Jewish tradition is filled with these "what ifs," these pivot points where history teetered. Take the story of the Golden Calf. According to Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus, that single act changed everything.

"Behold, I am sending an angel before you to protect you along the way and to take you to the place that I have prepared” (Exodus 23:20). The verse seems simple enough, right? But the Midrash sees so much more. It connects this angel to Psalm 82:6, "I had said: You are divine beings."

Now, get this: Shemot Rabbah says that had the Israelites waited for Moses and not succumbed to building the Golden Calf, there would have been no exiles. And, incredibly, the angel of death would have had no dominion over them! Think about that for a moment. No death. No exile. A completely different destiny.

The text goes on to connect this idea to the tablets of the Ten Commandments. Remember, it says, “[The tablets were the work of God] and the script was the script of God, engraved [ḥarut] on the tablets” (Exodus 32:16). The word engraved, ḥarut, is the key. Rabbi Yehuda interprets ḥarut as ḥerut, meaning "freedom" – freedom from exiles. Rabbi Nehemya takes it even further, suggesting it meant freedom from the angel of death!

Why? Because when Israel declared, “Everything that the Lord spoke, we will perform and we will heed” (Exodus 24:7), they were on the cusp of something truly extraordinary. The Holy One, blessed be He, said that Adam, the first man, was given just one mitzva, one commandment, and by keeping it, he would have been like the ministering angels. So these people, poised to fulfill 613 mitzvot, with all their details and nuances – shouldn't they have lived forever?

The Midrash even brings in another verse, "And from Matana to Naḥaliel" (Numbers 21:19). Now, Matana and Naḥaliel are usually seen as place names, but the Midrash gives it a beautiful twist. It reads it as "through the gift [matana] of the Torah, Israel received from God [naḥalu El] eternal life."

But then came the shattering moment: "This is your god, Israel" (Exodus 32:8). With those words, death entered the picture. God says, "You followed the path of Adam, who couldn't withstand his test for even three hours. You are like him." The text references Vayikra Rabbah, which states Adam was commanded in the ninth hour, sinned in the tenth, and was judged in the eleventh!

So, "I had said: You are divine beings," but because of this sin, "indeed, as men you will die" (Psalms 82:7). What does "As one of the princes you will fall" mean? Rabbi Yehuda suggests it means they would fall like Adam or Eve, each receiving the punishment that was fitting. Rabbi Pinḥas HaKohen ben Rabbi Ḥama adds that God told them, "You have toppled yourselves!"

Before, they were served by the Divine Spirit. Now, "behold, I am sending an angel before you." It sounds like a blessing, but in this context, it's a step down. A reminder of what could have been.

What does this all mean? It's a powerful reminder of the weight of our choices. How a single act, a moment of doubt or weakness, can alter the course of history – both personally and collectively. It challenges us to consider the potential within us, the possibility of living a life closer to the Divine, and the responsibility we have to choose wisely. It makes you wonder, doesn't it, about the kind of world we could create if we truly lived up to our potential.