In Between Simcha and Sasson

Where and when did Judaism become a natural religion? In this Parasha, as a consequence of Chet HaEgel. When Moshe understood that he was now founding one religion among many, one that would be open to the Yetzer HaRa, he insisted:

וּבַמֶּה יִוָּדַע אֵפוֹא, כִּי-מָצָאתִי חֵן בְּעֵינֶיךָ אֲנִי וְעַמֶּךָ--הֲלוֹא, בְּלֶכְתְּךָ עִמָּנוּ; וְנִפְלִינוּ, אֲנִי וְעַמְּךָ, מִכָּל-הָעָם, אֲשֶׁר עַל-פְּנֵי הָאֲדָמָה

And HaShem agreed.

And here we are. We are a nation unequal to other nations. That is the Truth. The religion carries the Truth, but under the camouflage of falsehood, the Yetzer HaRa, which presents itself as truth. In other words, you have to dig quite deep to see it, the Truth, in between the heresy of Simcha and the heresy of Sasson. Sasson you can see in Israeli hi-tech, whereas Simcha you can experience at a religious Chatuna, or, especially, in a religious-zionist one. Of course, this is only a hint, there are many other places for meeting Sasson and Simcha. If you merit finding the Truth in the midst of these heresies, you are in the position of the greatest of Israel, and it can be that you cannot talk.