And the people saw that Moses delayed. I have indeed seen that most commentators who approach to explain every hidden matter in the Torah sought to find words of desire to remove from the holy seed of Abraham defamation of lips and evil rumors that came out against them regarding this disgraceful act. For while the king was at his table, my nard gave forth its fragrance. Most commentators agreed to hang the blame on the neck of the mixed multitude who were accustomed to evil, and they were the troublers of Israel and sinned first, and after them Israel also erred. Therefore, for the honor of the entire house of Israel, I saw fit to write briefly the main understanding from most of the commentators’ words, and I will also include things that I have added of my own to settle the precision of the language. I will not set my heart on difficulties and questions found in the matter of this story, for my intention is only to explain the content of the matter to publicize the purity of Israel, and this is its explanation:

And the people saw. These were the mixed multitude [erev rav], for everywhere the term “the people” refers to those of lesser stature, as Rashi explained in Parashat Beha’alotcha on the verse And the people were as complainers. That Moses delayed. This was because they knew that they had not left Egypt by God’s command, but rather Moses had brought them up on his own initiative without asking God’s permission, as it is written, Go down, for your people have become corrupt, not “My people.” In contrast, Moses said, Why, O Lord, should Your anger burn against Your people, not “my people.” The mixed multitude feared that if Moses would not return, God would command to expel them from the congregation lest they cause Israel to sin with the idols of Egypt, for converts are as difficult for Israel as a skin affliction (Yevamot 47b). They thought that the reason they had not been expelled until now was out of respect for Moses. Therefore, they devised a scheme to seek another leader in place of Moses, saying for this man Moses, we do not know what has become of him. That is to say, “We do not know wherein his power is so great, for surely he had the image of some star through whose power he led and performed miracles, and we do not know what to do with these images because we do not know what form he possessed.” [They said to Aaron:] “You, his brother, undoubtedly know what that instrument was, therefore we want you to make for us some image that will serve as an intermediary between us and the stars.” Satan misled them by showing them the image of Moses’ bier [suspended] between heaven and earth, suggesting that he had been like an intermediary between heaven and earth. Therefore, they wanted some other intermediary. Our Sages said (Sanhedrin 63a) that they desired many gods, because they did not know which form to choose.

“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.

“And they said, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, etc.’” From here is proof that the mixed multitude said this to Israel, for how could one Israelite say to another These are your gods, O Israel — is he himself not an Israelite? Rather, it is certain that the mixed multitude said this to Israel. And their desire to mislead them specifically with the image of a bull — we have already explained that it was because they saw that the Israelites loved silver and gold, which they knew from the spoils of Egypt and the spoils of the sea. Therefore, they said that Israel would choose this form because from it come the wellsprings of gold, as explained above. This explains what is written here: who brought you up from the land of Egypt, whereas Moses said, Why, O Lord, does Your anger burn against Your people whom You brought out from the land of Egypt. This is because brought you up can also mean elevation and greatness, as they were saying that all the elevation of Israel, who became wealthy with silver and gold, was all from Egypt, and from Egypt’s wealth they made all this glory. The mixed multitude claimed that it was through the power of the bull constellation that “you achieved all this wealth, that you were elevated from the possessions of the land of Egypt.” According to what we wrote above, that the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses, Go down, for your people have become corrupt — referring to the mixed multitude — it seems appropriate to explain why He said whom you brought up from the land of Egypt. It was because through this journey they were elevated above the rest of the Egyptians. But for Israel, this was not an elevation. Therefore, Moses said, Why, O Lord, does Your anger burn against Your people whom You brought out from the land of Egypt. Furthermore, since the Israelites were like prisoners in Egypt, the term “bringing out” is appropriate for them, unlike for the mixed multitude.

And some say that this error came to them, because Israel could not leave Egypt unless Joseph’s ark went with them because of the oath, and Moses took a plate and engraved on it Rise up, ox! Rise up, ox! and threw it into the Nile. Therefore, the mixed multitude thought that their ascent from Egypt was dependent on Joseph, who is called firstborn ox, and he is called firstborn ox because all his power was drawn from the constellation of Taurus. They thought that this was why Moses took Joseph’s bones with him, because he brought them up from Egypt through the power of the Taurus constellation combined with Moses’ power, and this is [the meaning of] who brought you up in plural form.

And Aaron saw. Because the work of Satan had succeeded, he thought to delay them with the building of an altar, for he said that it would not be appropriate to sacrifice to it without an altar. And he proclaimed a festival to the Lord tomorrow, not to the calf, but rather to the Lord, because he thought that Moses would certainly come tomorrow. But Satan hastened them, so that they rose early the next day and did not wait a few hours into the day, and they offered burnt offerings and arose to make merry [letzachek]. Our Sages of blessed memory expounded (Tanchuma Ki Tisa 20) that this alludes to sexual immorality and bloodshed. But it seems to me that since it says letzachek [to make merry/joke], and not “vayitzachaku” [and they made merry/joked], we can infer that there was not actual sexual immorality and bloodshed, but rather, because they transgressed I am [the Lord your God] and You shall have no [other gods], it was as if they had transgressed You shall not murder and You shall not commit adultery. For the commandments were five opposite five: You shall not murder corresponding to I am, and You shall not commit adultery corresponding to You shall have no [other gods]. Therefore it says letzachek, because they transgressed I am and You shall have no [other gods], which also lead to the “amusement” of sexual immorality and bloodshed, for whoever does this [idolatry] will fall into those [sins].

“And the Lord spoke to Moses, ‘Go, descend.’” Due to the doubled language, and also because it does not say “descend from the mountain,” our Sages (Berakhot 32) learned to interpret this as “descend from your greatness” — which was a form of punishment for accepting the mixed multitude. This is what is meant by for your people have become corrupt — they turned aside quickly and did not wait, not even a day or two did they remain steadfast in their faith. And not only that, but they also caused Israel to sin, as they said, These are your gods, O Israel. And the Lord said to Moses, I have seen this people. This was directed toward Israel, and because they had corrupted themselves, He called them the people. And He said, “I have already seen their stiff-neckedness in days past,” for even in Egypt they were wicked and sinful, as is found in the prophecy of Ezekiel (20). And now their measure of sin is full, therefore leave Me alone — that I will no longer deal with them personally, which is why He said Me And My anger will burn against them, for I will send against them a delegation of destructive angels — anger and wrath. And I will consume them, for the messenger is not merciful and will not forgive their transgressions at all.

And Moses pleaded. Some say that vayechal [pleaded] comes from the language of “vatitchalchal” [trembled], meaning he was seized with fear and trembling before God. That is, it is an expression [that reflects] anger, because he saw the greatness of God’s anger and was terrified by the fear of God, and said, Why, O Lord, does Your anger burn? For if You had said You would discipline them Yourself as a man disciplines his son, I would have been silent, but why did You say You would send a cruel angel of wrath and anger against them? Why would You do this to Your servants? For I have arguments against this. The first argument is against Your people. For You said to me, Your people have corrupted themselves, referring to the mixed multitude [erev rav], so why does Your anger burn against Your people, meaning Israel? The second argument is, whom You brought out of the land of Egypt. A land full of idolatry, so it’s not so surprising if they were seduced by their old habits. The third argument is, with great power. This is against the attribute of judgment, for according to the strict line of justice, it would have been proper to destroy them within the land of Egypt, as it is written in Ezekiel (20:13), And I said I would pour out My wrath on them in the midst of the land of Egypt. But I acted for the sake of My name, etc. And after You brought them out with great power against the attribute of judgment, they were already known to You as idol worshipers, so what is new now? The fourth argument is, and with a mighty hand. For it is known that Israel did not want to leave Egypt, as it is written (Exodus 14:12), Didn’t we say to you in Egypt, “Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians”? And it is written (Exodus 13:18), And the children of Israel went up armed [chamushim] out of the land of Egypt. For only one-fifth [chamushim can also mean “one-fifth”] went up, and four-fifths died during the three days of darkness because they did not want to leave Egypt. And even those who did leave, You brought them out with a mighty hand, against their will, not according to their pleasure, as it is written (Exodus 13:9), For with a mighty hand the Lord brought you out of Egypt. And since You brought them out from there, it is fitting for You to have mercy on them, so that people will not say, “He brought them out with evil intent,” since they left at Your command.

And after he defended Israel, he began to defend also the mixed multitude [Erev Rav] and said, Why should the Egyptians say, “With evil intent did He bring them out to kill them in the mountains?” For this argument does not apply to Israel at all, and why would such a thing come from the Blessed One? Rather, he said this regarding the mixed multitude, because the Lord had already executed judgments against Egypt, but they were not visible to the whole world. Therefore, He brought out the mixed multitude in order to kill them in high mountains visible to everyone’s eye, so that the vengeance against them would be public and well-known. And why should the Egyptians say — for generations to come — that this is how those who come to seek refuge under the wings of the Divine Presence are treated, which would lead to a desecration of God’s name. And he said, Turn from Your fierce wrath, etc. — he was addressing different parties: regarding the mixed multitude, he asked Turn from Your fierce wrath so that they would not be punished by a cruel angel of anger and wrath, and regarding Israel, he added and relent from this evil against Your people — that He should not do any evil to them at all, since they were not the cause of the sin. Remember Abraham, etc. — You say, I will make of you a great nation, but today or tomorrow perhaps my children will sin and You will destroy them. This is a fortiori from the forefathers, to whom You swore by Yourself. Moreover, they have the merit of the three forefathers, and if all this is not helpful, how much more so for my children, where there is not an oath but merely a statement, and there is only a throne with one leg. Immediately, And the Lord relented from the evil which He thought to do to His people — that is, what He had spoken about completely destroying them, but nevertheless He thought to discipline them with the rod of their transgression, as it is written, On the day when I visit, I will visit their sin upon them — to exact punishment from them little by little.

“And the tablets were the work of God, etc.” This entire verse seems out of place here; it should have appeared earlier in the verse “And He gave to Moses, when He had finished… tablets of stone, written with the finger of God.” That is where the nature of the tablets should have been mentioned. It seems to me that this entire verse is meant to inform us that the letters were engraved upon the tablets, as it aims to provide a reason why Moses broke the tablets. It was because the tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, engraved upon the tablets. The Midrash says (Exodus Rabbah 41:7) that charut [engraved] can be read as “cherut” [freedom] — freedom from subjugation to kingdoms, and others say freedom from the Angel of Death, and our Rabbis say freedom from suffering. They learned all this from the fact that the text says engraved [charut] upon the tablets rather than “etched” or “written.” This indicates that these letters had substance, as we explained in Parshat Yitro on the verse and all the people saw the voices, that every utterance that came from the Holy One, blessed be He, took physical form and had substance, so that they could see it, and these utterances were engraved upon the tablets. Note that it doesn’t say “in the tablets” but upon the tablets, meaning they were fixed on top of them. Therefore, they interpreted charut [engraved] as “cherut” [freedom], suggesting that just as these letters were free and not subjugated to the tablets at all, and were not nullified when the tablets were broken — for when the tablets were broken, the letters flew away, proving they were not bound to the stone material — so too, all who study Torah will be free from subjugation to kingdoms, from suffering, and from the Angel of Death. This is why it says And I will write upon the tablets the words that were on the first tablets (Exodus 34:1). It doesn’t say “like the words” but the words, telling you that those same letters that flew away from the first tablets would be fixed here. And since this matter indicates that as long as the tablets exist, Israel has a covenant that they will be free from subjugation to kingdoms, and now that they had sinned, they were not worthy of all these promises — therefore Moses broke them. As it is said I said you are gods (Psalms 82:6) — that you would endure like divine beings — you have corrupted your ways; indeed, like men you shall die, for you will no longer be free from the Angel of Death.

And that which Moses did not break the tablets immediately when God told him how they had made the golden calf is according to what is concluded in the Yalkut (32:393) that because the letters were flying off, the stones became heavy and fell from Moses’ hands. And accordingly, we can say that the letters were flying off at the foot of the mountain when they saw the calf, and then Moses sensed that the sanctity had been removed from them, therefore he broke them specifically at the foot of the mountain.

Some say that this is why he broke them, because they were like a promissory note against Israel, and once a promissory note is torn, the creditor has no means to claim from them. Similarly, these tablets were testimony that Israel had accepted the Torah.

And some say that he broke them, in order to include himself with them in the sin. Israel caused the letters to fly off, and Moses broke the tablets, so that the Holy One, Blessed be He, could not say, I will consume them and make you into a great nation, for they were equal in sin. And regarding this, Moses said, And now, if You will forgive their sin — meaning, “And now something new has happened, that I too am a sinner like them, and if so, if You forgive their sin, good, but if not, then do not forgive me either, and thus erase me from Your book.”

And Moses saw that the people were unrestrained, for Aaron had let them loose to be a disgrace among those who rise up against them. Since our Sages of blessed memory said (Yoma 86) that we must publicize hypocrites because of the desecration of God’s name. For the Holy One, blessed be He, examines all hidden things and punishes the sinner for every concealed matter, and because he [the sinner] is considered righteous in the eyes of the people, they will challenge the attribute of justice. Therefore, it is a commandment to publicize all their deeds and reveal their wickedness in the community. For this reason, Aaron brought their evil thoughts to the surface. This is what is meant by You know the people, that they are set on evil, meaning, “You know through the divine spirit upon you that their thoughts are constantly evil, therefore I said it is good to expose the sinners so they become a disgrace among those who rise up against them,” to publicize their shame publicly. This is the opinion of the Midrash that says they were afflicted with tzaraat, as it says, for it was unrestrained. And it is written regarding the one with tzaraat his head shall be unrestrained (Leviticus 13:45), as concluded in the Yalkut (and in Tanchuma Metzora 4), because tzaraat also serves to bring to light the inner evil in the heart of the sinner. For this reason, the one with tzaraat [metzora] is called by the acronym “motzi ra” [bringing out evil], as concluded in the Yalkut Parashat Metzora (14:556) in the story of the peddler. Even though there it concludes that “motzi ra” refers to one who speaks lashon hara, nevertheless, it seems to me that it means bringing to light all inner evil. Therefore, tzaraat is hinted at here in the word parua, which means “uncovered” — just as tzaraat uncovers the sinners. And in Song of Songs (1:12) it is written, My nard gave forth its fragrance. The Targum explains this as “and the plague of tzaraat descended upon them,” for the verse speaks of how they became a disgrace among those who rise against them, and their odor became foul in the eyes of all the nations who rise against them. This is what gave forth its fragrance means — that is, it gave to others the odor that was hidden within, and when it was revealed, they became a disgrace among those who rise against them, who found an opportunity to reproach Israel for what they did to God and to Moses. From this you learn that such a thing [tzaraat] is not found among other nations.

And this is explained in the way we find in Rabbati Parashat Vayeshev (88a) Deliver me from all my transgressions; make me not the reproach of the fool (Psalms 39:9). Rabbi Chama bar Chanina said: The nations of the world were not worthy to have among them anguished and despised individuals, but [they have them] only so that they should not taunt Israel saying to them, “You are a nation of anguished and despised individuals.” This is what is meant by make me not the reproach of the fool. And Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachman said: The nations of the world were not worthy to have among them people with skin eruptions, and why do they have them? So that they should not taunt Israel saying, “Are you not a nation of lepers?” This is what is meant by make me not the reproach of the fool. One must examine what they are disputing about and what is the difference between the sick and the lepers. It seems to me, as concluded in the midrash: They sinned with this — for this man Moses (Exodus 32:1). And they were afflicted with this — as it says, For this our heart is anguished (Lamentations 5:17). And they were reconciled with this — as it says, This is the thing which the Lord has commanded: Take from among you an offering to the Lord (Exodus 35:5-6). They sinned with these — These are your gods, O Israel (Exodus 32:4). And they were afflicted with these — as it says, For these our eyes are dim (Lamentations 5:17). And they were reconciled with these — as it says, These are the accounts of the Tabernacle (Exodus 38:21). You see from this midrash that there were two types of sin here. The first is that they sinned against the Holy One, blessed be He, and said, These are your gods, O Israel, and for this they were afflicted with leprosy, which brings to light all evil thoughts. They had already sinned in thought, as it says, You know the people that they are set on evil (Exodus 32:22), as explained above. The leprosy was bringing their evil to the outside to publicize it about them. Since the law for every leper is to dwell outside the camp, and here all of Israel were lepers, how could they go outside the camp? Therefore it says, And Moses took the tent and pitched it outside the camp, far from the camp, and called it the Tent of Meeting (Exodus 33:7) — as if that was where the Divine Presence’s camp was, and they were distanced from the camp of the Divine Presence. And regarding what it says, For these our eyes are dim — it is because the expression, “this” indicates something that a person sees with his eyes and points to with his finger saying “this is it,” whereas the language of “these” indicates something that one perceives with the vision of the heart, even though one does not see it with his eyes. Therefore it says they sinned with these, referring to the sin they committed against God, for no man shall see Me and live (Exodus 33:20). And they sinned with this, referring to what they sinned against Moses, acting against the sense of sight, because with their eyes they saw the uprightness of his ways, yet they still had doubts about him. According to this premise, it is difficult to understand why it says For this our heart is anguished, for these our eyes are dim — it should have said the opposite.

And the explanation of the matter is, that they were always afflicted in the aspect that was the cause of the sin. For in what they sinned concerning God, the sin progressed from the eye to the heart, as the eye sees and afterward the heart desires. And we have already stated that because of the abundance of gold that God bestowed upon them, they chose the image of an ox, for that is the source of gold, as explained above in the verse This they shall give, everyone who passes among the counted… Therefore it is said, For these our eyes have grown dim, because the eye caused them this sin. However, in what they sinned concerning Moses, the sin progressed from the heart to the eye, because they were always contemplating in their hearts and envying his stature and suspecting him. Thus they became blind even in their sense of sight and denied things they had seen with their own eyes, for this is the nature of jealousy, that through it they became blind to do the opposite of what their senses testified to. Therefore it is said, For this our heart has become anguished, because the heart was the cause for them to act against what their sense of sight indicated, as alluded to by this. From here, they saw fit to say that all the anguish and despising that come upon Israel are all due to the sin of speaking harsh words against the leaders of each and every generation. And leprosy comes because of the sin of idolatry, which stems from the desire for wealth. And the darkening of the eye is measure for measure, because human eyes are never satisfied, thus they are punished in the eye. And according to our approach, we can say that the darkening of the eye refers to leprosy, which darkens a person’s eye, as is known from natural science. And these two evil traits are not so common among the nations, as it concludes (in Sanhedrin 39b): It is written And you have done according to the customs of the nations (Ezekiel 11:12), and it is written, And you have not done according to the customs of the nations (Ezekiel 5:7). How so? You have acted like the corrupt ones among them, but you have not acted like the virtuous ones among them. For we find that they are virtuous in these two matters: Both in matters of divinity, as it is said Has a nation changed its gods, though they are not gods? But My people has changed its glory for that which does not benefit (Jeremiah 2:11). And in matters of leadership, for they do not rebel against their leaders, as we find with the people of Nineveh, who listened even to the prophets of Israel.

Rabbi Chama bar Chanina says, the nations of the world were not deserving to have among them anguished and despised individuals, which refers to all sickness and all plagues that come upon those who rebel against their leaders, as it is written for this our heart is anguished. And his opinion is that what is stated for Aaron had let them get out of control to their disgrace among their enemies refers to how the nations mock Israel for what they do to their leaders.

And Rabbi Samuel son of Nachman says, the nations of the world did not deserve to have those afflicted with skin lesions among them, which is a type of leprosy that breaks out on the body in which heresy and denial of divinity has flourished. This was only so that they would not taunt Israel saying, “You are a nation of lepers.” He believes that what is said, for Aaron had let them loose, to be a disgrace among their enemies, means that the enemy would reproach Israel about the plague and leprosy that broke out among them because they said These are your gods, O Israel on account of the abundance of gold that God bestowed upon them. His opinion is that regarding this, David said, Deliver me from all my transgressions; do not make me the scorn of the villainous (Psalms 39:9). For the enemy, the adversary, would taunt saying that I am a villain who disgraces the Rock of his salvation because of the desire for gold and wealth, about which it is said and in the end he will be a villain (Jeremiah 17:11). For every lover of money is a miserly person like Nabal the Carmelite, whose name was “Nabal” [villain] and villainy was with him. As it is written The villain will no longer be called generous (Isaiah 32:5) — implying that these are two opposites. This will be further explained, God willing, in the portion of Ha’azinu regarding the verse O villainous and witless people (Deuteronomy 32:6). And concerning this, he pleaded and said, Do not make me the scorn of the villainous. And even though if the enemy reproaches me, I have an answer and defense if brought to judgment, nevertheless, I am mute, I do not open my mouth (Psalms 39:10). I am not permitted to speak my defense, for You have done it. You caused Israel [to sin] because of the abundance of silver and gold You bestowed upon them, and this defense cannot be spoken before the gentile. Therefore, remove Your plague from me — this is the plague of leprosy that broke out in Israel — From the hostility of Your hand I am consumed (Psalms 39:11). Tigrat [hostility] is a term of abundance and flowing, meaning that because from Your hand flowed to me an abundance of silver and gold, therefore I am consumed. And he added the phrase I am consumed to say that no evil descends from above and God intended it for good, but rather I am consumed — I corrupted my deeds because of the abundance of silver and gold that was bestowed upon me. With reproofs for sin You chasten man (Psalms 39:12). Tochachot [reproofs] is a term of dispute, meaning because of the dispute that the enemy has with me and counts against me saying, “You are a nation of lepers,” therefore You chastened ish [man] — also the nations who are called “bnei ish” [sons of man], as it is said both sons of adam and sons of ish (Psalms 49:3), and the Sages said (Yalkut Shimoni, Psalms 49:757), sons of adam are Israel, sons of ish are the sons of Noah. And You made his beauty melt away like a moth (Psalms 39:12) — by causing them to also have skin lesions, so they will not blame Israel’s sin but will say, Everyone is but a breath (Psalms 39:12). For one fate befalls all. And according to the one who says they did not deserve to be anguished, etc., because they speak harshly against their leaders, he interprets the scorn of the villainous like Remember this: the enemy has reproached the Lord (Psalms 74:18), saying that every mouth speaks villainy, as we find that they spoke harshly against Moses in several matters. And the wise will hear and increase learning.

Please, this people has sinned a great sin, and they have made for themselves gods of gold. There are several questions in this request. For why did Moses magnify the sin when he asked for forgiveness, as this is not the way of any advocate. Furthermore, his words seem contradictory, because by saying and they have made for themselves gods of gold [implying] “You caused them to [sin],” his intention would have been to minimize the sin. Additionally, what is the meaning of and they made with the prefix vav [and], which suggests as if the matter was interrupted, while its simple meaning suggests that it is an explanation of a great sin. Furthermore, why did he specify this sin more than the sins of forbidden sexual relations and bloodshed that they transgressed, as Rashi explained in the verse and they rose up to play.

We have already said that there was no actual adultery or murder there. And the proof of this is that what was interpreted as them killing Hur is not possible, because they killed him before making the golden calf, and the verse and they rose up to make merry was said after its creation. Rather, since all the commandments were five opposite five — I am [the Lord] corresponding to You shall not murder, You shall have no other gods corresponding to You shall not commit adultery — when they transgressed I am and You shall have no other gods, it was as if they also transgressed You shall not murder and You shall not commit adultery, for one who does this will fall into that. We have already found that both murder and adultery are called “great sin.” For regarding murder it is said My punishment is greater than I can bear (Genesis 4:13). And regarding adultery it is said How then can I do this great wickedness? (Genesis 39:9). Therefore, when Moses said, Alas, this people has sinned a great sin, he was alluding to these two transgressions, adultery and murder. Afterward, he also confessed the sin of the golden calf, saying, and they made for themselves a god of gold. He did not want to include the golden calf in the category of adultery and murder, to indicate that specifically these two are great sins, but the sin of the calf is not so great, because they have an excuse: “You caused it for them because of the abundance of gold that You bestowed upon them.” This is not the case with these two sins [adultery and murder], which have no connection to this excuse. Moses’ entire intention was to minimize the sin of the golden calf, for which God said He would destroy them. But for adultery and murder, even if we say some of them transgressed these, not all of them deserved destruction because of them. And especially according to what we have written, that there was no actual adultery or murder there, as understood from the expression to make merry [letzachek], and it does not say “they rose up and made merry” [vayitzchaku], but rather they committed a sin that leads to merriment.

And he said, “And now if You will forgive their sin, and if not, erase me, please, from Your book.” Since he said perhaps I will atone on account of your sin, he should have said “perhaps God will atone for your sin” because Moses does not have the power to atone. And it should have simply said “for their sin” — why say on account of? Rather, it’s because Moses gave his life for Israel and said I will atone — meaning “I am the atonement on your account,” because the leaders are the guilt offering for the people. Therefore he said if You will forgive their sin, and if not — whether You forgive or not, erase me, please. That is, if You forgive their sin and take me as atonement for them, then erase me. And if You will not forgive, then also erase me, for how could I bear to see the destruction of my people?

According to its simple meaning, it seems to me that the main intention of the word ve’atah [and now] is similar to what we find with the spies, where it is also written ve’atah yigdal na koach Hashem (Numbers 14:17) [And now, let the power of the Lord be great]. For the Holy One, blessed be He, told Moses to destroy them [the Israelites] and make him into a great nation, and Moses said lest they say because of the Lord’s inability, etc. And even though when Moses’ offspring becomes a great nation and enters the land, the nations would not be able to say “because of inability,” nevertheless, in the meantime, God’s name would be desecrated, and “I desire that now the power of the Lord be great even in these generations.” Similarly, Moses requested here ve’atah [and now] if You will forgive their sin— and this is an inverted verse, as is common in many places, as if he said “If You will forgive their sin, then ‘now’” — do this now, immediately, and do not put me off with “go and return,” saying that their descendants will enter the land or my descendants, because in the meantime, God’s name would be desecrated.

And furthermore, it appears to me that he [Moses] did not ask to completely erase the sin, but rather that God would not collect His debt all at once to utterly destroy them immediately. However, Moses was not concerned if God would collect His debt little by little in each generation. And God granted his request, saying, Now go, lead the people, etc. and On the day when I visit, I will visit their sin upon them — to punish them little by little, for this is God’s kindness.