וַיַּ֣רְא הָעָ֔ם כִּֽי־בֹשֵׁ֥שׁ מֹשֶׁ֖ה לָרֶ֣דֶת מִן־הָהָ֑ר וַיִּקָּהֵ֨ל הָעָ֜ם עַֽל־אַהֲרֹ֗ן וַיֹּאמְר֤וּ אֵלָיו֙ ק֣וּם ׀ עֲשֵׂה־לָ֣נוּ אֱלֹהִ֗ים אֲשֶׁ֤ר יֵֽלְכוּ֙ לְפָנֵ֔ינוּ כִּי־זֶ֣ה ׀ מֹשֶׁ֣ה הָאִ֗ישׁ אֲשֶׁ֤ר הֶֽעֱלָ֙נוּ֙ מֵאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרַ֔יִם לֹ֥א יָדַ֖עְנוּ מֶה־הָ֥יָה לֽוֹ׃
Ketika bangsa itu melihat bahwa Musa berlambat-lambat turun dari gunung, bangsa itu berkumpul mengerumuni Harun dan berkata kepadanya, “Bangkitlah, jadikanlah bagi kami allah-allah yang akan berjalan di depan kami, sebab Musa ini, orang yang telah membawa kami naik keluar dari negeri Mesir, kami tidak tahu apa yang telah terjadi padanya.”
Machberet Menachem
This is the wonder of language and the power of expression. Understand this, people of understanding: see and behold how twelve letters serve as a single word in the following phrases: "Erdah na" (Genesis 18:21), "Bir'dat hayaar" (Isaiah 32:19), "Hor'da adayikh" (Exodus 33:5), "Vehorad hamishkan" (Numbers 10:17), "Yarad yardeinu" (Genesis 43:20), "Kerdat Moshe" (Exodus 34:29), "Ler'det min hahar" (Exodus 32:1), "Merdat Shechat" (Job 33:24), "Nir'dah venishberah" (Genesis 43:4), "Sheyored al harrei Tzion" (Psalms 133:3), "Terad me'od" (1 Samuel 20:19). And this is how it happens with other words as well. Behold, we find that all twelve of these letters serve the purpose of descent. And after their service, they turn and become a foundation and rooted. But when they ascend from their position, they are rooted in different contexts, as it is written: "The Lord said" (Joshua 7:13), "God created" (Genesis 1:1), "Be strong" (Genesis 27:29), "And the pillars wept" (Exodus 27:10), "Beautiful in elevation" (Psalms 48:3), "He cut a covenant" (Exodus 34:10), "Learn to do good" (Isaiah 1:17), "The Lord has anointed me" (Isaiah 61:1), "Cry out loudly, O praise!" (Ezekiel 30:24), "Hear, my son" (Proverbs 1:8), "They have come to an end; they are cut off" (Joshua 3:10). Indeed, these are the letters that are prepared to serve and have become foundations, and there are many such examples in the Holy Language. However, the initial letters do not undergo such changes, for they are founded, grasped, and stand firm in their power. They do not change between the two categories, and they do not deviate from their nature, except through the movement of pronunciation and the fluctuation of language, according to the appropriate point of the word, in order to encompass the understanding and interpretation of every matter. These are the three higher degrees out of the twelve.
Psalms
They bartered their glory for the image of an ox, an eater of grass.