Whenever God, Exacts Retribution from the Wicked, His Name Is

"And this is the thing that you shall do to them" (Exodus 29:1). This is what Scripture says: "But You, O LORD, are on high forevermore" (Psalms 92:9). What is written above this verse? "When the wicked spring up like grass, and when all the workers of iniquity flourish, it is that they may be destroyed forever" (Psalms 92:8). What is written after it? "But You, O LORD, are on high forevermore." For whenever the Holy One, blessed be He, exacts punishment from the wicked, His name is magnified in the world, as it is said: "And against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments" (Exodus 12:12). At that moment, "I am the LORD" (Exodus 12:12). And likewise Rahab says: "For we have heard how the LORD dried up the waters of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt," and so forth, "And when we heard, our hearts melted, and there remained no more spirit in any man because of you; for the LORD your God, He is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath" (Joshua 2:10-11). And likewise it is written: "And the idols shall utterly pass away" (Isaiah 2:18). At that moment, "And the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day" (Isaiah 2:17). And likewise: "And saviors shall come up on Mount Zion to judge the mountain of Esau" (Obadiah 1:21). And at that moment: "and the kingdom shall be the LORD's" (Obadiah 1:21). And it is written: "And the LORD shall be king," and so forth (Zechariah 14:9). And likewise: "Thus shall you say to them: The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth, these shall perish from the earth and from under these heavens. He has made the earth by His power, He has established the world by His wisdom" (Jeremiah 10:11-12). And likewise: "Let sinners be consumed out of the earth, and let the wicked be no more" (Psalms 104:35). At that moment, "Bless the LORD, O my soul, Hallelujah" (Psalms 104:35). And you may interpret them all according to this view, heaps upon heaps of verses. "In Salem also is His tabernacle," and so forth, "There He broke the flashing arrows, the shield and the sword and the battle, Selah" (Psalms 76:3-4), "In Judah God is known" (Psalms 76:2). This is to say: whenever He exacts punishment from the wicked, His name is magnified in the world. "But You, O LORD, are on high forevermore" (Psalms 92:9). A king of flesh and blood, when he judges and acquits, they praise him; but when he condemns, they do not praise him. But the Holy One, blessed be He -- for the good, His praise ascends, "Blessed is the Good and Doer of good," and for the evil, His praise ascends, "Blessed is the true Judge" (Tractate Berakhot 54). This is to say, "But You are on high." And so David says: "I will lift up the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the LORD" (Psalms 116:13). "I found trouble and sorrow, and I called upon the name of the LORD" (Psalms 116:3-4). And likewise: "In God I will praise His word, in the LORD I will praise His word" (Psalms 56:11). And likewise Job says: "The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD" (Job 1:21). Another interpretation: "But You, O LORD, are on high forevermore." David said: Master of the universe, once You grant exaltation to a man, it never departs from him forever. You gave kingship to the house of David -- it never departs from him forever, as it is said: "And David My servant shall be prince over them forever" (Ezekiel 37:25). You gave the priesthood to Aaron -- it never departs from him forever, as it is said: "And it shall be to him and to his seed after him a covenant of everlasting priesthood" (Numbers 25:13). Therefore the Holy One, blessed be He, commands to grant Aaron exaltation in the high priesthood. This is to say, "But You, O LORD, are on high forevermore." And what did He see, to magnify Aaron and his sons by sanctifying them? Rabbi Mani of Sheab and Rabbi Yehoshua of Sikhnin said in the name of Rabbi Levi: At the time when Israel sought to commit that deed, they said to Aaron, "Arise, make us gods" (Exodus 32:1). Hur the son of Caleb arose and rebuked them; immediately they rose against him and killed him. Aaron saw and feared for himself, as it is said: "And Aaron saw, and built an altar before it" (Exodus 32:5). This is to say, read it: "And Aaron feared (vayyira), and built an altar before it." Know that they killed Hur, for when Moses went up to the mountain, what did he say to them? "Behold, Aaron and Hur are with you; whoever has a dispute, let him approach them" (Exodus 24:14). When he came down, you do not find that he mentioned Hur, neither among the living nor among the dead. And what does it say? "And Moses said to Aaron, What did this people do to you, that you have brought," and so forth (Exodus 32:21). This is to say, they killed Hur. "And Aaron saw, and built an altar" (Exodus 32:5). Immediately he took there a plate of a gold earring and cast it into the fire, as it is said: "And I cast it into the fire, and there came out this calf" (Exodus 32:24). And Aaron was afraid that perhaps there was something in the heart of the Holy One, blessed be He, against him. Therefore the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses: "And this is the thing that you shall do to them to sanctify them, to serve Me as priests" -- to exalt and magnify Aaron and his sons in the high priesthood, since it was revealed and known before Him that Aaron acted only out of fear; and therefore He made known to them that there was nothing in the heart of the Holy One, blessed be He, against him. "Take one bull" (Exodus 29:1). A bull, to atone for the calf, which was a bull. "Two rams," corresponding to his two sons who were destined to die. For all his sons deserved to die, as it is said: "And the LORD was very angry with Aaron, to destroy him" (Deuteronomy 9:20). "To destroy him" means nothing other than the destruction of children, as it is said: "And I destroyed his fruit from above and his roots from beneath" (Amos 2:9). Once Moses prayed for him, as it is written, "And I prayed for Aaron also" (Deuteronomy 9:20), two died and two remained.