Go, get thee down (Exod. 32:7). The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses: Mankind has already compelled Me to descend from this place to witness its degradation, as is said: And the Lord came down to see the city … Come, let us go down (Gen. 11:5, 7), and I will go down and see (ibid. 18:21). Hence you too must go down, for it behooves a servant to behave like his master. When Moses heard that, he said to himself: Truly, there is no forgiveness for them. The Holy One, blessed be He, was aware of what was transpiring in Moses’ heart, and so He said to him: Have I not already told thee at the thorn bush that I have surely seen (Exod. 3:7)? You saw but one vision, but I have seen two. I saw them coming to Sinai and accepting My Torah, and I also saw that I would descend at Sinai on My chariot with four animals and they would examine it and unhitch one of them in order to provoke Me, as it is said: And they four had the face of an ox, etc. (Ezek. 1:10), and it is written elsewhere: Thus they exchanged their glory for an ass that eateth grass (Ps. 106:20).
Go, get thee down; for thy people … have dealt corruptly. The verse does not say “the people” but rather thy people. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses: It was your people who made the golden calf. When I told you: Bring forth My hosts, My people, the children of Israel (Exod. 7:4), you welcomed also the mixed multitude, saying: Surely it is right to take along the penitent ones. But I foresaw what they would ultimately do; that they would make the golden calf, since they had been idolaters, and would, therefore, lead My people to sin with them. Observe what is written: And he received it at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, and made it a molten calf; and they said: “This is thy god, O Israel” (ibid. 32:4). The verse does not say “This is our god” but rather This is thy god. Hence it was the proselytes who had left Egypt with them who erected it. How much gold did the calf contain? R. Tanhum the son of Hanilai stated: It contained a hundred and twenty-five talents of gold, for that is how much (the letters of the word) molten total arithmetically. R. Issi said: The word masekhah (“molten”) indicates that it would become an evil web to future generations.
<b>Go, get thee down (Exod. 32:7).</b> The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses: Mankind has already compelled Me to descend from this place to witness its degradation, as is said: <i>And the Lord came down to see the city … Come, let us go down</i> (Gen. 11:5, 7), and <i>I will go down and see</i> (ibid. 18:21). Hence you too must go down, for it behooves a servant to behave like his master. When Moses heard that, he said to himself: Truly, there is no forgiveness for them. The Holy One, blessed be He, was aware of what was transpiring in Moses’ heart, and so He said to him: <i>Have I not already told thee at the thorn bush that I have surely seen</i> (Exod. 3:7)? You saw but one vision, but I have seen two. I saw them coming to Sinai and accepting My Torah, and I also saw that I would descend at Sinai on My chariot with four animals and they would examine it and unhitch one of them in order to provoke Me, as it is said: <i>And they four had the face of an ox</i>, etc. (Ezek. 1:10), and it is written elsewhere: <i>Thus they exchanged their glory for an ass that eateth grass</i> (Ps. 106:20).
<i>Go, get thee down; for thy people … have dealt corruptly</i>. The verse does not say “the people” but rather <i>thy people</i>. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses: It was your people who made the golden calf. When I told you: <i>Bring forth My hosts, My people, the children of Israel</i> (Exod. 7:4), you welcomed also the mixed multitude, saying: Surely it is right to take along the penitent ones. But I foresaw what they would ultimately do; that they would make the golden calf, since they had been idolaters, and would, therefore, lead My people to sin with them. Observe what is written: <i>And he received it at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, and made it a molten calf; and they said: “This is thy god, O Israel”</i> (ibid. 32:4). The verse does not say “This is our god” but rather <i>This is thy</i> god. Hence it was the proselytes who had left Egypt with them who erected it. How much gold did the calf contain? R. Tanhum the son of Hanilai stated: It contained a hundred and twenty-five talents of gold, for that is how much (the letters of the word) <i>molten</i> total arithmetically. R. Issi said: The word <i>masekhah</i> (“molten”) indicates that it would become an evil web<sup class="footnote-marker">30</sup><i class="footnote"><i>Masekhah</i> can mean both “molten” and “web.”</i> to future generations.
