ויעשהו עגל מסכה ויאמרו אלה אלהיך ישראל (כי תשא לב:ד)

One year, when Rosh Hashanah fell on Thursday and Friday, the holy Reb  Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev was burning with fiery inspiration. In the midst of Shabbos, he leapt onto a table and cried out:

“I understand now! I always wondered—how could Hashem allow the Yidden to make the Egel? And now I have an explanation!”

He offered a mashal:

There was once a king who wished to crown his young son as heir to the throne. His ministers objected, claiming the prince was too immature. What did the king do? He crowned his son and then left the country.

Seizing the opportunity, the ministers began to “educate” the young king. They mocked him and pressured him until he gave in to their influence. Eventually, they convinced him to place his father’s royal crown on a dog’s head, and the dog ran through the streets wearing the king’s crown.

When the king returned, he sensed that something was being concealed from him. He demanded to know what had occurred. Upon hearing the story, he declared:

“My son must stand trial. If he acted out of foolishness and lacks understanding, then he is unfit to rule. But if he knowingly disgraced the crown, his punishment will be severe.”

A trial was convened, and the verdict was: guilty.

The king responded, “Very well. But the punishment will fall upon those who advised him and led him astray. And know this—I deliberately left the land to see who would entice my son into such disgrace, so that I could expose and remove them.”

So too with the Yidden. Had they not sinned with the Golden Calf, there would have been no path of teshuvah revealed. That is why Moshe Rabbeinu ascended to Heaven and left them. The Erev Rav enticed the people to sin. When Moshe Rabbeinu returned, he was able to discern who the true instigators were—those who persuaded the Yidden to shame Hashem’s crown—and they received a severe punishment.