<b>This is the thing that thou shalt do unto them (Exod. 29:11).</b> Scripture says elsewhere in allusion to this verse: <i>The wise shall inherit honor; but as for the fools, they carry away shame</i> (Prov. 3:35). <i>The wise shall inherit honor</i> refers to the Israelites, and <i>the fools they carry away shame</i> alludes to idolaters. When did Israel inherit honor? When she accepted the law.
R. Johanan stated: Sixty thousand guardian angels descended at Sinai with the Holy One, blessed be He, as it is said: <i>The chariots of God are myriads, even thousands upon thousands</i> (Ps. 68:18). They placed a wreath upon the head of each Israelite. R. Abba the son of Kahana held: When the Israelites stood at Sinai and proclaimed: <i>All that the Lord hath spoken will we do, and obey</i> (Exod. 24:17), the Holy One, blessed be He, loved them immediately and sent two angels to each of them; one to strap on his armor and the other to place a crown upon his head.
R. Simeon was of the opinion that He clothed them in royal garments, as is said: <i>I clothed thee also with richly woven work</i> (Ezek. 16:10). R. Huna of Sepphoris maintained: He girded them with armor, as it is said: <i>I wound fine linen</i> (ibid.). R. Simeon the son of Yohai insisted: He girded them with armor and encircled them with the Tetragrammaton. Therefore, <i>The wise shall inherit honor</i> (Prov. 3:35) refers to the Israelites who received this honor because of the events at Sinai. <i>But as for fools, they carried away shame</i> (ibid.) alludes to the nations of the world, who earned their fate at Sinai. Whence do we know this? R. Johanan said: Because it is stated: <i>Yea, those nations shall be utterly wasted</i> (Isa. 60:12), it is written about them: <i>They shall be utterly wasted</i>.<sup class="footnote-marker">8</sup><i class="footnote">Word-play reading <i>harob</i> (“wasted”) as <i>horeb</i> (Mount Horeb, an alternative name for Mount Sinai, on which the Torah was given).</i> Therefore, <i>But as for fools, they carry away shame</i>.
Another explanation of <i>The wise shall inherit honor</i>. This verse refers to David and his son Solomon, who built the Temple and inherited honor. <i>As for fools, they carry away shame</i> alludes to the nations that destroyed the Temple. The Holy One, blessed be He, put them to shame. Proof of this is contained in the verse: <i>O Lord, in the city Thou wilt despise their semblance</i> (Ps. 73:20). Why is the word <i>ba’ir</i> (“in the city”) used?<sup class="footnote-marker">9</sup><i class="footnote">Word-play on <i>ba’er</i> (“burn”) and <i>ba’ir</i> (“in the city”).</i> There is a proverb which states: The brigand is hung at the place of his crime, <i>And therefore, O Lord (in the city), Thou wilt despise their semblance</i>. Hence, <i>for fools, they carry away shame. The wise shall inherit honor</i> refers to Moses and Aaron, and <i>Fools, they carry away shame</i> alludes to Dathan and Abiram. Why is that so? When the manna descended for the Israelites, Moses said to them: <i>Let no man leave of it till the morning</i> (Exod. 16:19). Everyone did not listen to Moses; some of them permitted some of it to remain. Those that did so were Dathan and Abiram. R. Joshua of Sikhnin said in the name of R. Levi: What is meant by <i>And it bred worms, and rotted</i> (ibid., v. 20). It means that the source of worms (<i>kelanin</i>)<sup class="footnote-marker">10</sup><i class="footnote"><i>Etz Joseph</i> translates <i>kelanin</i> as “noisy.”</i> went from the tent of Dathan and Abiram into the tents of the Israelites. Hence, <i>Fools, they carry away shame</i>. Another explanation of <i>The wise shall inherit honor</i>. This refers to the tribe of Levi, while <i>Fools, they carry away shame</i> alludes to Korah and his supporters (who rebelled against Moses). Another explanation of <i>The wise shall inherit honor</i>. This alludes to Aaron and his sons, through whom the high priesthood was firmly established in accordance with the decree: <i>And this is the thing that thou shalt do unto them</i>.