Why was God so upset with the nation after the incident of the Golden Calf? After all, when studying the simple meaning of the text, the people were simply following Aharon’s own initiative and instructions. Our shiur will suggest an answer to this famous question, by considering the broader themes of Chumash, as well as the impact of the ‘splitting of the sea’ and the ‘war with Amalek’ on the psyche of the nation.