Midrash sa Exodo 35:25: Bamidbar Rabbah, Midrash Tanchuma & Shemot Rabbah

“The priest shall write these curses in a scroll, and erase it in the water of bitterness” (Numbers 5:23).
“The priest shall write these curses in a scroll” – this is Moses. “In a scroll” – this is the tablet on which it was written, “Who reckons the iniquity of the fathers [against the children]” (Exodus 20:5). But, did he write them? Was it not the Holy One blessed be He who wrote them? It is, rather, because Israel strayed, the Holy One blessed be He gave them only to Moses, just as it says: “He gave to Moses” (Exodus 31:18). That is why they are called by his name, as though he had written them. Why does it call the tablet a scroll? It is because it was a scroll.¹⁸⁰Miraculously, like a scroll, the tablet could be furled and unfurled. “And erase it in the water of bitterness” – it is because, due to Israel’s iniquity, he shattered the tablets, and the script flew off of them, and with that erasure of the script, Israel drank their punishment in the water.
“He shall give the woman to drink the water of bitterness that causes curse, and the water that causes curse will enter her for bitterness” (Numbers 5:24).
“He shall give the woman to drink” – just as it says: “He gave the children of Israel to drink” (Exodus 32:20) – he examined them like sotot.
“The priest shall take the meal offering of jealousy from the woman’s hand, and he shall wave the meal offering before the Lord and bring it near to the altar” (Numbers 5:25).
“The priest shall take the meal offering of jealousy from the woman's hand” – these are the tablets that the Holy One blessed be He was sending to them; he took them [the tablets] from them, as He did not wish to give it to them. “And he shall wave the meal offering before the Lord” – he¹⁸¹Moses restored the script of the tablets to its place. “And bring it near to the altar” – these are the tablets that he shattered at the foot of the mountain, just as it says: “He cast the tablets from his hands and he shattered them at the foot of the mountain” (Exodus 32:19), in the place of the altar that Moses built at the foot of the mountain to receive the Torah, just as it says: “He built an altar at the foot of the mountain” (Exodus 24:4).
“The priest shall take a handful from the meal offering, its memorial portion, and burn it upon the altar, and then he shall give the woman the water to drink” (Numbers 5:26).
“The priest shall take a handful from the meal offering…” – as Moses advocated on behalf of Israel from what was written on the tablets: “Who performs kindness for the thousands [of generations], for those who love Me” (Exodus 20:6). Moses said: The patriarchs loved You, perform kindness for them and save their descendants. That is what is written: “Remember Abraham, [Isaac, and Israel]” (Exodus 32:13). “Then he shall give [the woman]…to drink” – after he implored on their behalf and caused the countenance of fury to pass, just as it says: “Moses turned and descended from the mountain” (Exodus 32:15),¹⁸²The previous verse states: “The Lord reconsidered the evil that He had spoken of doing to His people” (Exodus 32:14). then he examined them like sotot.
“He shall give her the water to drink, and it will be, if she was defiled and committed trespass against her husband, the water that causes curse will enter her for bitterness, and her belly will distend, and her thigh will fall, and the woman will become a curse among her people” (Numbers 5:27).
“He shall give her the water to drink, and it will be, if she was defiled and committed trespass against her husband, [the water that causes curse] will enter [her]” – when they drank from them, all the sinners died an unnatural death. A noblewoman asked Rabbi Eliezer: ‘Why for one sin of the calf did they die three deaths?’ He told her: ‘The only wisdom for a woman is with her spindle, as it is written: “Every woman who was wise hearted spun with her hands”’ (Exodus 35:25). Horkanus said to him: ‘In order not to answer her, you caused us a loss of three hundred kor of tithes each year.’ He said to him: ‘Let matters of Torah be burned and not transmitted to women.’ When she departed, his students said to him: ‘Rabbi, that one you rebuffed with a reed;¹⁸³You did not address her question. what do you respond to us?’ Rabbi Berekhya bar Abba bar Kahana said in the name of Rabbi Elazar: Anyone for whom there were witnesses and forewarning would be executed by the court; witnesses but no forewarning, would be examined like the sota; no witnesses and no forewarning, would die in the plague. Rav and Levi bar Sisi, both of them said: One who sacrificed, burned incense, or poured libations would be executed by the court. One who clapped, danced, or frolicked would be examined like a sota. One who rejoiced in his heart would die in the plague. “The woman will become a curse among her people” – but her people are well, as they were stricken and the rest were spared.
“And if the woman was not defiled, and she is pure, she will be absolved and will conceive offspring” (Numbers 5:28).
“And if the woman was not defiled” – these were the upright people who drank. “And she is pure” – this is the tribe of Levi. “She will be absolved” – these are the Levites, who merited the sacred service for this, as all their actions were in purity. “And she will conceive offspring [venizre’a zera]” – these are the upright Israelites, whose offspring entered the land, just as it says: “I will sow her [uzratiha] in the land for Me” (Hosea 2:25). The Holy One blessed be He did for them what he said to Abraham: “And this entire land that I said I will give to your descendants, [they shall inherit it forever]” (Exodus 32:13), as it is written after the act of the calf: “The Lord said to Moses: Go, ascend from here […to the land regarding which I swore to Abraham…saying: I will give it to your descendants]” (Exodus 33:1).

Another explanation of He draweth not His eyes from the righteous. At the time that Moses came and told the Israelites: Take ye from among ye an offering unto the Lord (Exod. 35:5), they rejoiced exceedingly and brought their free-will offering with joy and eagerness. Notice that it is written: And they came both men and women (ibid., v. 22); that is to say, in their eagerness they pressed against each other. The men and women came as a huge throng when they brought their gifts, as it is said: All the women that were wise-hearted (ibid., v. 25).

Another matter, “they brought the Tabernacle” – that is what is written: “Emerge, daughters of Zion, and look at King Solomon, with the crown with which his mother crowned him on the day of his wedding, and on the day of the rejoicing of his heart” (Song of Songs 3:11). When was this verse stated? On the day that the Tabernacle was set up, when there was great celebration in Israel because the Holy One blessed be He rested amongst them. “Daughters of Zion [tziyon]” – the children who are conspicuously [hametzuyanim] Mine, as acknowledged by the idolaters.¹⁴Jewish children, who are conspicuous in their manner of dress, including ritual fringes, in their hairstyle, and in their manner of behavior (Matnot Kehuna; Etz Yosef). Just as a signpost is pointed at with a finger, so, too, Israel is pointed at with a finger.¹⁵Just as a signpost is conspicuous and easily identified, so are Jews. That is, “the daughters of Zion.” “[Look] at King Solomon [Shlomo],” at the King of Whom [it may be said] that peace [hashalom] is His; that is the King of kings the Holy One blessed be He. “With the crown with which his mother crowned him,” this is the Tabernacle. Why did he call it a crown? Because just as a crown is beautifully designed, so, too, the Tabernacle was beautifully designed, as it is stated: “And the embroiderer in sky blue, purple, and scarlet wool, and in linen, and of the weaver, performers of all craftsmanship and devisers of designs” (Exodus 35:35). That is, “with the crown with which his mother crowned him.” Rabbi Yitzḥak said: I reviewed the entire Bible and I did not find that Batsheva crafted a crown for Solomon.¹⁶Therefore, the verse is not to be taken literally but rather as an allusion to the Tabernacle.
Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai asked Rabbi Elazar ben Rabbi Yosei: ‘Did you, perhaps, hear from your father what is meant by [the phrase]: “With the crown with which his mother crowned him”?’ He said to him: ‘Yes; it is analogous to a king who had an only daughter and he loved her exceedingly. He called her: My daughter. He did not cease increasing his love for her until he called her: My sister, and until he called her: My mother.¹⁷A daughter is subservient to her father; a sister is equal to her brother, whereas a mother is owed honor and respect from her child as a matter of course and of law. Thus, each title reflects ever greater levels of love and dedication (Etz Yosef). So, initially, the Holy One blessed be He called Israel a daughter, as it is stated: “Listen, daughter, and take note; incline your ear. Forget your people and your father’s house” (Psalms 45:11). He did not cease increasing His love for them until he called them: My sister, as it is stated: “Open for me, my sister, my love, my faultless dove, for my head is filled with dew, my locks, with drops of night” (Song of Songs 5:2). He did not cease increasing His love for them until he called them: My mother, as it is stated: “Pay attention to Me, My people, and listen to Me, My nation [uleumi]; for Torah will emerge from Me and My judgment I will lay down as a light for peoples”’ (Isaiah 51:4).¹⁸Uleumi is expounded as though it were written ule’imi, to My mother. Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai stood and kissed him on the head.
“On the day of his wedding,” at Sinai; “and on the day of the rejoicing of his heart,” in Jerusalem. Alternatively, “on the day of his wedding,” at the sea; “and on the day of the rejoicing of his heart,” in the Tent of Meeting. Alternatively, “on the day of his wedding,” in the Tabernacle; “and on the day of the rejoicing of his heart,” in the Temple. Likewise, David said: “Beautiful in its view, joy of the entire world, is Mount Zion, the northern summit, the city of the great King.” (Psalms 48:3).
“Beautiful in its view, joy of the entire world.” Rabbi Yonatan ben Elazar said: There was an incident involving a certain merchant who went to Jerusalem to sell his merchandise. He went and sat there but did not sell [anything]. He said: ‘Is this [the city] of which they say it is the “joy of the entire world”?’ A short time later he sold all his merchandise. He said: “Beautiful in its view, joy of the entire world.”
Rabbi Yoḥanan said: There was a dome of accounting outside of Jerusalem, and anyone who sought to take an accounting would go and take an accounting there,¹⁹Anyone who wanted to take an accounting of his expenditures or business activity could stop under this dome and make his calculations. so that he would not take an accounting in Jerusalem and be distressed,²⁰He might be upset if his business activity was not as successful as he had hoped. for it is called “joy of the entire world.” Why is it the object of all this praise? Because it is “the city of the great King.” But when it was destroyed: “All joy is negated [arva], gladness of the land is exiled” (Isaiah 24:11). What is arva? It grew dark, just as it says: “It was evening [erev] and it was morning, one day” (Genesis 1:5). In this world, “the joy of the entire world” is suspended. But when the Holy One blessed be He will rebuild Jerusalem, He will restore all the joy to its midst, as it is stated: “For the Lord will comfort Zion; He will comfort all its ruins; He will render its wilderness like Eden and its desert like a garden of the Lord. Gladness and joy will be found in it, thanksgiving and the sound of music” (Isaiah 51:3).