The ancient rabbis certainly did. This week, we're diving into a passage from Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus, specifically Shemot Rabbah 41, that grapples with this very tension. It all starts with a verse we all know: "He gave to Moses, as He concluded speaking with him on Mount Sinai, the two tablets of Testimony, stone tablets, written with the finger of God" (Exodus 31:18).

But Rabbi Tanhuma bar Abba finds something deeper in the words "He gave to Moses, as He concluded." He begins with a quote from Daniel (9:7): “With You, Lord, is the righteousness, and with us the shame.” Why this verse? Rabbi Nehemya explains that even when we do righteous deeds, we still feel shame when we examine our actions.

Think about it. We're rarely completely selfless, are we? Even our best deeds can be tinged with ego, or a desire for recognition.

There's one exception, though: tithing. Rabbi Nehemya points out that we only make demands of God after giving our tithes, as it says: “When you conclude tithing” (Deuteronomy 26:12). And what do we say at the end? “Look from Your holy abode, from the heavens, [and bless Your people Israel, and the land that You gave us]” (Deuteronomy 26:15). The Maharzu explains that normally, we wouldn't dare ask for goodness based on our own merit. But tithing comes with a built-in guarantee of reward, as we learn in Ta’anit 9a.

Rabbi Alexandri takes this further: tithing has the power to transform a curse into a blessing. He notes that throughout the Torah, when God "looks," it usually signifies distress, like when He "looked at the camp of Egypt" (Exodus 14:24) or "looked over Sodom" (Genesis 19:28). But in the context of tithing, the "looking" in Deuteronomy 26:15 is one of blessing. It's a fascinating reversal!

Rabbi Nehemya offers a powerful analogy: Think about sharecropping. Usually, the sharecropper provides the seed and labor, and then splits the harvest equally with the landowner. But with God, it's different. The earth, the produce, the rain, the protection – it's ALL His! Yet, He only asks for a tenth as a tithe, or a fiftieth as terumah (a priestly offering). Hence, "with You, Lord, is the righteousness, and with us the shame."

Rabbi Yehuda adds another layer. He points out that while the Israelites were crossing the sea, the silver for Mikha's idol was also crossing! As it says, "Trouble will cross the sea" (Zechariah 10:11). Even with the miracle of the sea splitting before them, idolatry was present. Again, "with You, Lord, is the righteousness, and with us the shame."

Rabbi Shmuel bar Nahman then asks a pointed question: It was fitting for our ancestors to receive the Torah and declare, "Everything that the Lord spoke we will perform and we will heed" (Exodus 24:7). But was it fitting for them to then proclaim, "This is your God, Israel"? (Exodus 32:4) How could they be so devoted and so faithless at the same time?

The story continues with Moses descending from the mountain, hearing the commotion in the camp. Joshua interprets it as "the sound of battle," but Moses discerns something different. It wasn't the cry of victory (gevura) or the sound of defeat (halusha), but rather a sound of cursing and blasphemy.

The members of the Great Assembly understood it too. Even after creating the Golden Calf and declaring it their god, the Israelites continued to receive manna from heaven. Nehemiah 9:20 says, "You did not withhold Your manna from them." Despite their egregious sin, God continued to provide.

Rabbi Yehuda ben Rabbi Shalom offers a truly disturbing detail: they even sacrificed the manna itself before the idol! As Ezekiel 16:19 says, "My bread that I gave you, fine flour and oil and honey that I fed you, you placed it before them for a pleasing aroma." Yet, the manna still fell the next day. "With You, Lord, is the righteousness."

Finally, Rabbi Levi offers a powerful image: As the Israelites were below, hewing an idol to anger God, God was above, hewing the tablets of the Law to grant them life. "He gave to Moses, as He concluded [speaking with him on Mount Sinai, the two tablets of Testimony, tablets of stone, written with the finger of God]."

So, what does this all mean for us? Perhaps it's a reminder that even in our imperfections, even in our moments of shame, God's righteousness endures. It's a call to recognize our own shortcomings, but also to appreciate the unwavering grace that surrounds us. We might stumble, we might even fall, but the possibility of redemption, of blessing, always remains. And maybe, just maybe, that's enough.