Йехезкэля 20:13 Мидраш: Bamidbar Rabbah, Shemot Rabbah & Vayikra Rabbah

“The Kehatite,” that is what is written: “For My name's sake, I will defer My wrath and for My praise, I will exercise forbearance with you, so as not to eradicate you” (Isaiah 48:9). It is speaking of Israel. “For My name's sake, I will defer My wrath,” this is Israel, upon whom the Holy One blessed be He designated His name: “I am the Lord your God” (Exodus 20:2). And He joined His name¹⁰El. with their name, Israel. That is why He deferred His wrath against Israel, that He did not eliminate them, but rather, He collected from them¹¹He punished them. little by little in exile in order to absolve them. He did not seek to eradicate them, so his name would not be desecrated because of them. As we find when Israel was in Egypt, they rebelled against the Holy One blessed be He and the Holy One blessed be He wished to eliminate them, but He deferred His wrath with them for His name’s sake and did not do so, just as it says: “I said to pour My fury upon them, to spend My wrath upon them within the land of Egypt. But I acted for My name’s sake, so that it would not be profaned before the eyes of the nations” (Ezekiel 20:8–9). Likewise, when Israel departed, in the wilderness they rebelled against Him, and the Holy One blessed be He sought to eradicate them but He deferred His wrath with them for His name’s sake, as it is stated: “I said to pour My fury upon them [in the wilderness to eradicate them. But I acted for My name’s sake, so that it would not be profaned before the eyes of the nations…]” (Ezekiel 20:13–14). Likewise, the generation of the wilderness rebelled against the Holy One blessed be He and He sought to eradicate them, but He deferred His wrath with them for His name’s sake, and He took an oath that He would exact retribution against them with the servitude of the kingdoms, but he did not effect eradication, as it is stated: “I said I would pour My fury [upon them…in the wilderness]. But I restrained My hand, [and I acted for the sake of My name, that it not be profaned]” (Ezekiel 20:21–22). “I also raised My hand [to them in the wilderness, to disperse them among the nations and to scatter them through the lands]” (Ezekiel 20:23). “For My praise, I will exercise forbearance with you” (Isaiah 48:9), so that the name of the Holy One blessed be He will not be profaned through them; He will bring them the sealed redemption, as it is stated: “I will sanctify My great name that was profaned among the nations… I will take you from the nations…[and I will bring you to your land]” (Ezekiel 36:23–24).
Another matter, “I will exercise forbearance [oḥotam] with you” (Isaiah 48:9), because Israel was created to recite the praise of the Holy One blessed be He, just as it says: “This people, I formed for Myself; [they will recite My praise]” (Isaiah 43:21). For that purpose, so that His name would be praised in their midst, the Holy One blessed be He seals it [ḥotma] for good. Just as it says: “Place me as a seal [hotam] upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm” (Song of Songs 8:6). That caused them not to be eliminated in exile. That is, “so as not to eradicate you.”
Another matter, “for My name's sake, I will defer My wrath” (Isaiah 48:9), it is speaking of the Kehatites [hakehati]. To what is the matter comparable? It is to a king who had a son who joined robbers. They were apprehended and his son was apprehended with them. The king said: ‘What shall I do? Shall I execute the robbers? That is impossible, as my son is with them. For the sake of my son, I will free them now.’ So, the Levites were the bearers of the Tabernacle. The Holy One blessed be He was looking at Koraḥ and his congregation, who were destined to dispute with Moses and Aaron. The Holy One blessed be He said: ‘What shall I do to these? To kill them now is impossible, as they are intermingled with the other righteous ones.’ So as not to harm all of them with the attribute of justice, the Holy One blessed be He took half His name, and added ya [yod heh] to it [the word kehat], the Holy One blessed be He rendered it hakehati, heh at the beginning and yod at the end, that is ya, in order to provide them with protection until their day would come. That is, “for My name's sake, I will defer My wrath…” That is why hakehati is written here.

“Pharaoh said: Behold, the people of the land are now many; and will you cause them to cease from their burdens?” (Exodus 5:5).
“Pharaoh said: Behold, the people of the land are now many” – he said to them: ‘If it were one thousand people that you seek or two thousand, I would allow it. Is it six hundred thousand that you seek? Go to your burdens.’
Another interpretation: Rabbi Nehorai said: From where do you derive that only two of six hundred thousand of Israel emerged from Egypt?³⁰All the rest died in the three days of pitch darkness during the plague of darkness. Regarding the wilderness it is stated: “I said I would pour My fury upon them in the wilderness, to consume them” (Ezekiel 20:13), and regarding the wilderness it is stated: “I said I would pour My fury upon them, to spend My anger upon them in the midst of the land of Egypt” (Ezekiel 20:8). Just as in the wilderness only two of six hundred thousand remained of them,³¹Of the six hundred thousand men who left Egypt, only Caleb and Joshua entered the land of Israel. so too, in Egypt, only two of six hundred thousand remained of them. “Behold, the people of the land are now many.”³²They are many now, but ultimately they will be far fewer.

“Command Aaron and his sons, saying: This is the law of the burnt offering: It is the burnt offering on the pyre on the altar all night until the morning, and the fire of the altar shall be kept burning in it” (Leviticus 6:2).
“Command Aaron and his sons, saying: This is the law of the burnt offering.” This is what the verse said: “Hatred arouses strife…” (Proverbs 10:12). The hatred that Israel caused between them and their Father in Heaven,¹Through Israel’s sins, they caused God to hate them. that is what aroused severe judgments against them, as Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman said: For almost nine hundred years, the hatred between Israel and their Father in Heaven was dormant, from the day that Israel emerged from Egypt, until the year that it was aroused against them in the days of Ezekiel. That is what is written: “I said to them: Each man [shall cast out] the detestable objects [of his eyes, and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt]” (Ezekiel 20:7). But they did not do so, but rather, “they defied Me and were unwilling [to heed Me; no man cast out the detestable objects of their eyes, and they did not forsake the idols of Egypt]” (Ezekiel 20:8). But I acted with them for the sake of My great name so that it would not be profaned, as it is stated: “But I acted for the sake of My name [that it not be profaned before the nations]” (Ezekiel 20:9). “Love covers all transgressions” (Proverbs 10:12), as the Omnipresent loves Israel, as it is stated: “I loved you, said the Lord” (Malachi 1:2).
Another matter, “hatred arouses strife” – the hatred that Aaron placed between Israel and their Father in Heaven,²The Golden Calf. that is what aroused severe judgments against them. Rabbi Asi said: It teaches that Aaron would take their offering³The offering the people would bring to the Golden Calf. However, some commentaries suggest that the text should state ‘hammer’ instead of ‘offering,’ such that the midrash states that he would take a hammer and flatten the calf and tell them it had no substance (Etz Yosef). and flatten [the calf] before them, and say to them: ‘Know that it has no substance.’ That is what Moses said to Aaron: “What did this people do to you [that you brought great sin upon them?]” (Exodus 32:21). He said to him:⁴Moses said to Aaron. ‘It would have been preferable that they be judged as unwitting and not be judged as intentional.’
That is what the Holy One blessed be He said to Moses: “Whoever has sinned against Me, I will eradicate him from My book” (Exodus 32:33). That is what is written: “The Lord was very angry with Aaron, to destroy him…” (Deuteronomy 9:20). Rabbi Yehoshua of Sikhnin in the name of Rabbi Levi: The expression of destruction here is nothing other than elimination of sons and daughters, just as it says: “I destroyed his fruit from above and his roots from below” (Amos 2:9). “Love covers all transgressions” (Proverbs 10:12), this is the prayer that Moses prayed on his behalf.
What did Moses pray on his behalf? Rabbi Mana of Sheab and Rabbi Yehoshua of Sikhnin in the name of Rabbi Levi: From the beginning of the book until here, it is written: “Aaron’s sons, the priests, shall arrange” (Leviticus 1:8); “Aaron’s sons, the priests, shall sprinkle” (Leviticus 1:11); “Aaron’s sons shall place” (Leviticus 1:7). Moses said before the Holy One blessed be He: ‘The cistern is hated but its waters are beloved. You accorded honor to the trees because of their produce, as we learned there: All wood is fit for the arrangement⁵The arrangement of wood on the altar. except from the olive tree and from the vine,⁶Mishna Tamid 2:3. but to Aaron you do not accord honor due to his sons?’ The Holy One blessed be He said to him: ‘As you live, for your sake I will draw him near. Moreover, I will render him primary and his sons ancillary: “Command Aaron and his sons, saying.”’