Commentary for Deuteronomy 9:21
וְֽאֶת־חַטַּאתְכֶ֞ם אֲשֶׁר־עֲשִׂיתֶ֣ם אֶת־הָעֵ֗גֶל לָקַחְתִּי֮ וָאֶשְׂרֹ֣ף אֹת֣וֹ ׀ בָּאֵשׁ֒ וָאֶכֹּ֨ת אֹת֤וֹ טָחוֹן֙ הֵיטֵ֔ב עַ֥ד אֲשֶׁר־דַּ֖ק לְעָפָ֑ר וָֽאַשְׁלִךְ֙ אֶת־עֲפָר֔וֹ אֶל־הַנַּ֖חַל הַיֹּרֵ֥ד מִן־הָהָֽר׃
And I took your sin, the calf which ye had made, and burnt it with fire, and beat it in pieces, grinding it very small, until it was as fine as dust; and I cast the dust thereof into the brook that descended out of the mount.—
Rashi on Deuteronomy
טחון — This is a present tense of continuous action like הלוך וכלות “going on destroying”; moulant in O. F. English grinding (cf. Rashi on Deuteronomy 3:6).
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Ramban on Deuteronomy
AND I CAST THE DUST THEREOF INTO THE BROOK THAT DESCENDED OUT OF THE MOUNT. He did not mention that he made them drink [of the water mixed with the dust of the calf]143See Exodus 32:20. by way of humiliating them for their deeds,144The Hebrew reads: “by way of their honor” — but it is a euphemism. See Vol. II, p. 563 (on top): “disgracing their deeds by grinding etc.” because he did not want to tell them that he had done to them what is done to wives suspected of adultery.145Numbers 5:16-22.
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Or HaChaim on Deuteronomy
ואת חטאתכם…לקחתי, "and I took your sin, etc." Moses hinted that when he burned the golden calf this also resulted in his burning the "sin" itself and the power which it represented. Please compare what I have written on Exodus 32,20: "he took the calf which they had made."
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