Midras Keluaran 32:4: Midrash Tanchuma, Midrash Tannaim, Devarim Rabbah & Shemot Rabbah

(Deut. 29:9:) “You are standing today.” This text is related (to Prov. 12:7), “The wicked are overturned (rt.: hpk) and are no more, but the house of the righteous shall stand.” Every time that the Holy One, blessed be He, looks at the works of the wicked and turns (rt.: hpk) them over (examines them), there is no recovery for them. He turned over the works of the generation of the flood, and there was no recovery for them, as stated (in Gen. 7:23), “And he wiped out all living things.” He turned over the works of the Sodomites, and there was no recovery for them, as stated (in Gen. 19:25), “And he overturned those cities.” He turned over the works of the Egyptians, and there was no recovery for them, as stated (in Exod. 14:28), “and not so much as one of them remained.” He turned over the works of Babylon, and there was no recovery for them, as stated (in Is. 14:22), “and from Babylon i will cut off name, remnant, offspring, and posterity.” Moreover, David has said about all of them (in Ps. 36:13), “There the evildoers have fallen; they are thrust down and cannot rise.” When Israel falls, however, it stands up [again], as stated (in Micah 7:8), “Rejoice not over me, O my enemy; when I fall, I shall arise….” It also says (in Mal. 3:6), “For I the Lord do not change; [and you, O Children of Jacob, are not destroyed (rt.: klh).” R. Hanina bar Pappa said, “The Holy One, blessed be He, said, ‘I have never smitten a people and [restored] them, but (according to Mal. 3:6), “you Children of Jacob are not destroyed,”’ This is as stated (in Deut. 32:23), ‘I will use up (rt.: klh) My arrows on them,’ [meaning that] My arrows are used up (rt.: klh) but they are not destroyed (rt.: klh).” And so has the assembly of Israel said (in Lam. 3:12), “He has bent his bow; he has set me as a target for the arrow.” To what is the matter comparable? To a warrior who raises up the [target] post and shoots the arrows at them. The arrows are used up (rt.: klh), but the post stands. So it is also with Israel. Every time that afflictions came upon them, the afflictions ended, and they were standing in their place. Ergo it is stated (in Prov. 12:7), “The wicked are overturned and are no more.” Hezekiah the son of R. Hiyya said, “Why is this parashah next to the parashah about curses (i.e., Deut. 27:11-28:69)?¹Rashi on Deut. 29:12. Because Israel heard a hundred curses less two in this parashah, apart from the forty-nine which are uttered in the priestly Torah (i.e., in Leviticus). They immediately turned green in the face and said, ‘Who can withstand these [curses]?’ Moses called them immediately (in Deut. 29:1) and pacified them with [the words from Deut. 29:9].” What is written above the matter (in Deut. 29:1-2, 6)? “Then Moses summoned all of Israel [and said unto them, ‘You have seen all that the Lord did before your eyes in the land of Egypt,] …. The great trials [which your eyes saw, the signs, and those great wonders]. When you came unto this place, [Sihon king of Heshbon and Og king of Bashan came out to engage us in battle; but we defeated them].” And you did not heed My voice, and you uttered words before Me for which you deserved destruction. Still I did not wreak destruction upon you, when it is stated (in Ps. 106:7), “When our ancestors were in Egypt, they did not consider Your wondrous works….” And not only that, but they said of the calf (in Exod. 32:4), “This is your god, O Israel.” Now if you should say, “For what reason did the [other] nations deserve destruction, while we are remaining alive?” It is because when afflictions come upon them, they kick against them and do not mention the name of the Holy One, blessed be He, as stated (in Ps. 79:6), “Pour out your wrath upon the nations that have not known you, [upon the kingdoms that do not invoke Your name].” In the case of Israel, however, when afflictions come upon them, they make submit and pray, as stated (in Ps. 116:3-4), “I found trouble and sorrow, but I shall invoke the name of the Lord.” Therefore the Holy One, blessed be He, said, “Even though these maledictions come upon you, they [themselves] stand you up; and so it says (in Deut. 8:16), ‘in order to humble you and in order to test you, [so as to benefit you in the end].’” Thus did Moses say to Israel, “Even though afflictions come upon you, you have a standing.” It is therefore stated (in Deut. 29:9), “You are standing today, all of you.” Another interpretation (of Deut. 29:9), “You are standing (nizavim) today”: Why did Moshe make them into a pillar (mazevah)²A type of altar generally used for idolatry, but always forbidden by the Torah. See Deut. 16:22.? Because they would [change] from one opinion to another opinion: from the opinion of Moshe to the opinion of Joshua; from the opinion of Joshua to the opinion of the elders. And Joshua also made them into a pillar, as stated (in Josh. 24:1), “Joshua assembled all the tribes of Israel at Schechem, [and he summoned Israel’s elders and commanders, magistrates and officers; and they presented (yityazvu) themselves].” And Samuel – since they [changed] from his opinion to the opinion of the kings – also made them into a pillar, as stated (in I Sam. 12:7), “And now stand (hityazvu) and I will judge you.” Another interpretation (of Deut. 29:9), “You are standing today”: Just as today (literally: the day) sometimes darkens and sometimes lightens, so it is with you. Although you have darkness, the Holy One, blessed be He, is going to shine on you with light eternal, as stated (in Is. 60:19), “for the Lord shall be your everlasting light.” When? When you all become one group, as stated (in Deut. 4:4), “are all alive today.” According to universal custom, if one takes a group of reeds, will he be able to break them at one stroke! But if he takes them one by one, even an infant can break them. So also you find that Israel was not redeemed until they became one group, as stated (in Jer. 50:4), “’In those days and at that time,’ says the Lord,’ the children of Israel, they and the children of Judah, shall come together.’” When they are united, they shall welcome the face of the Divine Presence.

Rabbi Shimon said, "It is the fortune of the righteous that they do not depart from the world until they command their children after them concerning the words of the Torah. As so have we found with Abraham our father, who did not depart from the world until he commanded his children and his household that they should keep the ways of the Holy One, blessed be He. As it is stated, I have known him, in order that he may command his children, etc. (Genesis 18:19). Likewise did Isaac command Jacob. As it is stated, And Issac called to Jacob and blessed him and commanded him (Genesis 28:2). So too did Jacob command his sons. As it is stated, And Jacob finished commanding his sons (Genesis 49:33). Likewise did David, the king of Israel, command Solomon his son. As it is stated, And the days for David to die approached, so he commanded Solomon his son, saying (I Kings 2:1). And so too, Moses our teacher did not depart from the world until he rebuked the Jewish people about the sins that fell into their hands and he commanded them to keep the commandments of the Holy One, blessed be He. As it is stated, These are the words, etc.." What is [the meaning of] These are the words? Rabbi Yishamael said, "These words (devarim) are equal to the Ten Commandments (dibbarot) that the Jewish people received from Mount Sinai. And not only that, but with the Ten Commandments, they did not wait much until they rebelled against them and said, These are your gods, O Israel (Exodus 32:4), whereas these words brought the Jewish people back to the good and made them cling to the Holy One, blessed be He, and to His Torah. As it is stated, But you, who clung to the Lord your God (Deuteronomy 4:4). The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses, 'Since the Jewish people have clung to Me through these words, [the words] will only be called by your name. As it is stated, These are the words that Moses spoke to all of Israel. It does not state, "These are the words that the Lord spoke," but rather These are the words Moses spoke.'"

Another matter: “These are the words that Moses spoke” – this is what the verse said: “You have done these, and I was silent. Did you think I was like you…?” (Psalms 50:21). What is “You have done these [eleh] and I was silent”? Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman said: [God said:] ‘You performed [the sin of stating:] “This is [eleh] your god, Israel” (Exodus 32:4) in the wilderness and I was silent to you. Why? It is because Moses was appeasing Me and saying to Me: “Please forgive […this people]” (Numbers 14:19), and I listened to him.’ “Did you think I was like you” – you likened a form to its Creator, and the plant to the One who planted it. “[Did you think I was like you,] that I would reprove you and set it [ve’e’erkha] before your eyes?” (Psalms 50:21). Two amora’im, one said: I will arouse [a’orer] it all before you, and one said: I will arrange it all before you.⁹God may still punish the Israelites for the sin of the Golden Calf, as the verse states, “on the day of My reckoning, I will reckon their sin upon them” (Exodus 32:34) (Etz Yosef). Moses said to them: ‘I am not rebuking you regarding what you are destined to perform, but rather, regarding what you performed in the past – “in the wilderness, in the Arava, opposite the Red Sea.”’