That feeling, that sense of unfair ostracism, resonates deeply within a fascinating interpretation of the Torah portion Ki Tissa in Shemot Rabbah (Exodus Rabbah).
We often read the story of the Golden Calf as a straightforward tale of idolatry and divine anger. But the Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary), that ancient form of Jewish biblical interpretation, often reveals layers of meaning we might otherwise miss. In Shemot Rabbah 42, we find a startling suggestion: that when God tells Moses to "Go, descend" (Exodus 32:7), it’s not just a direction. It's a form of rebuke, even ostracism.
Rabbi Berekhya, citing Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman, argues that this "descending" is akin to being sent away in shame, like someone banished from a court. The word "descend" (red) isn't just about physical movement; it signifies a fall from grace. What's the proof? The Midrash draws a parallel to the story of Judah in (Genesis 38:1), where it says "Judah descended (vayered) from his brothers." The implication, the Midrash explains, is that Judah's brothers stripped him of his elevated status and ostracized him.
The Midrash continues with a powerful analogy: Imagine a province sending an emissary to crown the king. But before the emissary arrives, the people rebel. They overturn idols and deface images of the king. What happens? The king turns the emissary away. He won't receive him because of the disloyalty of the people he represents. In the same way, God seems to be distancing Himself from Moses because of the Israelites' sin.
But here's where it gets even more poignant: God says, "Your people…have acted corruptly" (Exodus 32:7). Were they really Moses' people? The Midrash challenges this directly. The verse echoes (Hosea 7:13), "Woe to them, as they have wandered from Me." They were separating themselves from God. It's as if God is saying, "They chose this. They turned away."
The Midrash asks a piercing question: Who would trade gems for coal? Who would forsake the living God for something dead, something inanimate, as (Psalm 115:5) describes when it says, "They have eyes, but do not see?" This act of idolatry, according to the Midrash, wasn't just about worshipping a golden statue. It was about rejecting the very source of life.
And what "lies" did they speak about God? Here, Rabbi Akiva offers a striking interpretation: They claimed God was only engaged with Himself. "He redeemed Himself; He did not redeem us," they argued, twisting the very act of liberation from Egypt. Other Rabbis chime in, pointing to (Nehemiah 9:18) and (Exodus 32:4), emphasizing how the people attributed their redemption to the calf, even including God in a partnership with it.
The Midrash concludes with a sense of profound sorrow. Because of these lies, God declares, "I, too, say that they are not My people." And that, the Midrash suggests, is why God says to Moses, "For your people…have acted corruptly." It's a heartbreaking moment of separation, born from a betrayal of faith.
This interpretation of Shemot Rabbah 42 offers a powerful lesson about responsibility, loyalty, and the consequences of our choices. It reminds us that our actions have repercussions, not only for ourselves but also for those we represent. And it challenges us to consider: are we truly choosing the "gems" of life, or are we being seduced by the "coal" of empty promises? What kind of emissaries are we, in our own lives, representing the Divine?
Another matter: “Go descend” – Rabbi Berekhya said in the name of Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman: Moses was ostracized and rebuked.7He was distanced from God and sent down from the mountain, like one who is sent away in shame from a human court. “Descend” is nothing other than ostracism. From where do you derive this? When Joseph’s brothers sold him and they went to console their father, he was not consoled. They said:8The brothers said to each other. It was Judah who did all these things to us, for had he not sought it, we would not have sold him. Just as he said to us: ‘Do not kill him,’ and we heeded him, had he said: ‘Do not sell him,’ we would have heeded him. Instead, he said to us: “Come and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites” (Genesis 37:27). They stood and ostracized him, as it is stated: “It was at that time, Judah descended from his brothers” (Genesis 38:1). It should have said only: “Judah went”; he was in descent from his brothers.9The reason it states “Judah descended” is to indicate that he did not merely leave. His brothers stripped him of his elevated status and ostracized him. Just as “descended [vayered]” that is stated there connotes ostracism, so too, “descend [red]” that is written here connotes ostracism. This is analogous to a province that sent an emissary to crown the king. Before he arrived, the residents of the province overturned the idols and stoned the images [of the king]. The prominent leaders of the province wrote to the king.10They informed him of what had occurred. The missives entered before the emissary entered to crown the king. The king said to him…11The text of the midrash does not include the end of the sentence, but the point is that the king turned back the emissary and informed him that he would not be seen due to the disloyal conduct of the residents of his province. “Your people…have acted corruptly” – were they Moses’s people? Rather, that is what the verse said: “Woe to them, as they have wandered from Me; plunder upon them, as they rebelled against Me. I would redeem them, but they have spoken lies about Me” (Hosea 7:13). They were separating themselves from Me, as it is stated: “Woe to them, as they have wandered from Me.” Is there a person who exchanges a good item for a bad item? A person before whom they place gems and coal, would he forsake the gems and take the coal? But they forsake the living of the world12The true, living God, who gives life to the entire world. and opt for the dead, as it is stated: “They have eyes, but do not see” (Psalms 115:5).13In worshipping the golden calf, the people chose an inanimate object over God. “Plunder upon them” – calamity is destined to befall them. “But they have spoken lies about Me” – what lies did they speak about the Holy One blessed be He? Rabbi Akiva expounded: They said: Was He engaged with us? It was with Himself that He was engaged. He redeemed Himself; He did not redeem us, as it is stated: “Nations and their gods from before Your people, whom You have redeemed for Yourself from Egypt” (II Samuel 7:23). The Rabbis say: “This is your god [that took you out of Egypt]” (Nehemiah 9:18) – it redeemed us. Rabbi Ḥagai ben Elazar says: It is not written here, “this is your god,” but rather, “these are your gods” (Exodus 32:4) – they included Him with them and said: God and the calf redeemed us. They lie about Me; [thus,] “I would redeem them, but they have spoken lies about Me.” I, too, say that they are not My people. That is why it is stated: “For your people…have acted corruptly.”
