Midrash su Esodo 33:1

“For the living know that they will die; but the dead do not know anything, and they no longer have a reward, as their memory is forgotten” (Ecclesiastes 9:5).
“For the living know that they will die.” Rabbi Ḥiyya the Great and Rabbi Yonatan were walking before the bier of Rabbi Shimon ben Yosei ben Lakoneya, and Rabbi Yonatan’s garment¹⁴With its ritual fringes. was dragging on the coffin. Rabbi Ḥiyya the Great said to him: ‘My son, lift your garment, so they will not say: Tomorrow they are coming to us, and they are mocking us.’¹⁵The dead should not perceive Rabbi Yonatan as mocking them by allowing his ritual fringes to drape on the bier, while the dead are unable to perform mitzvot. He said to him: ‘Rabbi, is it not written: “But the dead do not know anything”?’ He said to him: ‘My son, Bible, you know; Midrash, you do not know. “For the living know” – these are the righteous, who, even in their death, are called alive. “But the dead do not know anything” – these are the wicked, who, even in their lifetimes, are called dead.
‘From where is it derived that the righteous, even in their death, are called alive? It is as it is stated: “To the land in whose regard I took an oath to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob, saying: [I will give it to your descendants]” (Exodus 33:1). He did not say: To the patriarchs, but rather, “to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.” He said to Moses: Go out and say to them: The oath that I took to them, I have fulfilled, as it is stated: “I will give it to your descendants.” The wicked, even in their lifetimes, are called dead, as it is written: “For I do not desire the death of the dead” (Ezekiel 18:32). Do the dead die? Rather, these are the wicked who, even in their lifetimes, are called dead.’ [Rabbi Yonatan] said to [Rabbi Ḥiyya the Great]: ‘Blessed is he who taught me Midrash.’ [Rabbi Ḥiyya] kissed him on his head.

When the Lord cuts down (Deuteronomy 12:29): The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Israel, "By your lives, I will conduct your wars and write about you that you killed them." Come and see, the acts of the Holy One, blessed be He, are not like the acts of a king of flesh and blood: [When] a king of flesh and blood goes out to war, his legions go out in front of him. If they are victorious, they come and make a crown and crown him. But the Holy One, blessed be He, does not do like this, but rather He conducts the war, and give the crown to Israel, as it is stated (Psalms 136:17-20), "Who struck down great kings, [...]. Sihon, king of the Amorites,[...]. Og, king of Bashan." But He gave the crown to Israel, as it is stated (Joshua 12:5), "Moshe, the servant of God, and Israel smote them." And so [too], with Yehoshua, what is written? "And the Lord hurled huge stones on them from the sky" (Joshua 10:11). And [yet] it is stated (Joshua 12:7), "And these are the kings of the land that Yehoshua and the Children of Israel slew." So that we inherit their land, He cut them down from the world, in order that we would enter and inherit houses filled with all good things. As all the days that Israel was present, they were swept and wandering in the wilderness for forty years. Yet they had been fitting to go up [to the Land of Israel] immediately, as it is stated (Exodus 3:17), "I will take you out of the misery of Egypt," to a good and spacious land. But they did not go in immediately. As when they left from Egypt, the seven nations [inhabiting the land] heard that [the Israelites] were coming to inherit [the land]. What did they do? They cut down the trees, stopped up the springs and destroyed the homes, such that if [the Israelites] would enter, they would find nothing [worthwhile there]. The Holy One, blessed be He, said, "If I bring them in right away, they will find it desolate, and I promised them that they would find it full of all of good things." What did He do? He held them up in the wilderness forty years, such that the Canaanites disregarded Israel, saying they are not coming. [Hence] they rose and planted trees, they fixed the wells and the cities, such that Israel would come when it was built, to fulfill that which is stated (Deuteronomy 6:11), "Houses full of all good things." This is [the meaning of] that which is written (Exodus 13:17), "God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines." Once they fixed everything, the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moshe, "Why are you standing? 'Go up from here, you and the people' (Exodus 33:1). Make war with them and cut them down." And Israel said to Moshe, "When do we enter the land." [His answer was:] When the Lord, your God cuts down the nations within it shall you enter.

And the Lord remembered Sarah, as he had said (Gen. 21:1). Scripture states elsewhere in allusion to this verse: God is not a man that He should lie; neither the son of man, that He should repent; when He hath said, will He will not do it? Or when He hath spoken, will He not make it good? (Num. 23:19). R. Samuel the son of Nahman contended: The conclusion of this verse contradicts the beginning. It begins: God is not a man that He should lie, but subsequently it reverses itself by stating: when He hath said, will He not do it? What is meant by God is not a man that He should lie? It indicates that when the Holy One, blessed be He, promises to perform a good deed, He does so. For example: A mortal king may promise his son a gift, but if his son angers him, he will withdraw his promise. However, if the Holy One, blessed be He, promises to do a good deed, He will not retract His promise even though they sin against Him. Scripture states: And He gave them the lands of the nations, and they took the labor of the peoples in possession; that they might keep His statutes and observe His Laws (Ps. 105:44–45), and even though they neglected to keep His commandments and to observe His laws, He gave them the land. Similarly, though the Israelites erected the golden calf, when Moses pleaded for mercy in their behalf, the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: Depart, go up hence, thou and the people thou hast brought out of the land of Egypt (Exod. 33:1). The Holy One, blessed be He, said: Moses, I am not like a man who promises a gift and then retracts. Hence, it says: God is not a man that He should lie.

(Exod. 33:12:) AND MOSES SAID UNTO THE LORD. To what is the matter comparable? To a cavern which was located on the edge of the sea, and <the sea> filled it.⁵⁸Exod. R. 45:3. From then on the sea was flowing into the cave, and the cave making a return to the sea. (Exod. 33:1:) AND THE LORD SPOKE UNTO MOSES. (Exod. 33:5:) AND THE LORD SPOKE UNTO MOSES. (Exod. 33:12:) AND MOSES SAID UNTO THE LORD.⁵⁹In other words, conversation between the Holy One and Moses flowed back and forth like tidal waters flowing in and out of a cavern.

And the Lord spoke unto Moses: “Depart, go up hence” (Exod. 33:1). This is what Scripture says in allusion to this verse: For I will restore health unto thee, and I will heal thee of thy wounds (Jer. 30:17). What is meant by I will heal thee of thy wounds? R. Joshua the son of Levi said: When they transgressed by means of the golden calf, they sinned through Aaron, who said to them: Whosoever hath any gold (Exod. 32:24). And when the Holy One, blessed be He, became reconciled with them and desired to make known to them that He bore no resentment over the fashioning of the calf, He desired to do so through Aaron, as is said: And He said unto Aaron: “Take thee a bull calf for a burnt offering” (Lev. 9:2).

Similarly, since He had indicated His wrath through the words Go, get thee down, He became reconciled with him through the words Depart, go up hence. The Holy One, blessed be He, said: With the very expression (with which) I humbled you, I will exalt you, as is said: Depart, go up hence. Another comment on Depart, go up hence. What is written previously concerning this matter? And Moses turned, and went down from the mountain (Exod. 32:15). After they had performed the wicked deed, Moses descended from the mountain and, as he approached the camp, observed the golden calf they had made. Until that moment, the tablets that the Holy One, blessed be He, had given him had been virtually self-borne, but as he descended the mountain, approached the camp, and saw the calf, the letters flew from the tablets and they became heavy in the hands of Moses. Forthwith, Moses’ anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hand (ibid., v. 19).