Midrasz do Izajasza 1:3

"Two small stripes," etc. In a Baraitha it is taught from ass leather, as a certain Galilean preached in the presence of R. Chisda: (Is. 1, 3) The ox knoweth his owner and the ass his master's crib; Israel doth not. The Holy One, praised be He! said: "Let the one that knoweth the master's crib come and take revenge on him who does not want to know it."

(Lev. 22:27:) “A bull or a sheep or a goat.” This text is related (to Is. 41:24), “Behold (hen), you are nothing (me'ayin), and your work is naught (me’afa’); an abomination shall He choose among you.”⁵⁵Lev. R. 27:7; PRK 9:6. “Behold, you are nothing,” full of nothing, from a putrid liquid. “Naught (me’afa’)”; from the hundred screams (meah puot), that a woman screams when she sits on the birthing chair, ninety-nine are for death and [only] one is for life. “An abomination shall He choose among you.” What is the meaning of, “an abomination shall He choose among you?” [It is] speaking about this baby; even though it comes out from its mothers womb dirty, defiled and full of mucous, everyone kisses it and everyone hugs it, and especially if it is a male. Another interpretation: That (hen) is Greek. Hen [in Greek] means "one." You (Israel) are the one for Me, from (min) the nations of the world, who are called "nothing ('ayin),"⁵⁶Since min is commonly abbreviated to me, me’ayin is understood to mean “as compared to nothing” (literally: “than nothing.”) as stated (in Is. 40:17), “All the nations are as nothing ('ayin) before Him.” (Is. 41:24, cont.:) “And your work is naught.” R. Levi said, “All the good works and consolations which the Holy One, blessed be He, is going to bring about with Israel are only as reward for a single shout which they shouted on Sinai, when they said (according to Exod. 24:7), ‘All that the Lord has spoken we will carry out and obey.’” (Is. 41:24, cont.:) “An abomination shall He choose among you.” That is the abomination which you made as a molten calf. Of that very abomination, bring Me sacrifice, and I will choose you. And what is it? (As in Lev. 22:27), “A bull or a sheep or a goat.” [This text is related (to Hos. 7:3),] “They make a king glad with their evil.”⁵⁷Lev. R. 27:8; PRK 9:7–8. What did He see in the bull for making it first among the sacrifices? R. Levi said, “[The situation] is similar to a matron⁵⁸Lat.: matrona. concerning whom there went forth an evil report in connection with one of the notables in the kingdom. The king looked into the rumors and found no substance in them. What did the king do? He made a great banquet and sat him at the head of those reclining in order to show that the king had looked into the rumors and found no substance in them. [Similarly,] because the nations of the world were saying to Israel, “You made the calf,” the Holy One, blessed be He, examined the rumors and found no substance in them. Therefore the bull was made first among the sacrifices. How is this shown? From that which they read about the matter (in Lev. 22:27), “A bull or a sheep or a goat.” R. Huna and R. Idi [said] in the name of R. Samuel bar Nahman, “Israel was saved from that act. Because if they had made the calf, it would have been [natural] for them to say (in Exod. 32:8), ‘These are our Gods, O Israel.’ However, it was the proselytes who came up with them from Egypt that made it, and they directed Israel [by saying] (in Exod. 32:8), ‘These are your Gods, O Israel.’” R. Judah bar Simon said, “It is written (in Isaiah 1:3), ‘An ox knows its owner, and an ass..., Israel does not know [...].’ And did they not know? It is simply that they trampled [the notion] with their heel.” And similar to it is (Hos. 2:10) “And she did not know that it was I who bestowed on her the grain....” And did she not know? It is simply that she trampled it with her heel.

Hew these two tablets of stone (Exod. 34:1). Scripture states elsewhere in allusion to this verse: The wrath of a king is as messengers of death; but a wise man will pacify it (Prov. 16:14). The wrath of a king is as messengers of death alludes to the Holy One, blessed be He. After the people had made the golden calf the demons attacked Moses. He pleaded for mercy, recalling the merit of the patriarchs and they departed from him. When he broke the tablets his anger diminished. What did Moses witness that compelled him to break the tablets? It may be compared to a king who travels abroad while his wife remains at home with the servants. Because she was alone with them, rumors began to circulate concerning her behavior. The king heard them, and when he returned home, he wanted to kill her. His advisor learned this and tore up her marriage certificate. He said: “If the king should say, my wife has done such and such, we can reply, she is no longer your wife.” The king inquired about her and found that she had done nothing wrong. Only the maidservants had acted shamefully. He became reconciled with her immediately. His advisor then said to him: “Master, write another marriage contract, since the first one was torn up.” “You tore it up,” the king replied, “so now you must bring the parchment and I will write the document with my own hand.” So too here. When the Israelites made the calf, the Holy One, blessed be He, felt the same way. He said to Moses: Go, get thee down, for thy people have dealt corruptly. Whereupon he replied: They are Your people and Your inheritance. Then the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses: This act proves that The ox knoweth his owner (Isa. 1:3). The Holy One, blessed be He, said to the calf: Who made you? The calf answered: The mixed multitude that departed from Egypt with the Israelites, for it is written about them: Whose flesh is as the flesh of asses (Ezek. 23:20). Then the Holy One, blessed be He, said: Did I not tell you: Go, get thee down, for thy people that thou broughtest up out of the land of Egypt have dealt corruptly (Exod. 32:7) and have made the golden calf. My people did not do it, as it is said: But Israel doth not know, My people doth not consider (Isa. 1:3). Immediately Moses arose and pleaded in their defense: O Lord God, destroy not Thy people and Thine inheritance that Thou hast redeemed through Thy greatness (Deut. 9:26). And he went ahead and broke the tablets. When the Holy One, blessed be He, became reconciled, He told him: Go, hew these two tablets of stone.

Rabbi Jehudah said: Sammael entered into it, and he was lowing to mislead Israel, as it is said, "The ox knoweth his owner" (Isa. 1:3).

R. Meir was wont to say: When Israel were meritorious, they bore witness over themselves, viz. (Joshua 24:22) "And Joshua said to the people: Bear witness over yourselves that you have chosen the L-rd to serve Him. And they said: We are witnesses." When they went astray, viz. (Hoshea 12:1) "Ephraim has surrounded Me with falsehood, and the house of Israel with deceit," the tribe of Judah and Benjamin testified against them, viz. (Isaiah 5:3-4) "And now, dweller of Jerusalem and man of Judah. What more could have been done for my vineyard that I did not do for it?" When the tribe of Judah went astray, viz. (Malachi 2:11) "Judah has been faithless, etc.", He had the prophets bear witness against them, viz. (II Kings 17:13) "The L-rd has borne witness against Israel and Judah by the prophets of every vision, etc." When they went astray with the prophets, viz. (II Chronicles 36:16) "And they mocked the messengers of G-d and despised His prophets," He had the heavens bear witness against them, viz. (Devarim 4:26, 30:19) "I call to bear witness against you this day, the heavens." When they went astray with the heavens, viz. (Jeremiah 7:17) "Do you not see what they are doing in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? (18) The children are gathering wood, and the gatherers are kindling the fire, and the women are kneading dough to make cakes for the queen of heaven!" — He had the earth bear witness against them, viz. (Ibid. 6:19) "Hear, O earth, I will bring evil upon this people." When they went astray with the earth, viz. (Hoshea 12:12) "Their altars, too, are like heaps upon the furrows of he field," He had the ways bear witness against them, viz. (Jeremiah 6:16) "Place yourself on the ways and see, etc." When they went astray with the ways, viz. (Ezekiel 16:25) "At every crossroad you built your lofty place," He had the mountains bear witness against them, viz. (Michah 6:2) "Hear, O mountains, the quarrel of the L-rd." When they went astray with the mountains, viz. (Hoshea 4:13) "They slaughter offerings upon the mountaintops," He had the nations bear witness against them, viz. (Jeremiah 6:18) "Therefore, hear, O nations, etc." When they went astray with the nations, viz. (Psalms 106:35) "and they mingled with the nations and learned their deeds," He had a beast bear witness against them, viz. (Isaiah 1:3) "The ox knows its owner, and the ass, its master's trough, but Israel does not know, etc." When they went astray with the beast, viz. (Psalms 106:20) "They exchanged their glory for the likeness of an ass, eating grass," He had the animal bear witness against them, viz. (Jeremiah 8:7) "Even the stork in the heavens knows its seasons … but My people do not know the law of the L-rd." When they went astray with the animal, viz. (Ezekiel 8:10) "And I came and I saw, and behold, every sort of image — disgusting creeping things and animals, etc.", He had the fish bear testimony against them, viz. (Iyyov 12:8) "Or speak to the earth and it will teach you; the fish of the sea will report to you, etc." When they went astray with the fish, viz. (Tzephaniah 1:3) "… and the fish of the sea and the stumbling blocks of the wicked," He had the ant bear witness against them, viz. (Proverbs 6:6-8) "Go to the ant, you sluggard, see its ways and grow wise. Though it has no officer … she prepares her food in the summer, etc." R. Shimon b. Elazar says: "Wretched is man, who must learn from the ant!" If he learned and acted (accordingly) would he be "wretched"? Rather, he should learn from its ways, but does not.

"a people ignorant": of the past; "and not wise": to (foresee) the future. Similarly, (Isaiah 1:3) "Israel did not know; My people did not understand": "Israel did not know": of the past; "My people did not understand": to (foresee) the future. Variantly: "a people ignorant and not wise": What caused Israel to be ignorant and foolish? Their not reflecting upon words of Torah. And thus is it written (Iyyov 4:21) "Has not their preeminence fled? They will die for lack of wisdom."