Cytowanie Komentarza do Wyjścia 32:20

Moses and Samuel Both were needed to beg mercy for Israel, but first they induced them to repent, and afterwards they prayed on their behalf, but they had no idea of turning away My wrath until they had induced them to repent. Moses said (Exodus 32:27), “Let each man put his sword...” (v. 20) “and he scattered it on the surface of the water, etc.” And afterwards (v. 30), “I will ascend to the Lord, perhaps I will atone.” Samuel in Mizpah (I Samuel 7:4,5) “And the children of Israel removed the Baalim,” and afterwards, “‘Gather all Israel to Mizpah, and I shall pray to the Lord on your behalf (sic).’” But you cannot bring them back to Me, therefore do not pray for them.

And the one who says they had no children, it appears that he also holds like the view of the Midrash which says that they were punished for the sin of the Golden Calf. And since with idolatry the rule is that the Holy One, blessed be He, visits the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and upon the children’s children (Exodus 34:7), and out of respect for Aaron, the Holy One, blessed be He, extended His patience and collected His due from the grandchildren. But since they had no children, the sin was collected from them directly. And perhaps at the time of offering the strange fire, they were contemplating the fire of the Golden Calf, because Aaron had cast the gold there and this calf emerged, and they thought that through the strange fire that miracle had occurred. Similarly, they contemplated when placing this fire that a miracle would be performed for them through it. And God knew their thoughts, that they were offering strange fire before Him, therefore He judged them with fire, just as it is said regarding the Golden Calf, and he burned it with fire (Exodus 32:20).

“And he said to them, ‘Remove the gold earrings that are in the ears of your wives.’” For he [Aaron] said, perhaps among them there will be misers or women who are particular about their jewelry and will prevent their husbands from giving, but they deceived Aaron and all the people removed the gold earrings that were in their own ears [of the men] and said that they had taken them from the women. And he [Aaron] formed it with an engraving tool and threw it into the fire to melt it, as Aaron said to Moses, And I cast it into the fire, and this calf emerged. And without a doubt he told him the truth, and Aaron told them that after melting it, he would make a form for them, and his intention was that to produce a finished item, the goldsmith would need to work on it for at least a day or two, and he thought that during this time Moses would return. But the mixed multitude used sorcery to make this calf emerge by itself, and Aaron did not make it. And as for what is written, and he made it into a molten calf, since he was involved in melting the gold, the verse regards him as if he had made it. And the proof is that it says, And he took the calf which they had made, and not which he had made.

והנה איש וגו׳ AND BEHOLD, ONE [OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL CAME] The tribe of Simeon gathered to Zimri who was their prince, saying to him. “We are sentenced to death and you remain quiet!?”, — as it is related in the chapter beginning אלו הן הנשרפין (Sanhedrin 82a).

והמה בכים AND THEY WERE WEEPING — the law (decision on this matter) escaped him and therefore they all burst out into weeping (Sanhedrin 82a). — In the case of the golden calf Moses successfully resisted six hundred thousand men, as it is said, (Exodus 32:20) “And he ground it to powder [and he made the children of Israel drink of it]”, and here his hands were weak (he did not know what to do)?! But this was intentionally caused by God in order that Phineas might come and receive that which was meant for him (Midrash Tanchuma, Balak 20).