.” Actually, Jerusalem comprised the five lower emanations. He wanted to escape the restrictions inherent in one’s being on the level of the lower emanations only. His plan was fatally flawed as he meant to attain access to higher emanations only in order to dethrone David and what his dynasty stood for. This is why the sages applied to him the verse from Proverbs 28,24 “that if someone robs his own father or mother saying he did not commit any sin he thereby becomes a companion to the destroyer, i.e. איש משחית.” What he did was to rob the higher regions of G’d’s universe in order to make profane use of his plunder. Seeing that the regions he robbed were the emanations known as כבוד and תפארת, that Jerusalem comprised the lower 5 emanations beneath that of תפארת, harmony, this is the mystical dimension of the verses in Kings I12, 26-27: “Jerobam said in his heart now: ‘there is a danger that the kingdom will return to the dynasty of David. If the people were to go up to Jerusalem to offer meat-offerings in the House of G’d in Jerusalem and the heart of the people will become friendly towards Rechavam their master the King of Yehudah, they will kill me and return to Rechavam the King of Yehudah’”. The King took counsel and constructed two golden calves saying to the people: “enough of your pilgrimages to Jerusalem; here are your symbols of the G’d of Israel, the ones who have led you out of Egypt.” The plural used when he said הנה אלוהיך ישראל, referred to the two emanations or attributes of G’d which we have mentioned.
When the Book of Kings proceeds to describe where these two golden calves were placed, i.e. one at Bet El and one in Dan, he had clearly violated the commandment לא תעשון אתי אלוהי כסף, “do not make beside Me silver or golden deities (Exodus 20,23).” However, the worst part of his sin was that he portrayed what he had done as a shortcut to heaven, wanting to make his people believe that now that they had symbols of higher emanations than were to be found in Jerusalem there was no longer any point in making the trip to the Temple in Jerusalem. The Book of Kings testified to Jerobam’s real concern namely that when the people would make the pilgrimage to Jerusalem it would not take them long to find out that they had been fooled by their King, and they would then kill him.
You are aware that the prophet (Amos 7,8) already predicted doom and retribution concerning Bet El and said that he saw the attribute of Justice demanding the destruction of both Bet El and Dan. The wording there is: והנה א-דני נצב על חומת אנך ובידו אנך....ויאמר א-דני הנני שם אנך בקרב עמי ישראל לא אוסיף עוד עבור לו וקמתי על בית ירבעם בחרב. “Lo, my Lord G’d was standing on a wall and He was holding a plumb line. And the Lord G’d declared: ‘I am going to apply a plumb line to My people Israel, I will pardon them no more. And I will turn upon the house of Jerobam with the sword.” The “plumb line” mentioned is a measuring rod used to determine the guilt level of the people. The numerical value of the Hebrew word אנך is 71, an allusion to the 71 elders in the Supreme court needed to pass judgment on a Jewish King. The words לא אוסיף לעבור, mean that G’d will not continue to appear to ignore the iniquities perpetrated by the King as well as his people. The unusual expression ונשמו במות ישחק, “the shrines of Yitzchak shall be laid waste,” which is also part of the prophet’s prediction should really have been ונשמו במות ירבעם, “the shrines of Jerobam will be laid waste.” The reason for this unusual statement as well as the unusual spelling of the name Yitzchak with the letter ש instead of the customary צ, is due to Jerobam having seized on the attribute of Yitzchak, i.e. גבורה in his nefarious scheme. The letter ש is reminiscent of the element אש, fire, itself an allusion to the attribute גבורה.