Talmud su Esodo 32:78

Rebbi Jehudah bar Pazi in the name of Rebbi: May one read this and not be ashamed³⁰In B: afraid. In the biblical narrative, all good actions are ascribed to individuals, the bad to the entire people.? In a good sense, every one of goodwill³¹Ex. 35:5.; in a bad sense, all the people took off the gold rings in their ears³²Ex. 32:3.. In a good sense, Moses led the people out³³Ex. 19:1.; in a bad sense, all of you ganged up against me³⁴Deut. 1:22.. In a good sense, then Moses and the Children of Israel sang³⁵Ex. 15:1.; in a bad sense, the entire congregation started wailing³⁶Num. 14:1.. Rebbi Ḥiyya bar Abba said, indeed they got up early to destroy³⁷Zeph. 3:7.. Any destructive action they made early in the morning. Rebbi Abba bar Aḥa said, one cannot understand the character of this people; they are asked for the {golden} calf and are giving, for the Sanctuary and are giving. Rebbi Yose ben Ḥanina stated this baraita:³⁸To answer R. Ḥiyya bar Abba’s question. You shall make a cover of pure gold³⁹Ex. 25:17., may the gold of the cover come and atone for the gold of the calf.

How were the tablets written? Rebbi Ḥanania ben Gamliel says, five on one tablet each⁴¹This minority opinion is everywhere accepted in depictions of the tablets.. But the rabbis say, ten on each tablet, as it is written⁴²Deut. 4:13.: He informed you of His covenant which He had commanded you to do, the ten words, ten on each tablet. Rebbi Simeon ben Yoḥai⁴³The name tradition here is very varied. said, twenty on each tablet, as it is written: He informed you of His covenant which He had commanded you to do, the ten words, twenty on each tablet⁴⁴Ten on the top, ten on the bottom.. Rebbi Simai says, forty on each tablet, as it is written, on each side they were written⁴⁵Ex. 32:15., a square⁴⁶Greek τετράγωνον. He holds that the tablets were cubes, top and bottom empty and identical writing on each of the faces.. Ḥananiah, the son of Rebbi Joshua’s brother, says: Between every two commandments, the details and the letters [of the Torah] were written. Filled with tarsis⁴⁷Cant. 5:14. His hands are golden cylinders, inlaid with tarsis, the cylinders being Torah scrolls (Cant. rabba5:12). The Palestinian Targum to Ex. 28:20, 39:13 translates taršiš by כְּרוֹם יַמָּא רַבָּא ”the color of the Great Sea.“ One may assume that the scribe of the Yerushalmi did not understand the Greek χρω̅μα “color” and shortened it to .כְּ. The Targum to Cant. translates taršiš by the Syriac/Pahlevi word פֵּירוֹזַג (Farsi פירוזה) “turquoise”. The sentence is missing in the Genizah text and in B., like the Great Sea⁴⁸. When Rebbi Simeon ben Laqish had occasion to discuss this verse, he said, Ḥananiah, the son of Rebbi Joshua’s brother, did teach us correctly. Just as in the sea there are small waves between a large wave and the next, so between any two commandments there are the details and the letters of the Torah.

It is written⁶⁸Num. 23:19. In this verse Balaam seems to proclaim an extreme doctrine of predestination which negates the possibility of effective repentance, against the homiletics described in the Halakhah. Tanḥuma Mas`e6., God is no human that He would lie. Rebbi Samuel bar Naḥman and the rabbis. Rebbi Samuel bar Naḥman said, if the Holy One, praise to Him, says to give a benefit, God is no human that He would lie. If he said to make a detriment, He would say but not do it, and speak but not keep it. But the rabbis are saying, there is no man who could make God’s words as if nonexistent. Why should Your anger burn against Your people⁶⁹Ex. 32:11. Num. rabba23(8).? Or a human and He be sorrow. Not the son of Amram who made God to have second thoughts: the Eternal had second thoughts about the evil He had said to bring over His people⁷⁰Ex. 32:14..

It is written⁶⁸Num. 23:19. In this verse Balaam seems to proclaim an extreme doctrine of predestination which negates the possibility of effective repentance, against the homiletics described in the Halakhah. Tanḥuma Mas`e6., God is no human that He would lie. Rebbi Samuel bar Naḥman and the rabbis. Rebbi Samuel bar Naḥman said, if the Holy One, praise to Him, says to give a benefit, God is no human that He would lie. If he said to make a detriment, He would say but not do it, and speak but not keep it. But the rabbis are saying, there is no man who could make God’s words as if nonexistent. Why should Your anger burn against Your people⁶⁹Ex. 32:11. Num. rabba23(8).? Or a human and He be sorrow. Not the son of Amram who made God to have second thoughts: the Eternal had second thoughts about the evil He had said to bring over His people⁷⁰Ex. 32:14..

So what did Jeroboam do¹²⁹To commit a new kind of sin.? Because he made two golden calves. But did Israel not make many calves¹³⁰The sin is not new; for the Yerushalmi Jeroboam has part in the World to Come.? Rebbi Simeon ben Ioḥai stated: Thirteen calves did Israel make¹³¹Not a single golden calf but 13.; of these one was common property¹³²Greek δημόσιος, -α, -ον, adj. “belonging to the people”. Also used as noun. to all of them. What is the reason? They said, these are your gods, Israel¹³³Ex. 32:4,8.; this refers to the twelve tribes. This is your god¹³⁴Neh. 9:18., i. e., one common property for all of them.

So what did Jeroboam do¹²⁹To commit a new kind of sin.? Because he made two golden calves. But did Israel not make many calves¹³⁰The sin is not new; for the Yerushalmi Jeroboam has part in the World to Come.? Rebbi Simeon ben Ioḥai stated: Thirteen calves did Israel make¹³¹Not a single golden calf but 13.; of these one was common property¹³²Greek δημόσιος, -α, -ον, adj. “belonging to the people”. Also used as noun. to all of them. What is the reason? They said, these are your gods, Israel¹³³Ex. 32:4,8.; this refers to the twelve tribes. This is your god¹³⁴Neh. 9:18., i. e., one common property for all of them.

What is the fence that Moses made around his words? It says (Exodus 19:10), “The Eternal said to Moses: Go to the people, and keep them holy, today and tomorrow.” But Moses the Righteous did not want to say this to them the way that the Holy Blessed One said it to him. So instead he said this to them (Exodus 19:15): “Prepare yourselves: for three days do not go near a woman.” Moses added an extra day for them on his own. (For this is what) Moses reasoned [to himself]: A man will go be with his wife [on the first day] and then his semen will come out of her on the third day, and then they will be [ritually] impure. And so Israel will receive words of Torah from Mount Sinai while in a state of impurity! Instead, I will add a third day for them (so that no man goes to be with his wife, and no semen will come out of her on the third day), and they will be [ritually] pure (and so they will receive Torah from Mount Sinai in a state of purity).
This is one of the things that Moses decided on his own (as a more strict ruling), and his decision was in accordance with the will of the Omnipresent God. He broke the tablets, and his decision was in accordance with the will of the Omnipresent God. He stayed outside the Tent of Meeting, and his decision was in accordance with the will of the Omnipresent God. He stayed apart from his wife, and his decision was in accordance with the will of the Omnipresent God. How so? He said to himself: If Israel need only remain in a state of holiness for a short period of time, and need only be ready to receive the Ten Commandments from Mount Sinai, and yet the Holy Blessed One said to me (Exodus 19:10), “Go to the people, and keep them holy, today and tomorrow”; then I, who am appointed [to receive the Divine Countenance] every day, at every moment, and do not know when He will speak with me, nor whether it will be during the day or at night – all the more so must I stay apart from my wife! And his decision was in accordance with the will of the Omnipresent God. Rabbi Yehudah ben Beteira said: He did not stay apart from his wife until he was told to straight from mouth of the Almighty, as it says (Numbers 12:8), “Mouth to mouth I speak to him”; that is, mouth to mouth I told him to stay apart from his wife, and so he did. Another opinion also held that Moses did not stay apart from his wife until he was told to straight from the mouth of the Almighty, [but derived it instead from these verses] (Deuteronomy 5:27–28): “Go and tell them to return to their tents,” and then after that it says, “But you stay here with Me.” So [Moses] returned [to God] and stayed apart [from his wife], and his decision was in accordance with the will of the Omnipresent God.
He stayed outside the Tent of Meeting. How so? He said to himself: If my brother Aaron, who was anointed with the anointing oil, and wrapped in [the priestly] garments, and is able to use all these things in a state of holiness, and yet the Holy Blessed One said to me (Leviticus 16:2), “Tell your brother Aaron he may not come any time he wishes into the Sanctuary”; then I, who am never allowed in – all the more so should I stay outside the Tent of Meeting! So he stayed outside the Tent of Meeting, and his decision was in accordance with the will of the Omnipresent God.
He broke the tablets. How so? They say that when Moses went up on High to receive the tablets, he found that they had already been written and set aside during the six days of Creation, as it says (Exodus 32:16), “And the tablets were the work of God, and the writing was God’s writing, engraved there upon the tablets.” (Do not read “engraved” [harut], but “freedom” [herut], for anyone who labors in Torah makes himself a free man.) At that moment, the angels who serve God pinned an accusation on Moses, saying: Master of the World, [it says] (Psalms 8:5–9), “What is the human that You should be mindful of him, the son of man that You should take note of him? You have made him a little less than God, and crowned him with glory and splendor. You have set him up to rule over Your handiwork. The world is beneath Your feet. Sheep and oxen, and all of them, and wild beasts as well. The birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea.” So they spoke behind Moses’ back and asked: Why is this one, born of an earthly woman, worthy of ascending to the heights? as it says (Psalms 68:19), “You went up to the heights, having taken captives, having taken gifts.” He took them and went down, and was overjoyed. But when he saw that they were disgracing themselves with the Golden Calf, he said to himself: How can I give them these tablets? I will be binding them in serious commandments, and causing them to deserve death from Above! For it is written on these tablets, “You shall have no other gods before Me” (Exodus 20:3). So he started to go back up. The seventy elders saw him and ran after him. He was holding on to one end of the tablets, and they grabbed on to the other end. But Moses’ strength was greater than all of theirs, as it says (Deuteronomy 34:12), “And for all the awesome power that Moses displayed before all of Israel.” (He looked and saw that the writing was flying off them, and he said: How can I give these tablets to Israel? For there is nothing on them! So instead, I will take ahold of them and smash them, as it says [Deuteronomy 9:17], “I grabbed the two tablets, and I cast them out of my two hands, and I broke them.”) Rabbi Yosei HaGalili says: I will give you a parable. To what can this be compared? [It can be compared] to a human king who said to his messenger: Go out and betroth to me a beautiful, gracious maiden, whose deeds are lovely. The messenger went and betrothed such a woman. But after he betrothed her, he went and found her cheating with someone else. He made an instant (a fortiori) judgment with himself and said: If I give her the marriage contract now, she will immediately deserve death. [So let her instead] be released from my master forever. So, too, did Moses the Righteous make an (a fortiori) judgment with himself, and said: How can I give these tablets to Israel and bind them in serious commandments and cause them to deserve death? For it is written upon them (Exodus 22:19), “One who sacrifices to any gods other than the Eternal alone will be put to death.” So instead (I will take ahold of them and smash them, and thereby return the people to good standing, lest Israel say: Where are the first tablets that you brought down? These things are counterfeit! Rabbi Yehudah ben Beteira says: Moses did not break the tablets until he was told to straight from the mouth of the Almighty, as it says [Numbers 12:8], “Mouth to mouth I speak to him” – that is, mouth to mouth I said to him: Break the tablets!) And there are others who say: Moses did not break the tablets until he was told to straight from the mouth of the Almighty, as it says (Deuteronomy 9:16), “I saw there that you had sinned against the Eternal your God.” It says only, “I saw there,” because he saw the writing flying off [the tablets]. Others say: Moses did not break the tablets until he was told to straight from the mouth of the Almighty, as it says (Deuteronomy 10:5), “[The tablets] were there, as the Eternal had commanded me.” It says only, “commanded me,” because [first] he was commanded to [break them], and then he broke them. Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah says: Moses did not break the tablets until he was told to straight from the mouth of the Almighty, as it says (Deuteronomy 34:12), “…that Moses performed before all of Israel.” Just as later on he was commanded and then did, so too here, he was commanded and then did. (Rabbi Akiva says: Moses did not break the tablets until he was told to straight from the mouth of the Almighty, as it says [Deuteronomy 9:17], “I took ahold of the two tablets.” A person can take ahold only of that which he has been permitted by his Creator. Rabbi Meir says: Moses did not break the tablets until he was told to straight from the mouth of the Almighty, as it says [Deuteronomy 10:2], “That [asher] which you broke”: Well done [yishar koach] that you broke them!)¹Rashi says the language of asher, “that,” is like the language of ishur, “permission.” I think it more likely that the text is making a play on words between asher and yishar [koah], “well done.” [trans.]

HALAKHAH: Why does the High Priest serve in eight vestments? Rebbi Ḥanania the colleague of the rabbis said, corresponding to circumcision, which takes place on the eighth day. Because of My covenant was with him⁶⁶Mal. 2:5. In rabbinic usage, the common meaning of “covenant” is “circumcision”.. Why does he not serve in the golden vestments? Because of haughtiness. Rebbi Simon said, because of do not inflate yourself in front of the king⁶⁷Prov. 25:6.. Rebbi Levi said, because an accuser⁶⁸Greek κατήγωρ, κατήγορος, ὁ. does not become a defense attorney⁶⁹Greek συνήγορος, ὁ.. Yesterday it was written about them, they made golden gods for themselves⁷⁰Ex. 32:31. Babli Rosh Hashanah 26a, in the name of Rav Ḥisda., and today he would officiate in golden vestments?

⁹⁸Babli 43b/44a, Tosephta 3:19. The speaker is R. Yose the Tanna who objects to the statement that the idol has to be dumped into the Dead Sea; he brings examples of disposition of pagan idols in other ways. Rebbi Yose objected to the rabbis, is it not written: your sin which you had made, the calf⁹⁹Deut. 9:21.? They told him, this teaches that he intended to examine them in the way one examines deviant wives: he strewed it on the surface of the water¹⁰⁰Ex. 32:20. As usual, the argument is from the part of the verse which is not quoted, viz., he let the Children of Israel drink. The deviant wife has to drink water mixed with dust from the floor of the Sanctaury, Num. 5:11–31..He said to them, is it not written, and also Maacah, king Asa’s mother, he removed from power¹⁰¹1K. 15:13.? They told him, is there proof from there? Asa cut down¹⁰²Since Asa burned his mother’s Ashera, there is no doubt that burning a wooden statue is as good as bringing it to the Dead Sea. etc. He told them, he beat the bronze serpent to pieces¹⁰³2K. 18:4.. Was this an object of worship? Did not Moses make it? This teaches that Israel was erring after it until Hezekias came and removed it¹⁰⁴Here ends the Genizah fragment G edited by Epstein; on the next line starts one (ג) edited by Ginzberg (pp. 278–279) of which, however, not very much is legible..

It is written¹⁵⁸Is. 3:18–24. This paragraph simply explains the difficult words in the text, without connection to the rules of the Sabbath., on that day the Eternal will remove the splendor of the anklets, bark shoes¹⁵⁹Latin corticeus, a, um, “of bark, cork”., as you are saying, with their feet they skid¹⁶⁰Is. 3:16.. The head bands, שלטוניה¹⁶¹The word is unexplained; Arukh reads שרטטיא. Cf. the late Greek σαταρίς, σαταρνίς, -ιδος, ἡ “woman’s headdress” (E. G.)., as you are saying “the head-band of the hair net.¹⁶²Mishnah Negaim 11:11. The Mishnah explains that anything which may become impure by the impurity of a corpse may become impure by skin disease. As explained in Mishnah Kelim 28:10, the שְׁבִיס is a decoration of a hair net which covers the front from ear to ear.” The half-moons, necklaces¹⁶³With G read Greek μανιάκης, -ου, ὁ, “necklace” worn by Persians and Gauls. The word in the Leiden ms. is unexplained., as you are saying, he took the half-moons from the necks of their camels¹⁶⁴Jud. 8:21.. The pendants, Solomonic jewelry¹⁶⁵The translation is very tentative. The dictionaries propose to read Greek σταλαγμία “ear pendant” assuming the γ was elided.. Chains, chains¹⁶⁶The Aramaic equivalent of the Hebrew word of the verse.. Veils, silken¹⁶⁷For בלנידייא reading Latin lanicium, -ii, n., “wool, silk, cotton” (E. G.).. Head bands, diadems, as you are saying, your head bands on your heads¹⁶⁸Ez. 24:23.. Foot chains, ποδοψέλλα¹⁵⁴With G one has to read Greek ποδοψέλλιον τό “anklet”.. Tyings, bells. Belly wraps, Aquila translated אסטו מוכריאה¹⁶⁹The word is unexplained. Cf. Greek στόμιον, τό, “opening, bridle, female ornament for the neck” (E. G.)., something which is put on the place of breathing. And incantations, precious stones¹⁷⁰Arabic قديس “precious stone”. put on the larynx. Rings, rings¹⁶⁶The Aramaic equivalent of the Hebrew word of the verse.. Nose rings, something put on the nose. Overcoats, περιζόματα¹⁷¹Greek “body wrap”.. Wrappings, tunics¹⁷²Read קולבין for Greek κολόβιον “tunic”. and tunics¹⁷³The same as before in Aramaic.. The shawls, large fine tissues¹⁷⁴Greek σάβανον “fine tissue”.. Handbags, decorated belts¹⁷⁵Greek ζωνάριον “belt”. and decorated pure silk tissues¹⁷⁶Greek τό ὁλοσερικόν “pure silk tissue”.. As you are saying, he took from their hands and tied it in tissue¹⁷⁷Ex. 32:4.. The head covers, head covers¹⁶⁶The Aramaic equivalent of the Hebrew word of the verse.. The sheets, the sheets¹⁶⁶The Aramaic equivalent of the Hebrew word of the verse.. The turbans, אוֹלָרַייָא¹⁷⁸The meaning of this word is unknown. Cf. Latin velarium, -ii, n. “cover” or velamen, -nis, n., “veil, cover”., as you are saying, he said, put … the pure turban on his head¹⁷⁹Zech. 3:5.. And the veils, fine cloth¹⁸⁰Cf. Chapter 4, Note 45., as you are saying, they took away my veil, the watchmen on the walls¹⁸¹Cant. 5:7..

HALAKHAH: It is written²⁰⁵Ex. 24:16.: The glory of the Eternal dwelt on Mount Sinai; the cloud covered it for six days; He called to Moses on the Seventh Day. Moses ascended²⁰⁶Ex. 24:13.. The Seventh after the Ten Commandments, the start of the Forty. Moses said to them, I shall be occupied on the Mountain for 40 days²⁰⁷This is the argument which shows that the tablets were broken on the 17th of Tammus (Babli 28b). In rabbinic tradition, Pentecost (Siwan 6) is the anniversary of the epiphany of Mount Sinai. If one assumes that at the Exodus this month had 30 days and counts 40 days from the following day one has 13 days in Siwan and 17 in Tammuz for a sum of 40. Therefore the date of 17 Tammuz presupposes not only the rabbinic date for the giving of the Ten Commandments but also that Moses did not eat during the six days of waiting for permission to ascend the Mountain.
The remainder of the paragraph consists of sermon concepts; presupposing like many sermons that the persons acting in biblical history had foreknowledge of what was going to happen, such as Moses knowing that he would spend 40 days on the Mountain. Similarly, the crass anthropomorphism of the sermon about the tablets would be inadmissible in a discussion with possible consequences for rules of behavior.. When the fortieth day came and he did not come, immediately the people saw that Moses tarried in descending from the Mountain²⁰⁸Ex. 32:1.. When noontime came and he did not come, immediately the people congregated on Aaron and said to him, rise and make us gods which shall go before us, etc. The Eternal said to Moses, descend, for your people corrupted²⁰⁹Ex. 32:7., etc. And Joshua heard the sound of the people in its dealings; he said to Moses, there is sound of war in the camp²¹⁰Ex. 32:17.. Moses said, a man who in the future will rule over 600’000 does not know to distinguish between sound and sound? He said, there is no sound of shouts of strength nor sound of sounds of weakness, a sound of shouts I am hearing²¹¹Ex. 32:18.. Rebbi Yasa said, a sound of acclaim of foreign worship I am hearing. Rebbi Yudan in the name of Rebbi Yasa: There is no generation in which there is not an ounce²¹²Latin uncia. of the sin of the Calf²¹³Any trouble for the Jewish people contains some punishment for the sin of the Golden Calf. Babli Sanhedrin 102a.. It was when he approached the camp that he saw the Calf and fifes²¹⁴Ex. 32:19.. Rebbi Ḥilkiah in the name of Rebbi Aḥa: From here²¹⁵Even though Moses correctly analyzed the sound, he did not act until he had visual confirmation that his analysis was correct. that a person should not argue from guesses. Moses made an argument de minore ad majus. Since for the pesaḥ sacrifice, which is an isolated obligation, it is said no uncircumcised may eat from it²¹⁶Ex. 12:48. Babli Šabbat 87a., the Torah in which all commandments are contained not so much more? Moses got angry and he threw the tablets from his hand and broke them below the Mountain²¹⁴Ex. 32:19.. Rebbi Ismael stated, the Holy One, praise to Him, told him to break them, [as it is said,] I shall write on the tablets the words which were on the first tablets luckily you broke²¹⁷Deut. 10:2, taking אשר not as relative pronoun but as derived from the root אשר “riches, happiness”.. He said to him, you did well that you broke. Rebbi Samuel bar Naḥman in the name of Rebbi Jonathan: The tablets were six hand-breadths long and three wide. Moses held two hand-breadth, the Holy One, praise to Him two hand-breadth, and two hand-breadths of space were between them. When Israel sinned in that way, the Holy One wanted to seize them from Moses’s hand, but Moses’s hand had the better of it and seized them from Him. That is what the verse praises him at the end and says, and all the strong hand²¹⁸Deut. 34:12., ²¹⁹Here starts an Ashkenazic text edited by J. Sussman (A), differing from the Leiden ms. mostly in the names of the tradents. The readings of the Leiden ms. are more reliable; they are confirmed by excerpts from this Chapter published by L. Ginzberg. peace shall be on the hand which had the better on mine. Rebbi Joḥanan in the name of Rebbi Yose ben Abbai: the tablets wanted to fly off but Moses held them, [as is written,] I grabbed the two tablets²²⁰Deut. 9:17.. It was stated in the name of Rebbi Nehemiah, the writing itself flew off²²¹Babli Pesaḥim 87b, last line.. Rebbi Ezra in the name of Rebbi Jehudah ben Rebbi Simon: The tablets were a load of forty seah but the writing was carrying them. When the writing flew off they were too heavy for Moses’s hands, they fell, and broke²²¹Babli Pesaḥim 87b, last line..

HALAKHAH: It is written²⁰⁵Ex. 24:16.: The glory of the Eternal dwelt on Mount Sinai; the cloud covered it for six days; He called to Moses on the Seventh Day. Moses ascended²⁰⁶Ex. 24:13.. The Seventh after the Ten Commandments, the start of the Forty. Moses said to them, I shall be occupied on the Mountain for 40 days²⁰⁷This is the argument which shows that the tablets were broken on the 17th of Tammus (Babli 28b). In rabbinic tradition, Pentecost (Siwan 6) is the anniversary of the epiphany of Mount Sinai. If one assumes that at the Exodus this month had 30 days and counts 40 days from the following day one has 13 days in Siwan and 17 in Tammuz for a sum of 40. Therefore the date of 17 Tammuz presupposes not only the rabbinic date for the giving of the Ten Commandments but also that Moses did not eat during the six days of waiting for permission to ascend the Mountain.
The remainder of the paragraph consists of sermon concepts; presupposing like many sermons that the persons acting in biblical history had foreknowledge of what was going to happen, such as Moses knowing that he would spend 40 days on the Mountain. Similarly, the crass anthropomorphism of the sermon about the tablets would be inadmissible in a discussion with possible consequences for rules of behavior.. When the fortieth day came and he did not come, immediately the people saw that Moses tarried in descending from the Mountain²⁰⁸Ex. 32:1.. When noontime came and he did not come, immediately the people congregated on Aaron and said to him, rise and make us gods which shall go before us, etc. The Eternal said to Moses, descend, for your people corrupted²⁰⁹Ex. 32:7., etc. And Joshua heard the sound of the people in its dealings; he said to Moses, there is sound of war in the camp²¹⁰Ex. 32:17.. Moses said, a man who in the future will rule over 600’000 does not know to distinguish between sound and sound? He said, there is no sound of shouts of strength nor sound of sounds of weakness, a sound of shouts I am hearing²¹¹Ex. 32:18.. Rebbi Yasa said, a sound of acclaim of foreign worship I am hearing. Rebbi Yudan in the name of Rebbi Yasa: There is no generation in which there is not an ounce²¹²Latin uncia. of the sin of the Calf²¹³Any trouble for the Jewish people contains some punishment for the sin of the Golden Calf. Babli Sanhedrin 102a.. It was when he approached the camp that he saw the Calf and fifes²¹⁴Ex. 32:19.. Rebbi Ḥilkiah in the name of Rebbi Aḥa: From here²¹⁵Even though Moses correctly analyzed the sound, he did not act until he had visual confirmation that his analysis was correct. that a person should not argue from guesses. Moses made an argument de minore ad majus. Since for the pesaḥ sacrifice, which is an isolated obligation, it is said no uncircumcised may eat from it²¹⁶Ex. 12:48. Babli Šabbat 87a., the Torah in which all commandments are contained not so much more? Moses got angry and he threw the tablets from his hand and broke them below the Mountain²¹⁴Ex. 32:19.. Rebbi Ismael stated, the Holy One, praise to Him, told him to break them, [as it is said,] I shall write on the tablets the words which were on the first tablets luckily you broke²¹⁷Deut. 10:2, taking אשר not as relative pronoun but as derived from the root אשר “riches, happiness”.. He said to him, you did well that you broke. Rebbi Samuel bar Naḥman in the name of Rebbi Jonathan: The tablets were six hand-breadths long and three wide. Moses held two hand-breadth, the Holy One, praise to Him two hand-breadth, and two hand-breadths of space were between them. When Israel sinned in that way, the Holy One wanted to seize them from Moses’s hand, but Moses’s hand had the better of it and seized them from Him. That is what the verse praises him at the end and says, and all the strong hand²¹⁸Deut. 34:12., ²¹⁹Here starts an Ashkenazic text edited by J. Sussman (A), differing from the Leiden ms. mostly in the names of the tradents. The readings of the Leiden ms. are more reliable; they are confirmed by excerpts from this Chapter published by L. Ginzberg. peace shall be on the hand which had the better on mine. Rebbi Joḥanan in the name of Rebbi Yose ben Abbai: the tablets wanted to fly off but Moses held them, [as is written,] I grabbed the two tablets²²⁰Deut. 9:17.. It was stated in the name of Rebbi Nehemiah, the writing itself flew off²²¹Babli Pesaḥim 87b, last line.. Rebbi Ezra in the name of Rebbi Jehudah ben Rebbi Simon: The tablets were a load of forty seah but the writing was carrying them. When the writing flew off they were too heavy for Moses’s hands, they fell, and broke²²¹Babli Pesaḥim 87b, last line..

HALAKHAH: It is written²⁰⁵Ex. 24:16.: The glory of the Eternal dwelt on Mount Sinai; the cloud covered it for six days; He called to Moses on the Seventh Day. Moses ascended²⁰⁶Ex. 24:13.. The Seventh after the Ten Commandments, the start of the Forty. Moses said to them, I shall be occupied on the Mountain for 40 days²⁰⁷This is the argument which shows that the tablets were broken on the 17th of Tammus (Babli 28b). In rabbinic tradition, Pentecost (Siwan 6) is the anniversary of the epiphany of Mount Sinai. If one assumes that at the Exodus this month had 30 days and counts 40 days from the following day one has 13 days in Siwan and 17 in Tammuz for a sum of 40. Therefore the date of 17 Tammuz presupposes not only the rabbinic date for the giving of the Ten Commandments but also that Moses did not eat during the six days of waiting for permission to ascend the Mountain.
The remainder of the paragraph consists of sermon concepts; presupposing like many sermons that the persons acting in biblical history had foreknowledge of what was going to happen, such as Moses knowing that he would spend 40 days on the Mountain. Similarly, the crass anthropomorphism of the sermon about the tablets would be inadmissible in a discussion with possible consequences for rules of behavior.. When the fortieth day came and he did not come, immediately the people saw that Moses tarried in descending from the Mountain²⁰⁸Ex. 32:1.. When noontime came and he did not come, immediately the people congregated on Aaron and said to him, rise and make us gods which shall go before us, etc. The Eternal said to Moses, descend, for your people corrupted²⁰⁹Ex. 32:7., etc. And Joshua heard the sound of the people in its dealings; he said to Moses, there is sound of war in the camp²¹⁰Ex. 32:17.. Moses said, a man who in the future will rule over 600’000 does not know to distinguish between sound and sound? He said, there is no sound of shouts of strength nor sound of sounds of weakness, a sound of shouts I am hearing²¹¹Ex. 32:18.. Rebbi Yasa said, a sound of acclaim of foreign worship I am hearing. Rebbi Yudan in the name of Rebbi Yasa: There is no generation in which there is not an ounce²¹²Latin uncia. of the sin of the Calf²¹³Any trouble for the Jewish people contains some punishment for the sin of the Golden Calf. Babli Sanhedrin 102a.. It was when he approached the camp that he saw the Calf and fifes²¹⁴Ex. 32:19.. Rebbi Ḥilkiah in the name of Rebbi Aḥa: From here²¹⁵Even though Moses correctly analyzed the sound, he did not act until he had visual confirmation that his analysis was correct. that a person should not argue from guesses. Moses made an argument de minore ad majus. Since for the pesaḥ sacrifice, which is an isolated obligation, it is said no uncircumcised may eat from it²¹⁶Ex. 12:48. Babli Šabbat 87a., the Torah in which all commandments are contained not so much more? Moses got angry and he threw the tablets from his hand and broke them below the Mountain²¹⁴Ex. 32:19.. Rebbi Ismael stated, the Holy One, praise to Him, told him to break them, [as it is said,] I shall write on the tablets the words which were on the first tablets luckily you broke²¹⁷Deut. 10:2, taking אשר not as relative pronoun but as derived from the root אשר “riches, happiness”.. He said to him, you did well that you broke. Rebbi Samuel bar Naḥman in the name of Rebbi Jonathan: The tablets were six hand-breadths long and three wide. Moses held two hand-breadth, the Holy One, praise to Him two hand-breadth, and two hand-breadths of space were between them. When Israel sinned in that way, the Holy One wanted to seize them from Moses’s hand, but Moses’s hand had the better of it and seized them from Him. That is what the verse praises him at the end and says, and all the strong hand²¹⁸Deut. 34:12., ²¹⁹Here starts an Ashkenazic text edited by J. Sussman (A), differing from the Leiden ms. mostly in the names of the tradents. The readings of the Leiden ms. are more reliable; they are confirmed by excerpts from this Chapter published by L. Ginzberg. peace shall be on the hand which had the better on mine. Rebbi Joḥanan in the name of Rebbi Yose ben Abbai: the tablets wanted to fly off but Moses held them, [as is written,] I grabbed the two tablets²²⁰Deut. 9:17.. It was stated in the name of Rebbi Nehemiah, the writing itself flew off²²¹Babli Pesaḥim 87b, last line.. Rebbi Ezra in the name of Rebbi Jehudah ben Rebbi Simon: The tablets were a load of forty seah but the writing was carrying them. When the writing flew off they were too heavy for Moses’s hands, they fell, and broke²²¹Babli Pesaḥim 87b, last line..

HALAKHAH: It is written²⁰⁵Ex. 24:16.: The glory of the Eternal dwelt on Mount Sinai; the cloud covered it for six days; He called to Moses on the Seventh Day. Moses ascended²⁰⁶Ex. 24:13.. The Seventh after the Ten Commandments, the start of the Forty. Moses said to them, I shall be occupied on the Mountain for 40 days²⁰⁷This is the argument which shows that the tablets were broken on the 17th of Tammus (Babli 28b). In rabbinic tradition, Pentecost (Siwan 6) is the anniversary of the epiphany of Mount Sinai. If one assumes that at the Exodus this month had 30 days and counts 40 days from the following day one has 13 days in Siwan and 17 in Tammuz for a sum of 40. Therefore the date of 17 Tammuz presupposes not only the rabbinic date for the giving of the Ten Commandments but also that Moses did not eat during the six days of waiting for permission to ascend the Mountain.
The remainder of the paragraph consists of sermon concepts; presupposing like many sermons that the persons acting in biblical history had foreknowledge of what was going to happen, such as Moses knowing that he would spend 40 days on the Mountain. Similarly, the crass anthropomorphism of the sermon about the tablets would be inadmissible in a discussion with possible consequences for rules of behavior.. When the fortieth day came and he did not come, immediately the people saw that Moses tarried in descending from the Mountain²⁰⁸Ex. 32:1.. When noontime came and he did not come, immediately the people congregated on Aaron and said to him, rise and make us gods which shall go before us, etc. The Eternal said to Moses, descend, for your people corrupted²⁰⁹Ex. 32:7., etc. And Joshua heard the sound of the people in its dealings; he said to Moses, there is sound of war in the camp²¹⁰Ex. 32:17.. Moses said, a man who in the future will rule over 600’000 does not know to distinguish between sound and sound? He said, there is no sound of shouts of strength nor sound of sounds of weakness, a sound of shouts I am hearing²¹¹Ex. 32:18.. Rebbi Yasa said, a sound of acclaim of foreign worship I am hearing. Rebbi Yudan in the name of Rebbi Yasa: There is no generation in which there is not an ounce²¹²Latin uncia. of the sin of the Calf²¹³Any trouble for the Jewish people contains some punishment for the sin of the Golden Calf. Babli Sanhedrin 102a.. It was when he approached the camp that he saw the Calf and fifes²¹⁴Ex. 32:19.. Rebbi Ḥilkiah in the name of Rebbi Aḥa: From here²¹⁵Even though Moses correctly analyzed the sound, he did not act until he had visual confirmation that his analysis was correct. that a person should not argue from guesses. Moses made an argument de minore ad majus. Since for the pesaḥ sacrifice, which is an isolated obligation, it is said no uncircumcised may eat from it²¹⁶Ex. 12:48. Babli Šabbat 87a., the Torah in which all commandments are contained not so much more? Moses got angry and he threw the tablets from his hand and broke them below the Mountain²¹⁴Ex. 32:19.. Rebbi Ismael stated, the Holy One, praise to Him, told him to break them, [as it is said,] I shall write on the tablets the words which were on the first tablets luckily you broke²¹⁷Deut. 10:2, taking אשר not as relative pronoun but as derived from the root אשר “riches, happiness”.. He said to him, you did well that you broke. Rebbi Samuel bar Naḥman in the name of Rebbi Jonathan: The tablets were six hand-breadths long and three wide. Moses held two hand-breadth, the Holy One, praise to Him two hand-breadth, and two hand-breadths of space were between them. When Israel sinned in that way, the Holy One wanted to seize them from Moses’s hand, but Moses’s hand had the better of it and seized them from Him. That is what the verse praises him at the end and says, and all the strong hand²¹⁸Deut. 34:12., ²¹⁹Here starts an Ashkenazic text edited by J. Sussman (A), differing from the Leiden ms. mostly in the names of the tradents. The readings of the Leiden ms. are more reliable; they are confirmed by excerpts from this Chapter published by L. Ginzberg. peace shall be on the hand which had the better on mine. Rebbi Joḥanan in the name of Rebbi Yose ben Abbai: the tablets wanted to fly off but Moses held them, [as is written,] I grabbed the two tablets²²⁰Deut. 9:17.. It was stated in the name of Rebbi Nehemiah, the writing itself flew off²²¹Babli Pesaḥim 87b, last line.. Rebbi Ezra in the name of Rebbi Jehudah ben Rebbi Simon: The tablets were a load of forty seah but the writing was carrying them. When the writing flew off they were too heavy for Moses’s hands, they fell, and broke²²¹Babli Pesaḥim 87b, last line..

HALAKHAH: It is written²⁰⁵Ex. 24:16.: The glory of the Eternal dwelt on Mount Sinai; the cloud covered it for six days; He called to Moses on the Seventh Day. Moses ascended²⁰⁶Ex. 24:13.. The Seventh after the Ten Commandments, the start of the Forty. Moses said to them, I shall be occupied on the Mountain for 40 days²⁰⁷This is the argument which shows that the tablets were broken on the 17th of Tammus (Babli 28b). In rabbinic tradition, Pentecost (Siwan 6) is the anniversary of the epiphany of Mount Sinai. If one assumes that at the Exodus this month had 30 days and counts 40 days from the following day one has 13 days in Siwan and 17 in Tammuz for a sum of 40. Therefore the date of 17 Tammuz presupposes not only the rabbinic date for the giving of the Ten Commandments but also that Moses did not eat during the six days of waiting for permission to ascend the Mountain.
The remainder of the paragraph consists of sermon concepts; presupposing like many sermons that the persons acting in biblical history had foreknowledge of what was going to happen, such as Moses knowing that he would spend 40 days on the Mountain. Similarly, the crass anthropomorphism of the sermon about the tablets would be inadmissible in a discussion with possible consequences for rules of behavior.. When the fortieth day came and he did not come, immediately the people saw that Moses tarried in descending from the Mountain²⁰⁸Ex. 32:1.. When noontime came and he did not come, immediately the people congregated on Aaron and said to him, rise and make us gods which shall go before us, etc. The Eternal said to Moses, descend, for your people corrupted²⁰⁹Ex. 32:7., etc. And Joshua heard the sound of the people in its dealings; he said to Moses, there is sound of war in the camp²¹⁰Ex. 32:17.. Moses said, a man who in the future will rule over 600’000 does not know to distinguish between sound and sound? He said, there is no sound of shouts of strength nor sound of sounds of weakness, a sound of shouts I am hearing²¹¹Ex. 32:18.. Rebbi Yasa said, a sound of acclaim of foreign worship I am hearing. Rebbi Yudan in the name of Rebbi Yasa: There is no generation in which there is not an ounce²¹²Latin uncia. of the sin of the Calf²¹³Any trouble for the Jewish people contains some punishment for the sin of the Golden Calf. Babli Sanhedrin 102a.. It was when he approached the camp that he saw the Calf and fifes²¹⁴Ex. 32:19.. Rebbi Ḥilkiah in the name of Rebbi Aḥa: From here²¹⁵Even though Moses correctly analyzed the sound, he did not act until he had visual confirmation that his analysis was correct. that a person should not argue from guesses. Moses made an argument de minore ad majus. Since for the pesaḥ sacrifice, which is an isolated obligation, it is said no uncircumcised may eat from it²¹⁶Ex. 12:48. Babli Šabbat 87a., the Torah in which all commandments are contained not so much more? Moses got angry and he threw the tablets from his hand and broke them below the Mountain²¹⁴Ex. 32:19.. Rebbi Ismael stated, the Holy One, praise to Him, told him to break them, [as it is said,] I shall write on the tablets the words which were on the first tablets luckily you broke²¹⁷Deut. 10:2, taking אשר not as relative pronoun but as derived from the root אשר “riches, happiness”.. He said to him, you did well that you broke. Rebbi Samuel bar Naḥman in the name of Rebbi Jonathan: The tablets were six hand-breadths long and three wide. Moses held two hand-breadth, the Holy One, praise to Him two hand-breadth, and two hand-breadths of space were between them. When Israel sinned in that way, the Holy One wanted to seize them from Moses’s hand, but Moses’s hand had the better of it and seized them from Him. That is what the verse praises him at the end and says, and all the strong hand²¹⁸Deut. 34:12., ²¹⁹Here starts an Ashkenazic text edited by J. Sussman (A), differing from the Leiden ms. mostly in the names of the tradents. The readings of the Leiden ms. are more reliable; they are confirmed by excerpts from this Chapter published by L. Ginzberg. peace shall be on the hand which had the better on mine. Rebbi Joḥanan in the name of Rebbi Yose ben Abbai: the tablets wanted to fly off but Moses held them, [as is written,] I grabbed the two tablets²²⁰Deut. 9:17.. It was stated in the name of Rebbi Nehemiah, the writing itself flew off²²¹Babli Pesaḥim 87b, last line.. Rebbi Ezra in the name of Rebbi Jehudah ben Rebbi Simon: The tablets were a load of forty seah but the writing was carrying them. When the writing flew off they were too heavy for Moses’s hands, they fell, and broke²²¹Babli Pesaḥim 87b, last line..

The question was asked: May one say, ‘Would that I had So-and-so’s money! Would that I had a wife like So-and-so’s wife!’? May one sleep in one bed with his wife who is niddah or not? May one quarrel with a man with whom it is not fit to quarrel? Come and hear and I will answer all these questions. It is stated, Thou shalt not covet:⁸Ex. 20, 17, in A.J. 14. even [by saying,] ‘Would that I had So-and-so’s money!’ To say, ‘Would that I had So-and-so’s money!’ is [the conduct of] a thief or a robber. But [as for the remark], ‘Would that I had as much money as So-and-so!’ why should this be definitely forbidden? He only expresses a wish for himself! But [to say], ‘Would that So-and-so gave me his money!’ constitutes an act of coveting. ‘Would that I had a wife like the wife of So-and-so!’—[by saying this he indicates that] he has already impure thoughts concerning her; but to say ‘Would that the daughter of So-and-so would marry me!’ is certainly permissible. Is not this self-evident? It is necessary [to state this because] he may say to her, ‘Be betrothed to me’ and she may refuse. ‘May one sleep in one bed with his wife who is niddah?’ [It is stated,] And thou shalt not approach unto a woman to uncover her nakedness, as long as she is impure by her uncleanness.⁹Lev. 18, 19. He is allowed, however, to eat with her. Whoever approaches his wife¹⁰Add with H ‘who is niddah’, which is implied. while she is asleep is as if he approached a ship which is about to be wrecked in the sea.¹¹He is heading for a sin against the Torah. Here it is written, And thou shalt not approach, and there it is written, So the shipmaster came to him.¹²Jonah 1, 6. The Heb. for came to is the same as for approach. The context is the danger to the ship in which Jonah was sailing. Some say that he is obliged to bring a sin-offering, as it is written, The soul that sinneth, it shall die.¹³Ezek. 18, 20. This sentence is omitted in H. The point appears to be this: The word sinneth is הַחׄטֵאת, which is written without the waw and can be read הַחַטָאת, ‘the sin-offering’. Since Ezekiel, in verse 6, mentions [coming] near to a woman in her impurity, by the rule of analogy it is concluded that such a sin can only be atoned by a sin-offering. Some say: It is as if he offered sacrifices to the Golden Calf.¹⁴H adds Ex. 32, 19, as the proof-text where came nigh occurs, which in Heb. is the same as approached. ‘May one quarrel with a man with whom it is not fit to quarrel?’ It is written, And I contended with them, and cursed them.¹⁵Neh. 13, 25. Nehemiah strove with the Jews who had married heathen women.

It was stated²¹⁷Tosephta 4:14, Babli 86b, Yerushalmi Nedarim 5:4, Note 60.: It is necessary to detail one’s actions, the words of Rebbi Jehudah ben Bathyra. Rebbi Aqiba says, one does not have to detail his actions. What is Rebbi Jehudah’s reason? Please, this people committed a grave sin, they made themselves golden idols²¹⁸Ex. 32:31.. How does Rebbi Aqiba treat this? Who caused it to them? I, for I gave them much silver and gold. Why? For a donkey is not braying²¹⁹The corrector’s spelling נהק is biblical (Job 6:5, 30:7), but the scribe’s spelling נקק may be the Aramaic form of Accadic nagāgum.. While in Job the verb describes the shout of the hungry, here it is used for the noise of the overbearing; cf. Sifry Deut.308 out of a basket of carob fruit²²⁰In the Babli, Berakhot 32a, the argument is that a lion will shout eating a box of meat..

R. Joshua b. Levi said: Every day a Bath Ḳol¹⁰lit. ‘a daughter of a voice’, used of a heavenly proclamation. goes forth from Mount Ḥoreb¹¹Another name for Sinai. and proclaims, ‘Woe to mankind for the contempt which they display¹²By neglect to study and observe its laws. towards the Torah! For whoever is not constant in his study of the Torah is termed ‘censured’,¹³Heb. נזוף. By the Rabbinic method of Noṭariḳon, the word is constituted from certain letters of the Heb. phrase, a ring of gold in a swine’s snout. as it is stated, As a ring of gold in a swine’s snout, so is a fair woman that turneth aside from discretion,¹⁴Prov. 11, 22. and it states, And the tables were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, graven upon the tables.¹⁵Ex. 32, 16. Do not read¹⁶A form of Rabbinic exegesis, where, by a change of vowel, another and sometimes higher interpretation is derived. ḥaruth [engraven] but ḥeruth [freedom], for no man is free but he who occupies himself with the Torah; and whoever studies the lore of the Torah is exalted, as it is stated, And from Mattanah to Naḥaliel; and from Naḥaliel to Bamoth.¹⁷Num. 21, 19. These are place names meaning lit. ‘gift’, ‘inheritance of God’ and ‘heights’. They are interpreted homiletically as the stages of a man’s spiritual progress through the study of the Torah. By accepting the Torah, which is God’s gift, and making it his valued possession, the inheritance of God, he rises to the spiritual heights.

Rebbi Abun bar Ḥiyya asked before Rebbi Zeˋira: Do not worship them²⁴⁷Ex. 20:5, Deut. 5:9 the Second Commandment., a principle. Do not prostrate yourself before them²⁴⁷Ex. 20:5, Deut. 5:9 the Second Commandment., a detail. For you shall not prostrate yourself before another god²⁶¹Ex. 34:14.; He again stated the principle. Principle, detail, and principle: is nothing covered but the detail²⁶²Since in the Ten Commandments prostrating is mentioned before worshipping, the order really should be detail, principle, principle. Also, in our text of the Introduction to Sifra, “principle, detail, principle has to be judged in light of the detail,” adding anything similar to detail. The passage supports the thesis of Menahem Cahana [קוים לתולדות התפתחותה ספר זיכרון ,של מידת כלל ופרט בתקופת התנאים לתרצה ליפשיץ, Jerusalem 2005, pp. 173–216] that only the list of hermeneutical rules is original but the detailed interpretation of the rules is Babylonian (following R. Aqiba), never accepted in the Yerushalmi. The latter does not differentiate between כְּלָל וּפְרָט,פְּרָט וּכְלָל,כְּלָל וּפְרָט וּכְלָל, and in all cases reduces the validity of the principle to the case of the detail. The question naturally deserves no answer since it is not כְּלָל וּפְרָט וּכְלָל but פְּרָט וּכְלָל וּכְלָל, which is not the subject of any hermeneutical rule.? Rebbi Abun bar Cahana asked before Rebbi Hila: Do not do such²⁶⁰Deut. 12:4. The paragraph deals with the destruction of places of pagan worship. It is interpreted to mean that anything similar to Temple worship, even if executed in an unacceptable way, is forbidden as pagan worship. Sifry Deut. 81 follows the Yerushalmi: “Anything which cannot be sacrificed in the Temple but somebody sacrificed it as foreign worship, if its kind might be sacrificed to God he is guilty; otherwise he cannot be prosecuted.”, a principle. One who sacrifices to gods shall be banned²⁶³Ex. 22:19., a detail. Only for the Eternal alone²⁶³Ex. 22:19., He again stated the principle. Principle, detail, and principle; is not everything included²⁶⁴This statement is not found elsewhere in talmudic texts. But in R. Aqiba’s system of additions (רֵבּוּי) and subtractions (מְעוּט), addition + subtraction + addition implies that almost everything corresponding to the broad description of the additions is included (Tosephta Ševu`ot 1:7, Babli Nazir35b).? Does it not add one who embraces and one who kisses²⁶⁸Ex. 32:8, speaking of the Golden Calf.? He told him, why is prostrating mentioned? Not to infer from it that it is an action? He who embraces and he who (prostrates himself)²⁶⁶It is clear that one has to read ומנשק “and kisses” instead of ומשתחוה “and prostrates himself”. Embracing and kissing are not acts of worship. do not exemplify actions.

From where about him who says, “you are my god”²⁶⁷That it is a capital crime.? Rav Abun in the name of the rabbis there²⁶⁸Ex. 32:8, speaking of the Golden Calf.: They prostrated themselves before it, and sacrificed to it, and said, these are your gods, Israel. Then he should not be guilty unless he sacrifice, burn incense, and declare. Rebbi Yose said, the verse is written only for the disgrace of Israel. They prostrated themselves before it, not before Heaven. And sacrificed to it, not to Heaven. And said, not to Heaven. What about this²⁶⁹How does the verse imply that declaring one’s allegiance to another power constitutes a capital crime?? Saying is mentioned here and saying is said about one who leads astray^61,The missionary for another faith who addresses individuals in private; Deut. 13:11, cf. Mishnah 16.²⁷⁰An example of הֶקֵּשׁ “trapping”, or בִּנְיַן אָב מִכָּתוּב אֶחָד, the third hermeneutical rule. Since in one case it is established that by talking alone one may commit a capital crime, in all other cases where talking is equated to actions constituting capital crimes, it is a capital crime in itself.. Since for saying mentioned about one who leads astray, saying is equated with acting, also for the saying mentioned here, we have to equate saying with acting.

What is the second story of the Calf? Rebbi Simon in the name of Rebbi Joshua ben Levi: From the answer Moses gave to Aaron up to for Aaron had let it become dissolute, a disgrace before their opponents¹⁸⁰Ex. 32:25.. Ḥanania bar Shelemia in the name of Rav: From the answer Aaron gave Moses to up to for Aaron had let it become dissolute, a disgrace before their opponents. Rebbi Aḥa in the name of Rebbi Abba: “And the Eternal smote the people because they made the Calf which Aaron made.¹⁸¹Ex. 32:35. Tosephta 3:36, Babli 25b.” Rebbi Mar Uqban in the name of the rabbis there: the shame of a single person in the public is not comparable to the shame of the public in matters of the public¹⁸²The first story of the Calf centers on the people whose guilt is diluted by their numbers. The second story centers on Aaron and declares his incompetence as leader..

What is the second story of the Calf? Rebbi Simon in the name of Rebbi Joshua ben Levi: From the answer Moses gave to Aaron up to for Aaron had let it become dissolute, a disgrace before their opponents¹⁸⁰Ex. 32:25.. Ḥanania bar Shelemia in the name of Rav: From the answer Aaron gave Moses to up to for Aaron had let it become dissolute, a disgrace before their opponents. Rebbi Aḥa in the name of Rebbi Abba: “And the Eternal smote the people because they made the Calf which Aaron made.¹⁸¹Ex. 32:35. Tosephta 3:36, Babli 25b.” Rebbi Mar Uqban in the name of the rabbis there: the shame of a single person in the public is not comparable to the shame of the public in matters of the public¹⁸²The first story of the Calf centers on the people whose guilt is diluted by their numbers. The second story centers on Aaron and declares his incompetence as leader..

On Ḥanukkah we read the section of [the dedication of the altar by] the princes;³⁶Num. 7. On the first day verses 1-17 are read; on the next six days the corresponding offerings; and on the eighth day VII, 54—VIII, 4. on Purim, Then came Amalek;³⁷Ex. 17, 8-16. on the New Moon, And in your new moons;³⁸Num. 28, 11-15. at the ma‘amadoth the account of the creation.³⁹Gen. 1, 1—II, 3, because it is on account of the Temple service that the heaven and earth were created. On the fast days of the Ninth of Ab and the last seven days in connection with droughts,⁴⁰lit. ‘the shutting up of the rains’. we read the section of the blessings and curses;⁴¹Lev. 26, 3-46. but on other fast days And Moses besought,⁴²Ex. 32, 11-14, XXXIV, 1-10. and we read as the hafṭarah Seek ye the Lord.⁴³Isa. 55, 6—LVI, 8. Some say that no hafṭarah is to be read, but the people have adopted the custom of reading the hafṭarah.⁴⁴So GRA. V, M and H omit ‘but’ and ‘of reading the hafṭarah’. There must be no break in the section of curses because it is not proper to end with curses and to begin with curses.⁴⁵Cf. above XII, 1.

Rabbi Hananya, deputy of the priests, would say: Anyone who takes words of Torah to heart is no longer troubled by thoughts of destruction, thoughts of hunger, foolish thoughts, lustful thoughts, thoughts of temptation, thoughts of another man’s wife, thoughts of meaningless things, or thoughts of human burden. So it was written in the book of Psalms by King David (Psalms 19:9), “The precepts of the Eternal are true, bringing joy to the heart. The commandments of the Eternal are clear, illuminating the eyes.” But anyone who does not take words of Torah to heart is troubled by thoughts of destruction, thoughts of hunger, foolish thoughts, lustful thoughts, thoughts of temptation, thoughts of another man’s wife, thoughts of meaningless things, and thoughts of human burden. So it was written in Deuteronomy (28:46–48) by Moses our teacher, “They will be a sign and a proof against you and your offspring for all time. Because you would not serve the Eternal your God with joy and gladness over the abundance of everything. You will have to serve, in hunger and in thirst, naked and lacking everything.” “In hunger.” How so? (When a person wishes) to eat even barley bread, but has nothing, and then his enemies come and ask him for wheat bread and fatty meat. “In thirst.” How so? When a person wishes he could drink just a drop of vinegar, or beer, but has nothing, and then his enemies come and ask him for the finest wine in the land. “Naked.” How so? When a person wants to wear a wool or linen shirt, but has nothing, and then his enemies come and ask him for the finest silk in the land. “Lacking everything.” Without a candle, without a knife, and without a table. Another interpretation of “lacking everything”: Without vinegar and without salt. For this is a curse that people often give: May there be no vinegar or salt in your house!
He would also say (with regard to Song of Songs 1:6): “Do not look at me, for I am blackened, scorched by the sun.” These are all the Jewish girls who cast off the yolk of the Holy Blessed One, and accepted human kingship upon themselves.
[The verse continues:] “My mother’s children were angry with me.” This is Moses, who killed the Egyptian, as it says (Exodus 2:11–12), “Sometime after that, when Moses had grown older, he went out among his brothers and saw what they were enduring…and he turned this way and that, and saw that there was no one there.” What do we learn from “there was no one there”? This teaches that Moses brought the question before the council of angels who serve God, and asked them: Shall I kill this man? They said to him: Yes, kill him. And did Moses kill him with a sword? No, he killed him with words, as it says (Exodus 2:14), “Are you saying you will kill me, just as you killed the Egyptian?” This teaches that Moses killed him by saying the [Ineffable] Name of God.
(Another interpretation of) “My mother’s children are angry with me”: this is Moses, who fled to Midian, as it says (Exodus 2:15,17), “Pharaoh heard what happened, and sought to kill Moses, and Moses fled from Pharaoh. He arrived in the land of Midian, and sat down by a well…And some shepherds came and tried to drive [Jethro’s daughters] away. And Moses got up and saved them, and gave water to their flocks.” Then Moses came and sat among them to render judgment. He said: The general practice in the world is for men to fill the buckets and women to give water to the animals. Here, women draw the water and men give the water to the animals. There is a perversion of justice in this place! (They are guilty by law, and have become guilty through this incident.) Some say that the whole time Moses was standing near the mouth of the well, the water was bubbling up to meet him, and when he left, the water went back down. Then Moses said: Woe is me! For I have left my people and come to live among these heathens.
Another interpretation of “My mother’s children are angry with me”: This is Israel, who made the Golden Calf. At first, they said (Exodus 24:7), “Everything the Eternal has said, we will do and we will understand.” And then they went back and said (Exodus 32:4), “These are your gods, Israel!”
Another interpretation of “My mother’s children are angry with me”: These are the spies, who slandered the land and caused Israel to die in the desert, as it says (Numbers 14:29), “In this desert your carcasses will fall.”
“They made me guard the vineyards” (Song of Songs 1:6). The Holy Blessed One said: Who is it that caused Me to favor the heathens? Israel! (For while) the heathens live well, [Israel] are oppressed, scorned, and scattered about.
Another interpretation of “They made me guard the vineyards”: This is Israel, who were exiled to Babylon. And prophets rose among them and told them to separate their donations and tithes. The people said to them: We were exiled because we did not separate our donations and tithes, and now you tell us we should separate them? [And that is why it says, “They made me guard the vineyards.”]

The Holy Blessed One tested our ancestors with ten trials, and they did not emerge whole from any of them. They are as follows: “In the wilderness, on the plain, facing Suf, [between Paran, and Tophel, and Lavan, and Hatzerot, and Di-zahav]” (Deuteronomy 1:1). “In the wilderness”: When they made the Golden Calf, as it says (Exodus 32:8), “They made themselves a molten calf.” “On the plain”: Because of water, as it says (Exodus 17:3), “There the people thirsted for water.” “Facing Suf”: When they rebelled at the Sea of Reeds (and some say: This was the idol that Micah made). Rabbi Yehudah said: They rebelled at the sea, meaning, they rebelled in the sea, as it says (Psalms 106:7), “They rebelled at the Sea of Reeds.” “Between Paran”: With regard to the spies (as it says in Numbers 13:3), “Moses sent them from the wilderness of Paran.” “And Tophel”: These were the frivolous words (tiphlot) they said about the manna. “Lavan”: This was Korah’s mutiny. “Hatzerot”: Because of the quails. So far, that is seven. But in another place (Deuteronomy 9:22) it says, “At Tav’erah, and at Masah, and at Kivrot HaTa’avah.” “Di-zahav”: This is when (Aaron) said to them: Enough (dai) of this golden (zahav) sin which you have committed with the calf! But Rabbi Eliezer ben Ya'akov would say: [Terrible] enough (dai) is this sin that Israel was punished for to last from now until the resurrection of the dead.

The Holy Blessed One tested our ancestors with ten trials, and they did not emerge whole from any of them. They are as follows: “In the wilderness, on the plain, facing Suf, [between Paran, and Tophel, and Lavan, and Hatzerot, and Di-zahav]” (Deuteronomy 1:1). “In the wilderness”: When they made the Golden Calf, as it says (Exodus 32:8), “They made themselves a molten calf.” “On the plain”: Because of water, as it says (Exodus 17:3), “There the people thirsted for water.” “Facing Suf”: When they rebelled at the Sea of Reeds (and some say: This was the idol that Micah made). Rabbi Yehudah said: They rebelled at the sea, meaning, they rebelled in the sea, as it says (Psalms 106:7), “They rebelled at the Sea of Reeds.” “Between Paran”: With regard to the spies (as it says in Numbers 13:3), “Moses sent them from the wilderness of Paran.” “And Tophel”: These were the frivolous words (tiphlot) they said about the manna. “Lavan”: This was Korah’s mutiny. “Hatzerot”: Because of the quails. So far, that is seven. But in another place (Deuteronomy 9:22) it says, “At Tav’erah, and at Masah, and at Kivrot HaTa’avah.” “Di-zahav”: This is when (Aaron) said to them: Enough (dai) of this golden (zahav) sin which you have committed with the calf! But Rabbi Eliezer ben Ya'akov would say: [Terrible] enough (dai) is this sin that Israel was punished for to last from now until the resurrection of the dead.

The money taken from Egypt was returned to its proper place, as it says (Exodus 12:36), “They stripped the Egyptians.” And it also says (Genesis 47:14), “Joseph gathered in all the money.” [And it also says (I Kings 14:25–26), “In the fifth year of King Rehoboam, King Shishak of Egypt marched against Jerusalem and carried off the treasures of the House of the Eternal.”] The heavenly writing was also returned to its place, as it says (Proverbs 23:5), “It flies from your eyes and is there no more, [it grows wings and flies like an eagle, heavenward].”