The story, as told in Midrash Tehillim, is truly terrifying.
Imagine Moses, up on Mount Sinai, receiving the Torah. A moment of ultimate revelation. And down below? The Israelites, succumbing to fear and impatience, building a golden idol. A betrayal of the covenant. The consequences, according to this Midrash, were almost unimaginable.
Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachmani tells us that when the Israelites committed that terrible sin, five terrifying, destructive angels materialized before Moses in the heavenly realms. Not just one, but a whole terrifying quintet! Their names, each one a chilling embodiment of divine wrath: Af (Anger), Chima (Wrath), Ketzef (Fury), Hashmed (Destruction), and Mashchit (Corruption). Talk about a bad day at the office.
The Midrash emphasizes each angel's destructive purpose, almost as if to hammer home the sheer magnitude of the danger. Each one seems to represent a different facet of God's potential response to such a profound transgression.
Moses, seeing these forces arrayed against his people, understandably panicked. What could he possibly do? He turned to God, pleading for guidance. And God, in turn, reminded Himself, or rather, was reminded by Moses, of the merit of the patriarchs: "Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants" (Exodus 32:13).
And here’s where the story takes a turn. The Midrash Tehillim tells us that at that moment, God was filled with mercy, as it says, "And the Lord was sorry for the evil" (Exodus 32:14). Because of the merit of the Patriarchs and Moses's plea, three of the destructive angels – Ketzef, Hashmed, and Mashchit – simply vanished! Incredible. But the danger wasn't over.
Af and Chima, Anger and Wrath, remained. Moses was still afraid, and rightfully so. Psalm 106:23 tells us that God "said to destroy them, if not for Moses, his chosen one." The situation was still dire! Moses, realizing he couldn't face these remaining forces alone, cried out to God, "Rise up, O Lord, in your anger!" (Psalms 7:7). It's a bold move, asking God to essentially fight fire with fire.
But wait a minute... wasn't Moses the one interceding for the Israelites? How could he be invoking anger? The Midrash anticipates this question, pointing out the seeming contradiction. Isaiah 27:4 says, "I have no anger." So, how could Moses, a representative of God, call upon anger?
The Midrash doesn't give a clear answer here, but it hints at the complexity of divine judgment and the need for a balanced approach. Perhaps Moses was acknowledging the justice of God's anger while simultaneously appealing for mercy. The text even quotes Ecclesiastes 4:2, "I praise the dead," a possible acknowledgement of the destruction that could have been.
The Midrash then transitions to another story, this time about King Solomon and the building of the Temple in Jerusalem. When Solomon asked for fire to descend from heaven to consecrate the Temple, it didn't happen immediately. Only after Solomon prayed and said, "Remember the kindness of David, your servant" (2 Chronicles 6:42), did the fire finally come down (2 Chronicles 7:1).
What's the connection between these two stories? Both emphasize the power of remembering the merits of our ancestors. Moses invoked Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, while Solomon invoked David. It suggests that even in moments of great crisis, the legacy of those who came before us can offer protection and redemption.
So, the next time you read about the Golden Calf, remember those five destructive angels. Remember the precariousness of our existence, and the power of memory to avert even the most terrible of decrees. It’s a reminder that our actions have consequences, but also that mercy and redemption are always within reach.