In Shemot Rabbah, the great midrashic (rabbinic interpretive commentary) collection on the Book of Exodus, we find a story about just that, and it hits right at the heart of the relationship between God, Moses, and the children of Israel.
Remember the Golden Calf? (Exodus 32). Big mistake. Huge. As a consequence, (Exodus 33:6) tells us, "The children of Israel were stripped of their ornament." But what exactly was this ornament? The rabbis of the Midrash go back and forth.
Rabbi Hanin of Tzippori suggests it was the crown God Himself placed upon their heads, "a crown of splendor," as (Ezekiel 16:12) puts it. Imagine, a visible sign of divine favor, lost because of their actions.
Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai has a different take. He sees the "ornament" as weapons. Not just any weapons, but divinely given ones! Rabbi Simi, however, thinks it was royal purple garments, luxurious and symbolic of their elevated status, echoing (Ezekiel 16:10-11): "I clothed you in embroidery… I decked you with ornaments." It's like losing your access to royalty, your special clothes that signal something important about you.
The Midrash even connects this loss to (Deuteronomy 26:17-18), where it says, "You have exalted the Lord today…The Lord has exalted you [he’emirkha] today." Interestingly, the Midrash points out that in Aramaic, imra means wool, suggesting the verse could be understood as "The Lord has clothed you today." All these interpretations circle around the same idea: the Israelites lost something given to them by God, a tangible sign of their special connection.
What's Moses to do? He gets angry. Understandably so! And in his anger, he takes his tent and pitches it outside the camp (Exodus 33:7), effectively separating himself from the people.
But here's where it gets really interesting. Rabbi Yehuda ben Rabbi [Yehuda HaNasi] says that God actually forsook the upper worlds to be with Moses! The ministering angels, the sun, moon, and stars – all wanted to be in God's presence, to receive their marching orders, their permission to illuminate the world (Nehemiah 9:6). Yet God was with Moses.
The Midrash paints this incredible picture: if you wanted to find God, you had to go to Moses. As it says in (Exodus 33:7), "anyone who sought the Lord would go out to the Tent of Meeting." It wasn't written "who sought Moses," but "who sought the Lord." Because, as (Exodus 33:11) tells us, "The Lord would speak to Moses face to face."
But even in this incredible closeness, there's tension. God essentially says to Moses: "Didn't we agree that when you're angry, I'll placate you, and when I'm angry, you'll placate Me?" It's a stunningly human moment, a negotiation between the divine and the mortal. According to the Midrash, God says to Moses (a bit more literally), "When your face is angry, My face will placate your face."
The Midrash then shifts perspective, offering a poignant lament from the congregation of Israel, drawing upon Psalm 77. They reflect on the past redemptions from Egypt and Babylonia, contrasting them with the prolonged suffering under Greek rule and beyond. "I ponder the days of old," they cry (Psalms 77:6), wondering when their current troubles will end. They feel forgotten, abandoned.
Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish interprets (Psalm 77:11) ("This is my prayer [ḥaloti hi]") as a cry of despair. If their suffering is simply an illness [hola’im], it can be cured. But if it's a sign that God has permanently rejected them – a "change in the right of the Most High" – then there's nothing he can do.
Rabbi Alexandri, however, offers a glimmer of hope, seeing ḥaloti as an expression of prayer, a plea for divine mercy. He reminds us of (Malachi 1:9): "Now, please, implore [ḥalu] God and He will be gracious to us."
The Midrash returns to the dynamic between God and Moses. Initially, when Moses was angry, God would appease him, and vice versa. But God points out the danger of both of them being angry at the same time. "Can two faces pour boiling water?" He asks. It's a vivid image – too much anger will only make things worse.
Rav Aḥa adds a beautiful layer. In this moment, Moses realizes something profound about God's enduring love for Israel. Even in anger, God is urging Moses to reconcile, to placate Him on their behalf. As the Midrash concludes, "Moses said to the Lord: See, You say to me," revealing that God is incapable of truly abandoning His people, even for a moment.
So, what do we take away from this intricate tapestry of interpretations? Perhaps it's the reminder that even when we feel stripped of our blessings, even when we've messed up royally, the possibility of reconciliation, of rediscovering that divine connection, always remains. And sometimes, the key to finding God is simply seeking the one who speaks to Him face to face.
What is written above? “The children of Israel were stripped of their ornament” (Exodus 33:6). Rabbi Ḥanin of Tzippori said: This is the crown that He placed on their heads, as it is stated: “And a crown of splendor upon your head” (Ezekiel 16:12). Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai says: It is weapons with which He girded them. Rabbi Simi said: Royal purple garments, as it is stated: “[I clothed you in embroidery…] I decked you with ornaments” (Ezekiel 16:10–11). Likewise, it says: “You have exalted the Lord today…The Lord has exalted you [he’emirkha] today” (Deuteronomy 26:17–18).2The term imra in Aramaic refers to wool, and therefore this verse can be rendered “The Lord has clothed you today.” At that time, Moses became angry at them, took his tent, and left, as it is stated: “Moses would take the tent [and pitch it outside the camp]” (Exodus 33:7). Rabbi Yehuda ben Rabbi [Yehuda HaNasi] said: See the honor that the Holy One blessed be He accorded to Moses; He forsook the upper worlds and came to Moses. The ministering angels would come to recite their hymn before Him, but He was with Moses. Likewise, the sun, the moon, and the stars came to prostrate themselves to Him and to receive permission to go out and illuminate the world, as were they not to receive permission and prostrate themselves, they would not go out, as it is stated: “The host of the heaven prostrate themselves to You” (Nehemiah 9:6). They asked the celestial creatures: ‘Where is the Throne of Glory?’ They said to them: ‘Go to Moses.’ From where is it derived that it is so? As it is stated: “It was, that anyone who sought the Lord [would go out to the Tent of Meeting]” (Exodus 33:7). “Who sought Moses” is not written here, but rather “who sought the Lord.” What is written there? “The Lord would speak to Moses face to face” (Exodus 33:11). The Holy One blessed be He said to him: ‘Did I not stipulate with you that when you are angry, I will placate you,3A more literal translation of this phrase is: When your face is angry, My face will placate your face. and when I am angry, you will placate Me? Relent and enter the camp,’ as it is stated: “The Lord would speak to Moses face to face.” Another matter, “Moses said to the Lord: See, You say to me,” that is what is written: “I ponder the days of old, the years of long ago” (Psalms 77:6). The congregation of Israel said before the Holy One blessed be He: ‘Master of the universe, I am sitting and calculating after how many years You redeemed us from Egypt, and I then say after how many years You redeemed us from Babylonia, and I calculate and say: How many years have I experienced with Greece.’4The redemptions from Egypt and Babylonia came much more quickly than the redemption from Greece and the empires that followed, including Rome. This redemption has yet to occur. That is why it says: “I ponder the days of old.” “Then I said: This is my prayer [ḥaloti hi]” (Psalms 77:11). Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish said: If these are illnesses [ḥola’im], they can be cured, but if they are not illnesses,5But rather, it is due to a “change in the right of the Most High” (Psalms 77:11), meaning that God is not merely angry at Israel but has permanently rejected Israel, there is nothing I can do. I do not know what to do. That is why it is stated: Ḥaloti hi. Rabbi Alexandri said: All these matters befell us because we did not implore before the Holy One blessed be He, and ḥaloti is nothing other than an expression of prayer, just as it says: “Now, please, implore [ḥalu] God and He will be gracious to us” (Malachi 1:9). “Has God forgotten to be gracious?” (Psalms 77:10). Have You forgotten that You said: “I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious”? (Exodus 33:19). “Has He forsaken [afes] His kindness forever?” (Psalms 77:9). In the Greek language, afes is forsaken. That is why it is stated: “Has He forsaken [afes] His kindness forever?” “Will the Lord abandon forever? Will He never again find favor?” (Psalms 77:8). Initially, when Moses would become angry at Israel, the Holy One blessed be He would placate him; when the Holy One blessed be He would become angry at Israel, Moses would placate Him, as it is stated: “The Lord would speak to Moses face to face.” The Holy One blessed be He said: ‘Can two faces pour boiling water?6Boiling water would be tempered with cold water so that it could be drunk. If two people were each to add boiling water, the drink would be too hot. Similarly, God said to Moses, if you and I are both angry at Israel, that is a recipe for disaster. Did I not say: When I will be angry, you placate Me, and when you will be angry, I will placate you?’ He said before Him: ‘Master of the universe, was it not You who became angry at them first?’ He said to him: ‘Go and reconcile yourself with them, return to the camp.’ Rav Aḥa said: At that moment, Moses found the opportunity to speak before the Holy One blessed be He. He said to Him: ‘See, You are unable to remove Your love from them even for a moment,’7Even when You are angry at them, You are telling me to reconcile with them so that I can placate You. as it is stated: “Moses said to the Lord: See, You say to me.”
