“Moses implored the Lord his God and he said: Lord, why is Your wrath enflamed against Your people that You took out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand?” (Exodus 32:11). “Moses implored,” Rabbi Tanḥuma bar Abba began in this way: “He said He would destroy them, were it not for Moses, His chosen, who stood in the breach before Him” (Psalms 106:23). Rabbi Ḥama bar Ḥanina said: The effective advocate is respectful in the trial.
Moses was one of two advocates who stood to plead in favor of Israel, and who, as it were, were insolent vis-à-vis the Holy One blessed be He – Moses and Daniel. Moses, from where is it derived? As it is stated: “Were it not for Moses, His chosen…”1The verse continues, “who stood in the breach before Him,” implying that Moses stood in the way of God carrying out His will (Maharzu). Daniel, from where is it derived?
As it is stated: “I directed my attention [vaetna et panai]2Literally, “I directed my face,” which connotes insolence, as opposed to directing one’s heart, which is more circumspect. to the Lord God, to request…” (Daniel 9:3). These are the two men who were insolent vis-à-vis the attribute of justice, to ask for mercy upon Israel. Rabbi Berekhya said two matters, one in the name of Rabbeinu,3Literally, “our rabbi,” this is a reference to Rabbi Berekhya’s mentor, Rabbi Yehuda ben Rabbi Simon, who was a master in the realm of Aggada (see Maharzu). and one in the name of Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman.
Rabbeinu said: To what is the matter comparable? To a king who was judging his son, and the prosecutor was standing and prosecuting. What did the son’s tutor do? When he saw that [the son] was being convicted, he shoved the prosecutor, took him outside, stood in his place, and pleaded in favor of the son.
So too, when Israel crafted the calf, the accuser was standing and prosecuting inside and Moses was standing outside. What did Moses do? He stood and shoved the accuser, took him outside, and stood in his place, as it is stated: “Stood in the breach [baperetz] before Him,” he stood in the place of the one who breaches.4The accuser. Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman said: “Stood in the breach before Him,” this is a very difficult matter.
This is analogous to a king who became angry at his son, sat on the judicial platform, judged him, and convicted him. He took the quill to seal the sentence. What did his aide do? He snatched the quill from the king’s hand in order to suppress his fury.
So too, when Israel performed that act,5The sin of the Golden Calf. the Holy One blessed be He sat in judgment of them in order to convict them, as it is stated: “Let Me be, and I will destroy them” (Deuteronomy 9:14). He had not yet done so, but He came to seal the sentence, as it is stated: “One who sacrifices to gods, [other than to the Lord alone,] shall be destroyed” (Exodus 22:19). What did Moses do?
He took the tablets from the hand of the Holy One blessed be He in order to suppress His fury. To what is the matter comparable? To a prince who sent to betroth a woman through an intermediary. She went and strayed with another man.
The intermediary, who was guiltless, what did he do? He took the marriage contract that the prince had given him to betroth her and he ripped it. He said: ‘It is preferable that she be judged as a single woman and not as a married woman.’ So did Moses.
When Israel performed that act, he took the tablets and broke them, saying that had they seen their punishment they would not have sinned.6Had they seen the fact that the prohibition of idolatry was written on the tablets, and had they known the severity of the punishment for this sin, they would not have sinned. Moreover, Moses said: It is preferable that they be judged as unwitting sinners and not be intentional sinners.
Why? It is because it was written in the tablets: “I am the Lord your God” (Exodus 20:2), and its punishment adjacent to it: “One who sacrifices to gods, [other than to the Lord alone,] shall be destroyed.” That is why he broke the tablets. “He said He would destroy them” (Psalms 106:23); immediately, he began girding himself in prayer.
That is, “Moses implored the Lord his God” (Exodus 32:11), that he stood before the Holy One blessed be He disrespectfully, to ask for Israel’s needs. That is, “Moses implored [vayḥal].”7This is expounded as though vayḥal was an expression of profaning [ḥilul], meaning that Moses acted in a brazen manner in his defense of Israel.