Another matter: “These are the reckonings of the Tabernacle” – what are “these”? When the Holy One blessed be He gave the Torah to Israel, they did not warrant having the angel of death have dominion over them, as it is stated: “Engraved [ḥarut] on the tablets” (Exodus 32:16). What is ḥarut? Rabbi Yehuda says: Freedom [ḥerut] from exile.
Rabbi Neḥemya says: Freedom from the angel of death. Rabbi Pinḥas ben Ḥama said in the name of Rabbi Yoḥanan in the name of Rabbi Eliezer son of Rabbi Yosei HaGelili: The Holy One blessed be He said: Were the angel of death to come and say to Me: Why was I created? I would say to him: I created you as a sentinel over the idolaters, but not over My children, as when they received the Torah, the Holy One blessed be He adorned them with the aura of His splendor.
What was the adornment? Rabbi Yoḥanan says: He adorned them with crowns. Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai says: He gave them weapons, and the great Name was inscribed on it. As long as it was in their possession, the angel of death had no dominion over them.
From where do you derive this? It is from what is written there: “Now remove your ornament from upon you, [and I will know what to do with you]” (Exodus 33:5).17This verse, stated in the aftermath of the sin of the Golden Calf, implies that as long as they had these ornaments they could not be punished with death. Rabbi Sisa said: He adorned them in a royal purple garment. Rabbi Huna says: He adorned them with belts.
When they sinned, the Holy One blessed be He removed all that goodness from them, as it is stated: “The children of Israel were stripped of their ornament from Mount Ḥorev” (Exodus 33:6). This mountain was called three names: The mountain of God, Mount Ḥorev, and Mount Sinai. Why the mountain of God? Because it was there that the Holy One blessed be He made known His godliness.
Why Sinai? Because he despised [sana] the residents of the upper world and loved the residents of the lower world. Why Ḥorev? Because it was there that the Torah, which is called a sword [ḥerev], was given, as it is stated: “Exaltation of the Almighty is in their throats, and a double-edged sword is in their hand” (Psalms 149:6).
Moses was on Sinai receiving the Torah. They went to Aaron and said to him: “[Arise and] craft us a god that will go before us, because this man Moses, who took us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him” (Exodus 32:1). Aaron said to them: Yesterday, you said: “Everything that God spoke we will perform” (Exodus 19:8), and now you are saying: “Arise and craft us a god”? He saw that they had killed Ḥur and he was afraid.
He said to them: “Remove the gold [zahav] rings” (Exodus 32:2). Immediately, “[all the people] removed [the gold rings]” (Exodus 32:3), and the entire people was giving him until he said to them: It is enough for you [dayekhem]. So, Moses rebuked them: “Lavan, Ḥatzerot, and Di-Zahav” (Deuteronomy 1:1). This is analogous to a young man who entered a city.
He saw them collecting charity, and they said to him: Give, and he gave, until they said to him: It is enough for you. So too, Israel gave gold for the calf until [Aaron] said to them: Enough, and they donated gold for the Tabernacle until [Moses] said to them: Enough, as it is stated: “[Moses commanded, and they caused it to be proclaimed throughout the camp, saying: Let neither man nor woman perform any more labor for the gifts of the Sanctuary; and the people ceased bringing.]
The labor was sufficient for all the labor to perform it, and beyond” (Exodus 36:6–7). The Holy One blessed be He said: Let the gold of the Tabernacle come and atone for the gold of the calf. The Holy One blessed be He said to Israel: When you crafted the calf, you angered Me with: “This [eleh] is your god” (Exodus 32:4). Now that you have crafted the Tabernacle, with these [be’eleh] I am reconciled with you.
That is, “these are the reckonings of the Tabernacle.” The Holy One blessed be He said to Israel: In this world, with these [eleh] I reconciled with you. Likewise in the future, as it is stated: “Behold, these [eleh] will come from afar, and behold, these [eleh] from the north and from the west, and those [ve’eleh] from the land of Sinim” (Isaiah 49:12). And it says: “Who are these [eleh] who fly like a cloud and like doves to their cotes?” (Isaiah 60:8).