Midrash sur L’Exode 15:23

(Devarim, Ibid.) "and an abundance of gold" (an allusion to the golden calf): He said to them: This thing outweighs all that you have done. The golden calf weighs upon Me more than all! Rebbi was wont to say: An analogy: One caused his neighbor many troubles. In the end, he added an additional trouble, and the other said: This outweighs everything you have done to me. This weighs upon me more than all! Thus did the Holy One Blessed be He say to Israel: This outweighs everything that you have done! Variantly: "and an abundance of gold": R. Shimon b. Yochai says: An analogy: One received sages and disciples, and all praised him. Then Canaanites came, and he received them! — at which they said: This is the man's nature — to receive all! Thus did Moses say to Israel: (You gave) "an abundance of gold" for the mishkan (the tabernacle) — (You gave) "an abundance of gold" for the golden calf! R. B'na'ah says: Israel served idolatry, for which they are liable to extinction — Let the gold of the mishkan atone for the gold of the calf! R. Yossi berebbi Chanina says: It is written "in the desert, in the plain": This alludes to the ten trials wherewith our fathers tried the Holy One Blessed be He in the desert: two at the (Red) sea, (in the descent [Shemoth 14:11] and in the ascent [Psalms 106:7]), two, with water, (at Marah [Shemoth 15:23] and at Refidim [Shemoth 17]), two with manna, ("Let no man go out of his place" [Shemoth 17:29] and "Let no man leave of it" [Shemoth 16:19]), two with the quail, (the first [16:3] and the second [Bamidbar 11:4]), one with the golden calf (Shemoth 32), and one with the spies (Bamidbar 13). R. Yossi b. Dormaskith said to him: Yehudah berebbi, why do you distort the verses for us (by assigning allegorical interpretations to what are really place names)? I testify by heaven and earth that we have reviewed all of the sources and (we have found that) they are all place names. It is just that they were thus named (as aforementioned) because of an event (that transpired there).

[(Exod. 37:1:) THEN BEZALEL MADE THE ARK OF ACACIA WOOD.] {R.} Jeremiah said (in Jer. 30:17): FOR I WILL RESTORE HEALTH TO YOU, AND I WILL HEAL YOU OF YOUR WOUNDS. A king of flesh and blood wounds with a knife³⁴Gk.: smile. and heals with a bandage, but the Holy One is not like that.³⁵Exod. R. 50:3; cf. above, 4:18; Exod. R. 23:3; Lev. 18:5. The very thing which he uses for wounding he uses for healing. Thus it is stated (in Exod. 15:23): WHEN THEY CAME TO MARAH, [THEY COULD NOT DRINK THE WATER OF MARAH BECAUSE IT WAS BITTER (marim)]. R. Levi said: Why? BECAUSE IT WAS BITTER. The generation was bitter in its deeds. (Exod. 15:25:) THEN HE (i.e., Moses) CRIED UNTO THE LORD, [AND THE LORD SHOWED HIM A TREE]. The Holy One gave him bitter wood, he put it into the bitter <water>, AND (ibid., cont.) THE WATER BECAME SWEET. Ergo (in Jer. 30:17): AND I WILL HEAL YOU OF YOUR WOUNDS. Also, when Israel sinned at Shittim, the Holy One said to them: By your life, through that in which you sinned, you shall be healed. (Exod. 37:1:) THEN BEZALEL MADE THE ARK [OF ACACIA (shittim) WOOD].

R. Simeon ben Yohai began his discourse with the verse “He stood, and measured the earth” (Habakuk 3:6). That is, the Holy One took the measure of all peoples and found no people other than Israel worthy of receiving the Torah. The Holy One took the measure of all generations and found no generation other than the generation of the wilderness worthy of receiving the Torah. The Holy One took the measure of all mountains and found no mountain other than Sinai worthy of having the Torah given on it. The Holy One took the measure of all cities and found no city other than Jerusalem worthy of having the Temple built within it. The Holy One took the measure of all lands and found no land other than the Land of Israel worthy of being given to Israel.