Êxodo 32:31 Midrash: Midrash Tehillim, Midrash Tanchuma, Devarim Rabbah & Midrash Tanchuma Buber

Another interpretation of “Blessed is the person” (Psalms 1:1). This refers to the tribe of Levi who did not walk in the counsel [of those who were involved in the] incident of the [Golden] Calf, as it is said, “[And of Levi he said:] Let your Thummim and Urim [the sacred oracle worn beneath the breastplate of the High Priest] be with your faithful one” (Deuteronomy 33:8); “nor stand in the way of sinners” (Psalms 1:1), for so it is written, “Please [forgive them for] this nation has sinned a great sin” (Exodus 32:31); “the company of scoffers” (Psalms 1:1) [also refers to the incident of the Golden Calf], as it is said, “the nation sat down” [just as the scoffers in Psalm 1 are described as sitting down] “to eat and drink, and then rose to revel” (Exodus 32:6). And [yet] regarding the children of Levi it is written, “[Moses stood up in the gate of the camp and said, “Whoever is for God, come here!”] And all the children of Levi rallied to him” (Exodus 32:26). Rabbi Berechia said, in the name of Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachmani, “Who wouldn’t want to be a trusted courtier in the house of the king? [That is to say, why didn’t everybody, at that stage of the story, rally around Moses?] Rather, Moses said, “he who did not donate a nose ring to the Calf can come to my side.” Immediately, “the children of Levi rallied around him.”” “But his delight is in the Torah of the Lord” (Psalms 1:2), this refers to the tribe of Levi, as it is said, “[Know, then, that I have sent this charge to you that My covenant with Levi may endure ... The Torah of truth was in his mouth, and iniquity was not to be found upon his lips” (Malachi 2:4-6). “He shall be like a tree planted [besides streams of water]” (Psalms 1:3), because the Holy One, blessed be He, planted them in the land of Israel, since all of them entered the land. Rabbi Zeira said in the name of Rabbi Yehoshua, “of all of the tribe of Levi, only Aaron and Miriam died [in the wilderness].”

(Lev. 14:2:) “This shall be the law of the leper.” This text is related (to Prov. 18:21), “Death and life are in the power of the tongue.” Everything depends on the tongue. [If] one is acquitted, he is acquitted for life; [if] one is not acquitted, he is condemned to death. [If] one is engaged in Torah with his tongue, he is acquitted for life, inasmuch as the Torah is a tree of life, as stated (in Prov. 3:18), “[Wisdom] is a tree of life to those who take hold of it.” It (i.e., the Torah) is also one's healing for the evil tongue (i.e., slander), as stated (in Prov. 15:4), “A healing tongue is a tree of life.” But if one is occupied with slander, his soul is condemned to death, since slander is more harmful than the shedding of blood. Thus whoever kills takes only one life, but the one who speaks slander kills three people: the one who tells it, the one who accepts it, and the one about whom it is told.⁹PRK 4:2; Lev. R. 26:2; Numb. R. 19:2; Deut. R. 5:10; M. Pss. 12:2; yPe’ah 1:1 (16a). Doeg spoke slander against Ahimelech; and he (i.e., Ahimelech) was killed, as stated (in I Sam. 22:16), “But the king said, ‘You shall surely die, Ahimelech.’” Saul also was killed, [as stated] (in I Chron. 10:13), “So Saul died for the treachery which he had committed against the Lord.” And thus did Saul say (in II Sam. 1:9, to a young man), “Please stand over me and slay me, for death throes have seized me.” [The young man was] the accuser¹⁰Gk.: kategoros. of Nob, the city of priests [against Saul]. Now death throes (shbts) can only denote priesthood, since it is stated (in Exod. 28:13 with reference to high-priestly dress), “And you shall make gold brocade (rt.: shbts).” Doeg also was uprooted (shrsh) from the life of this world and from all life in the world to come. Thus it is stated (in Ps. 52:7), “God will also tear you down for ever; He will seize you, tear you away from your tent, and uproot (shrsh) you from the land of the living. Selah,” [i.e., He will uproot you] from life in the world to come. Who is more severe? One who smites with the sword or [one who] smites with the dart? Say the one who smites with the dart. The one who smites with the sword is only able to kill his companion if he draws near to him and touches him; but in the case of one who smites with the dart, it is not so. Rather one throws the dart wherever he sees him. Therefore, one who speaks slander is comparable to the dart, as stated (in Jer. 9:7), “Their tongue is a sharpened dart; it speaks deceit.” It also says (in Ps. 57:5), “people, whose teeth are spears and darts, and whose tongue a sharp sword.” See how harmful slander is, in that it is more harmful than adultery, shedding blood and idolatry.¹¹M. Pss. 52:2. Of adultery it is written (in Gen. 39:9, where Joseph is addressing Potiphar's wife), “then how shall I do this great evil and sin against God?” Of shedding blood it is written (in Gen. 4:13), “My sin is greater than I can bear.” Of idolatry it is written (in Exod. 32:31, with reference to the golden calf), “Alas, this people has sinned a great sin.” But when it (i.e., Scripture) mentions slander, it does not say "great" (in the masculine singular, as in Gen. 4:13), or "great" (in the feminine singular, as in Gen. 39:9 and Exod. 32:31), but "great" (in the feminine plural). Thus it is written (in Ps. 12:4), “The Lord shall cut off all flattering lips, [every] tongue speaking great things (in the feminine plural).” It is therefore stated (in Prov. 18:21), “Death and life are in the power of the tongue.” [Another interpretation (of Prov. 18:21), “Death and life are in the power of the tongue”: Do not say, “Since I have license to speak, I am therefore speaking whatever I want.” See, the Torah has already warned you (in Ps. 34:14), “Keep your tongue from evil [and your lips from speaking deceit].” Perhaps you will say that you are suffering a loss. Are you not profiting instead? So the holy spirit proclaims (in Prov. 21:23), “The one who guards his mouth and his tongue guards his soul from trouble (tsarot).” Do not read this as “from trouble.” Instead [read it as], "from leprosy (tsar'at).” Another interpretation (of Prov. 18:21), “Death and life are in the power of the tongue”: Slander is so harmful that one does not produce it from his mouth without denying the Holy One, blessed be He.¹²M. Ps. 52:2. Thus it is stated (in Ps. 12:5), “Those who say, ‘By our tongues we shall prevail; our lips are with us, who is to be our Lord?’” The Holy One, blessed be He, as it were, cried out against those who speak slander (in Ps. 94:16), “Who will stand for Me against evildoers…?” Who can stand against them? And who will stand against them? Geihinnom? But Geihinnom also cries out, “I am unable to stand against them.” [Then] the Holy One, blessed be He, said, “I [will come at them] from above and you (Geihinnom), from below. I will hurl darts from above; and you will turn on them with burning coals from below.” Thus it is stated (in Ps. 120:4), “Sharp darts of the warrior along with burning coals of broom wood.” The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Israel, “Do you want to be delivered from Geihinnom? Keep yourselves far away from the deceitful tongue. Then you will be acquitted in this world and in the world to come.” Thus it is stated (in Ps. 34:13), “Who is the one who desires life….” And it is [then] written (in vs. 14), “Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit […].” Thus it is stated (in Lev. 14:2), “This shall be the law of the leper,” to teach you that one who speaks slander will have blemishes come to him, as it is stated, “This shall be the law of the leper (metsora'),” [i.e.] the one who proclaims evil (motsi' ra')¹³Above, 5:1; ySot. 2:1 (17d); ‘Arakh. 15b; Cf. Lev. R. 16:1. will find evil, in that he will have leprosy come upon him. See what is written about Miriam (in Numb. 12:1), “Then Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses.” Therefore (in vs. 10), “then Aaron turned unto Miriam, and there was [Miriam] with leprosy like the snow.” What is written elsewhere (in Deut. 24:9)? “Remember what the Lord your God did to Miriam […].” And is it not all the more so? For if Miriam had this happen, when she only spoke against her beloved brother when he was absent¹⁴I.e., she spoke privately to Aaron with no desire to be hostile to Moses. Cf. Sifre, Numb. 12:1 (99:2). and was only intending to return him to his wife, how much the more so in the case of one who utters slander against his colleague? What is written above on the matter (in Deut. 24:8)? “Take care with the plague of leprosy [to watch diligently and do according to all that the priests and Levites shall teach…].” So the hand of the Holy One, blessed be He, also afflicted with it Aaron, who was high priest. Thus it is stated (in Numb. 12:9), “And the anger of the Lord was kindled against them, [i.e.] against Aaron and against Miriam.” Aaron, however, was healed immediately; but Miriam, after seven days, as stated (in Numb. 12:15), “So Miriam was shut up [outside of the camp] for seven days.” Ergo (in Lev. 14:2), “This shall be the law of the leper (metsora').” The one who proclaims evil (motsi' ra') is the one who finds evil (motse' ra'). And thus you find with the primeval serpent, because he spoke slander [to Eve] against his Creator, for that reason he became leprous.¹⁵Cf. Gen. R. 19:4. What did he say? R. Joshua ben Levi said (citing Gen. 3:5), “’For God knows that on the day that you eat from it, your eyes shall be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’ He said to her, ‘Every artisan hates his fellow [artisan].¹⁶The saying is proverbial. See Gen. R. 32:2; M. Pss. 11:6. Now when [the Holy One, blessed be He,] wanted to create His world, He ate from this tree. So he created His world. You [two] also eat from it. Then you will be able to create like Him.’ The Holy One, blessed be He, said to [the serpent], ‘You have spoken slander. Your end is to be stricken with leprosy.’” It is so stated (in Gen. 3:14), “So the Lord God said unto the serpent, “Because you have done this, more cursed shall you be than all the beasts of the field.” With what did he curse ('araroh) him? With leprosy. Now a curse can only be leprosy, since it is stated (in Lev. 13:52), “for it is a malignant (mam'eret) leprosy.”¹⁷The argument assumes that ‘arirah and mam’eret share the same root. So also Exod. R. 3:13. R. Huna said in the name of R. Joshua ben Levi, “The scales which are on the snake are his leprosy.”¹⁸Gen. R. 20:4. And not only that, but when all the deformed are cured in the world to come, the snake shall not be cured.¹⁹Tanh. (Buber), Gen. 11:9; Tanh., Gen. 11:8; Gen. R. 95:1. Thus it is stated (in Gen. 3:14), “more cursed shall you be than all the beasts.” From here [we learn] that they all shall be healed, but [the serpent] shall not be healed. People shall be healed, as stated (in Is. 35:5), “Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened….” It is also [written about] the wild beasts and the cattle (in Is. 65:25), “The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion like the ox shall eat straw, but the serpent's food shall be dust”; as he will never be healed, because he [was the one who] brought all mortals down to the dust. And what caused him to have [this punishment]? [It happened] because he had spoken slander.

Another matter, “carve for you” – Rabbi Yitzḥak said: It is written: “It will be when he shall sin and is guilty, he shall restore the robbed item that he robbed, or the proceeds of the exploitation that he exploited, or the deposit that was deposited with him, or the lost item that he found” (Leviticus 5:23). The Holy One blessed be He said to him: ‘Were the Tablets not deposited with you? You shattered them, you replace them.’
Rabbi Yitzḥak said: With the second Tablets, Moses reconciled the Holy One blessed be He with Israel. What did he do? He ascended to the Holy One blessed be He, who was angry. He said to Him: ‘Your children are sinning, and You are imposing a penalty upon me?’ [Moses] presented himself as though he was angry at Israel.²⁷He allowed himself to actually get angry, rather than conquering his anger in order to pray on their behalf (see Etz Yosef; Maharzu). From where is this derived? As it is stated: “Moses returned to the Lord and he said: Please; this people has sinned a great sin, and they made themselves a god of gold. Now, if You would, forgive their sin; but if not, erase me please from Your book that You have written” (Exodus 32:31–32).²⁸Rather than pleading with God to forgive the Israelites, Moses asked God that, if He would not forgive them, He would erase Moses from His book as well. When the Holy One blessed be He saw that it was so, He said to him: ‘There are two beings who are angry; you and I are angry at them.’²⁹If we are both angry at the Israelites, they are doomed. Immediately: “The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend, and he would return to the camp. But his servant, Joshua, son of Nun, a lad, would not move from within the tent” (Exodus 33:11). The Holy One blessed be He said to him: ‘There shall not be two beings angry, instead, when you see Me pouring boiling water, you pour cold; and when you see Me pouring cold water, you pour boiling.’ Moses said to him: ‘Master of the universe, how shall it be?’ He said to him: ‘You implore for mercy.’ What did he do? Immediately, “Moses implored [vayḥal] the Lord his God and he said: Lord, why shall Your wrath be enflamed against Your people that You took out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? Why should the Egyptians speak, saying: He took them out for evil, to kill them in the mountains and to destroy them from upon the face of the earth? Relent from Your enflamed wrath and reconsider regarding the evil for Your people” (Exodus 32:11–12). He said to Him: ‘Your children are bitter, sweeten [ḥaleh] them.’³⁰They sinned, forgive them.
Another matter, he said before Him: ‘Master of the universe, I know that You love Your children, and You seek only someone to advocate on their behalf.’ Rabbi Simon said: To what is the matter comparable? To a king and his son who were located in an inner chamber, and his son’s tutor was in the hall. The king was shouting: ‘Let me be so I will kill my son!’ He was seeking only that someone advocate on his behalf. So, the Holy One blessed be He said to Moses: “Now, let Me be, and My wrath will be enflamed against them and I will destroy them and I will make you into a great nation” (Exodus 32:10). Moses said: Am I, as it were, grasping the hand of the Holy One blessed be He?³¹Am I holding Him back, such that He says “Let me be”? He seeks only someone to advocate on their behalf. Immediately, “Moses implored.”
Another matter, “now, let Me be” – Moses said: ‘Master of the universe, do You seek to eradicate them? Uproot the upper worlds and the lower worlds, and then uproot them.’ From where is this derived? As it is stated: “Lift your eyes to the heavens and look to the earth below, as the heavens will be eroded like smoke and the earth will be tattered like a garment, and its inhabitants, likewise, will die, but My salvation will be forever and My righteousness will not be daunted” (Isaiah 51:6). First, the heavens will be eroded like smoke…and then: “Its inhabitants, likewise, will die.” Moses said to Him: ‘Even if You uproot the heavens and the earth, it is impossible for You to uproot Israel, as You took an oath to their patriarchs, and You did not take an oath to them by the heavens or by the earth, but by Your great Name.’ From where is this derived? As it is stated: “To whom You took an oath by Yourself” (Exodus 32:13). [Moses said:] ‘Could You, perhaps void Your great Name?’
Moses said before Him: ‘Consider them like Sodom. What did You say to Abraham? “The Lord said: If I find in Sodom fifty righteous people within the city, I will tolerate the entire place for their sake” (Genesis 18:26), and You were willing to concede to him until ten.’ From where is this derived? As it is stated: “He said: Please, let my Lord not be incensed, and I will speak only this time. Perhaps ten shall be found there. He said: I will not destroy for the ten” (Genesis 18:32). [Moses said before Him:] ‘I will produce for You eighty righteous men.’ He said to him: ‘Produce them.’ He said before Him: ‘Master of the universe, there are seventy elders,’ as it is written: “The Lord said to Moses: Gather to Me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people, and its officers, and you shall take them to the Tent of Meeting, and they will stand there with you. I will descend and speak with you there and I will draw from the spirit that is upon you, and I will place it upon them, and they will bear with you the burden of the people, and you will not bear alone” (Numbers 11:16–17). ‘[And] Aaron, Nadav, Avihu, Elazar, Itamar, Pinḥas, and Caleb – that is seventy-seven.’ The Holy One blessed be He said to him: ‘But Moses, where are three more righteous men?’ [Moses] did not find them. He said before Him: ‘Master of the universe, if those who are alive cannot stand in the breach on their behalf, let the dead stand.’ He said before Him: ‘Do it by the merit of the three patriarchs, and that is eighty – “Remember Abraham, Isaac and Israel, Your servants” (Exodus 32:13).’ Once Moses mentioned the merit of the patriarchs, He immediately said to him: “I have pardoned in accordance with your word” (Numbers 14:20).
When Solomon arose and saw that Moses mentioned seventy-seven living righteous men and it would have been of no avail had he not mentioned the merit of the three patriarchs, he began saying: “I praise the dead who are already dead more than the living who are still alive. Better than both of them is one who has not yet been, who has not seen the evil action that is performed under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 4:2–3).
Another matter, “Remember Abraham, Isaac and Israel, Your servants, to whom You swore by Yourself and said to them: I will multiply your offspring like the stars of the heavens, and this entire land that I said I will give to your descendants, they shall inherit it forever. The Lord reconsidered the evil that He had spoken of doing to His people” (Exodus 32:13–14). Rabbi Levi said: Moses said to Him: ‘Master of the universe, will the dead live?’ He said to him: ‘Are you, too, mistaken? Did I not say to you: “I will kill and I will resurrect”?’ (Deuteronomy 32:39). Moses said to Him: ‘If the dead will live, consider it as though the patriarchs are standing and beseeching on behalf of their descendants; what would You answer them?’ When Moses said this matter to Him, immediately, the Lord reconsidered the evil.