אֶסְפָה לִי שִׁבְעִים אִישׁ מִזִּקְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל. וְהֵיכָן הָיוּ אוֹתָם הָרִאשׁוֹנִים. זֶה שֶׁאָמַר הַכָּתוּב: יָרֹעַ כַּבִּירִים לֹא חֵקֶר וַיַּעֲמֵד אֲחֵרִים תַּחְתָּם (איוב לד, כד). עַד שֶׁהָיוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּמִצְרַיִם, הָיָה לָהֶם שִׁבְעִים זְקֵנִים, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: לֵךְ וְאָסַפְתָּ אֶת זִקְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל (שמות ג, טז). וְעִמָּהֶם יָצְאוּ מִמִּצְרַיִם. וּכְשֶׁעָלָה מֹשֶׁה לְקַבֵּל אֶת הַתּוֹרָה, עָלוּ עִמּוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וַיַּעַל מֹשֶׁה וְאַהֲרֹן נָדָב וַאֲבִיהוּא וְשִׁבְעִים מִזִּקְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל (שם כד, ט). וְאֶל הַזְּקֵנִים אָמַר שְׁבוּ לָנוּ בָזֶה עַד אֲשֶׁר נָשׁוּב אֲלֵיכֶם (שם פסוק יד). כֵּיוָן שֶׁעָלָה מֹשֶׁה, הִתְנָה עִם יִשְׂרָאֵל שֶׁיֵּרֵד בְּסוֹף אַרְבָּעִים יוֹם. כֵּיוָן שֶׁשָּׁהָה לֵירֵד, כְּמוֹ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וַיַּרְא הָעָם כִּי בוֹשֵׁשׁ מֹשֶׁה (שם לב, א), וְאֵין בּוֹשֵׁשׁ אֶלָּא לְשׁוֹן שְׁהִיָּה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: מַדּוּעַ בּוֹשֵׁשׁ רִכְבּוֹ לָבוֹא, מַדּוּעַ אֵחֲרוּ פַּעֲמֵי מַרְכְּבוֹתָיו (שופטים ה, כח), נִתְכַּנְּסוּ כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל אֵצֶל הַזְּקֵנִים, אָמְרוּ לָהֶם, מֹשֶׁה הִתְנָה עִמָּנוּ שֶׁיֵּרֵד לְסוֹף אַרְבָּעִים יוֹם וַהֲרֵי אַרְבָּעִים יוֹם וְלֹא יָרַד, וְשֵׁשׁ שָׁעוֹת יוֹתֵר, אֵין אָנוּ יוֹדְעִין מֶה הָיָה לוֹ. אֶלָּא, קוּם עֲשֵׂה לָנוּ אֱלֹהִים (שמות לב, א). כֵּיוָן שֶׁשָּׁמְעוּ כָּךְ, אָמַר לָהֶם: לָמָּה אַתֶּם מַכְעִיסִין לְמִי שֶׁעָשָׂה לָכֶם כָּל אוֹתָן הַנִּסִּים וְהַנִּפְלָאוֹת. וְלֹא שָׁמְעוּ לָהֶם, וַהֲרָגוּם. וְחוּר שֶׁעָמַד כְּנֶגְדָן בִּדְבָרִים קָשִׁים, עָמְדוּ עָלָיו וַהֲרָגוּהוּ. נִתְכַּנְּסוּ כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל עַל אַהֲרֹן בִּטְקָסִים גְּדוֹלִים, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וַיִּקָּהֵל הָעָם עַל אַהֲרֹן וְגוֹ' (שם). לָמָּה אַתָּה יוֹשֵׁב. אָמַר רַבִּי יִצְחָק, רוּחַ הַקֹּדֶשׁ צוֹוַחַת, שָׂנֵאתִי קְהַל מְרֵעִים וְעִם רְשָׁעִים לֹא אֵשֵׁב (תהלים כו, ה). קוּם עֲשֵׂה לָנוּ אֱלֹהִים. וְאִם לֹא, כִּי זֶה, כָּזֶה אָנוּ עוֹשִׂין לָךְ. כְּשֵׁם שֶׁעָמַדְנוּ עַל חוּר וַהֲרַגְנוּהוּ, כָּךְ אָנוּ עוֹשִׂין לְךָ אִם תִּמָּנַע מִמֶּנּוּ. כֵּיוָן שֶׁרָאָה אַהֲרֹן מַה שֶּׁעָשׂוּ לַזְּקֵנִים וּלְחוּר, נִתְיָרֵא הַרְבֵּה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וַיַּרְא אַהֲרֹן וַיִּבֶן מִזְבֵּחַ לְפָנָיו (שמות לב, ה), וַיִּבֶן מִזְּבוֹחַ. וּמִנַּיִן שֶׁהָרְגוּ לַזְּקֵנִים וּלְחוּר. שֶׁכֵּן יִרְמְיָהוּ מוֹכִיחַ אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: גַּם בִּכְנָפֶיךָ נִמְצְאוּ דַּם נַפְשׁוֹת אֶבְיוֹנִים נְקִיִּים לֹא בַּמַּחְתֶּרֶת מְצָאְתִּים כִּי עַל כָּל אֵלֶּה (ירמיה ב, לד). מַהוּ עַל כָּל אֵלֶּה. בִּשְׁבִיל אֵלֶּה אֱלֹהֶיךָ יִשְׂרָאֵל. מַה פָּרַע מֵהֶם, וַיִּגֹּף ה' אֶת הָעָם וְגוֹ' (שמות לב, לה). אַחַר זְמַן, כְּשֶׁסָּלַח לָהֶם הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, אָמַר לְמֹשֶׁה, אֶסְפָה לִי שִׁבְעִים אִישׁ, תַּחַת אוֹתָן שִׁבְעִים שֶׁנֶּהֶרְגוּ עַל קְדֻשַּׁת שְׁמִי. הֱוֵי, יָרֹעַ כַּבִּירִים לֹא חֵקֶר, וַיַּעֲמֵד אֲחֵרִים תַּחְתָּם. (Numb. 11:16:) “Gather Me seventy men from the elders of Israel.” But where were those former ones?54Numb. R. 15:21. This text is related (to Job 34:24), “He shatters mighty ones without inquiry and raises up others in their stead.” When Israel was in Egypt, they had seventy elders as stated (in Exod. 3:16), “Go and gather the elders of Israel”; and with them they went out of Egypt. [Moreover] when Moses went up [on Sinai] to receive the Torah, they were [still] with him, as stated (in Exod. 24:9), “Then there went up Moses and Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and the seventy elders of Israel,” [and then] (in Exod. 24:14) “But unto the elders he had said, ‘Wait [for us] here […].’” When Moses had gone up, he had agreed with Israel to come down at the end of forty days. When he delayed coming down, all Israel came together to the elders. [He delayed,] even as it is stated (in Exod. 32:1), “When the people saw that Moses delayed (boshesh).”55Cf. Shab. 89a. Now boshesh can only mean a delay since it is stated (in Judg. 5:28), “Why is his chariot late (boshesh) in coming; why are the hoof-beats of his chariots delaying?” They said to them, Moses agreed with us that he would come down in forty days. Now here it is forty days and he has not come down. And in addition, six hours more [have passed];56Cf. Exod. R. 41:7, which derives boshesh from ba’u shesh, which means: “Six hours have come.” See Gen. R. 18:6. yet we do not know what has happened to him. So (in the words of Exod. 32:1 cont.) ‘Arise and make a god for us.’” When they heard that, they said to them, “Why are you angering Him, you for whom He performed all the miracles and wonders?” [But] they did not heed them and killed them. Then because Hur had stood ('md) up to them with harsh words, they (rt.: 'md) rose up against him and killed him [as well]. Then all of Israel gathered around Aaron with great pomp, as stated (ibid.), “and the people gathered unto Aaron...,” [saying,] “Why are you sitting?” R. Isaac said, “The holy spirit cried out (as in Psalms 26:5), ‘I detest the company of evil men, and do not consort with the wicked.’” [They said to him] (again in the words of Exod. 32:1 cont.) “’Arise and make a god for us’; and if not, ‘as (like) this,’ we will do like this to you. In the same way that we rose up against Hur and killed him, so will we do to you, if you prevent us [from our demand].” Once Aaron saw what they did to the elders and to Hur, he was very afraid, as stated (Exodus 32:5), “And Aaron saw and he built an altar (vayiven mizbeach) in front of it,” [meaning that] he built from the killing (vayiven mizvoach). Where is it shown that they killed the elders and Hur?57On the killing of Hur, see also Tanh. Exod. 8:10; Exod. R. 42:1; 48:3; 51:8; Lev. R. 10:2; Numb. R. 9:45; PRE 45. Where Jeremiah rebuked Israel, as stated (in Jer. 2:34), “On your skirts there is found the lifeblood of the innocent poor; you did not find them breaking in; yet for of all these.” What is the significance of “for all these (elleh)?” [It is] because of (the statement in Exod. 32:4), “These (elleh) are your gods O Israel.” What [punishment] did he repay them? (As stated in Exod. 32:35), “Then the Lord sent a plague upon the people.” After a time, when the Holy One, blessed be He, had forgiven them, He said to Moses (in Numb. 11:16), “Gather Me seventy men, in place of those who were killed for the sanctification of My name.” That is what is written (in Job 34:24), “He shatters mighty ones without inquiry [and raises up others in their stead].”