<b>And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of speaking (Exod. 31:18).</b> R. Tanhuma began the discussion with the verse: <i>Unto Thee, O Lord, belongeth righteousness, but unto us confusion of face</i> (Dan. 9:7). R. Nehemiah declared: Even though we believe that we have acted righteously before You, if we examine our actions we are abashed. There is no time at which we may come before You with confidence except when we bring our offerings to Your house, as it is said: <i>When thou hast made an end of tithing all the tithes of thine increase</i> (Deut. 26:2). This entire subject is explained in the section <i>Look forth from Thy holy habitation … and bless Thy people Israel</i> (Deut. 26:15).
R. Alexandri said: The influence of those who bring tithes is so great that they can convert a curse into a blessing. Whenever Scripture employs the word <i>hashkafah</i> (“looking forth”) it is an expression indicating disaster, as it is said: <i>And he looked out toward Sodom</i> (Gen. 19:28); <i>The Lord looked upon the hosts of the Egyptians</i> (Exod. 14:24); <i>Through the window she looked forth and peered</i> (Judg. 5:28); <i>And there looked out to him two or three officers</i> (II Kings 9:32); <i>For at the window of my house I looked forth through my lattice; and I beheld among the thoughtless ones</i> (Prov. 7:6). However, the words <i>look forth</i> connote a disaster in every instance except in the verse <i>Look forth from Thy Holy habitation from heaven, and bless Thy people Israel</i> (Deut. 26:15). Not only does it not indicate disaster, but (those who bring tithe) convert the disaster into a blessing.
R. Nehemiah declared: When we examine our actions, we are filled with shame. Usually when a man gives his field to a tenant to work, the tenant supplies the seed and the labor, and they share equally in the produce. But the Holy One, blessed be He, of whom it is written: <i>The Earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof</i> (Ps. 24:1), causes the rain and the dew to descend and protects everything, yet He desires only one tenth as tithe and one fiftieth as the priestly offering. Hence, <i>Unto Thee, O Lord, belongeth righteousness, but unto us confusion of face</i> (Dan. 9:7). R. Yosé said: Was there a more shameful act than this? Israel crossed the Red Sea, and the idol Micah (had made) was carried with them when, as it is said: <i>And over the tree affliction shall pass</i> (Zech. 10:11). Nevertheless the sea split asunder for them. Therefore, <i>Unto Thee, O Lord, belongeth righteousness, but unto us confusion of face</i>.
R. Yudan said: It is written: <i>And the house of Joseph, they also went up to Beth-el, and the Lord was with them</i> (Judg. 1:2). They went up to commit adultery, yet Scripture tells us: <i>The Lord was with them</i>. Is there greater charity than this? Hence, <i>Unto Thee, O Lord, belongeth righteousness, but unto us confusion of face</i>. Similarly, <i>And they took that which Micah had made, and the priest whom he had; and came unto Laish, unto a people quiet and secure</i> (Judg. 18:7). <i>And they took that which Micah had made</i> refers to the idol, <i>and the priest</i> refers to the idolatrous priest. <i>And came unto Laish</i>, which is Paneas.<sup class="footnote-marker">18</sup><i class="footnote">A prosperous city despite the fact that the poeple worshipped idols. It was situated in the northern part of Palestine.</i> <i>Unto a people quiet and secure</i> who served idols and prospered with them. And that is why it says: <i>A people quiet and secure</i>. Is there charity greater than this? Hence it says: <i>Unto Thee, O Lord, belongeth righteousness</i>. You find that on the day that Israel erected the golden calf, manna descended. They took it and brought it as an offering to the calf, as it is said: <i>My bread also which I gave thee, fine flour, and oil, and honey, wherewith I fed thee, thou didst even set it before them for a sweet savor, and thus it was</i> (Ezek. 16:19). What is meant by <i>And thus it was</i>? It means that it descended as well on the next day, as Scripture states: <i>And tomorrow shall be like this day</i> (Isa. 56:12), and the manna did not cease falling. Hence, <i>Unto Thee, O Lord, belongeth righteousness; but to us confusion of face</i>. Despite the golden calf (they erected): <i>Thou withheldest not Thy manna from their mouth</i> (Neh. 9:20).
R. Eleazar queried: Who spoke this verse? Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah did when they left the furnace while all the nations gathered about, as it is said: <i>And the satraps, the prefects, and the governors, and the king’s ministers being gathered about</i> (Dan. 3:27). They stood around then and spat upon the Israelites, shouting at them: “You know that your God performs miracles and wonders such as these, yet you are responsible for destroying His house.”<sup class="footnote-marker">19</sup><i class="footnote">The behavior of the Israelites, they charged, was responsible for the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple.</i> They spat upon their faces until the entire bodies were covered with spittle, but Hananiah and his companions lifted their faces and admitted the justice of Divine Judgment, saying: <i>Unto Thee, O Lord, belongeth righteousness, but unto us confusion of face</i> (Dan. 9:7).
Another explanation of <i>Unto Thee, O Lord, belongeth righteousness</i>. R. Samuel the son of Nahman said: It was fitting for our ancestors to receive the Torah and to exclaim: <i>All that the Lord hath spoken we will do and we will hear</i> (Exod. 24:7), but was it proper for them to say: <i>This is thy god, O Israel</i> (ibid. 32:4)?
You find that it is written about the time Moses descended from the mountain: <i>And when Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said unto him: “There is a noise of war in the camp</i> (ibid. 32:17). Moses replied: <i>It is not the voice of them that shout after a victory, neither is it the voice of them that cry after being overcome, but the noise of them that sing do I hear</i> (ibid.). What is the meaning of <i>The noise of them that sing do I hear</i>? It means: I hear the voice of those who are reproaching and blaspheming. Hence it is written: <i>And when Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted</i>.
The men of the Great Synagogue later discussed the verse: <i>Yea, when they had made them a golden calf and said: “This is the god that brought you up out of Egypt,” and wrought great provocations</i> (Neh. 9:18). Is there anything lacking in Scripture that it should add: <i>And wrought great provocations</i>? They were reproaching and blaspheming as they sated themselves with the manna and brought some of it as an offering to the calf. They blasphemed with all their strength and indulged in revelry, but nevertheless: <i>Thou withholdest not Thy manna from their mouth</i> (ibid., v. 20). Hence, <i>Unto Thee O Lord belongeth righteousness</i>. R. Levi said: While Israel remained on the ground fashioning a calf, as it is said: <i>And he received it at their hand, and fashioned it with an engraving tool</i> (Exod. 32:4), the Holy One, blessed be He, was above them engraving the life-giving words on the tablets, as it is said: <i>And He gave unto Moses when He had made an end of speaking</i>.