The golden calf was an idol fashioned from melted gold ornaments by the Israelites at the foot of Mount Sinai. Faced with the extended absence of Moses, who was receiving the law on the summit, the assembly pressured Aaron to make gods to go before them.
The Crisis
Drawing on religious imagery familiar from their long residence in Egypt, the people engaged in dancing and revelry around the image. Upon descending the mountain with the stone tablets, Moses reacted with indignation, breaking the tablets and destroying the idol before calling the assembly to account.
Renewal of the Covenant
Following the destruction of the calf, Moses interceded on behalf of the community. He ascended the mountain once more to receive the second set of the Ten Commandments, leading to the eventual restoration of order and the formal construction of the Tabernacle.