וַיְדַבֵּר ה' אֶל מֹשֶׁה לֶךְ רֵד (שמות לב, ז). וַיֹּאמֶר ה' אֶל מֹשֶׁה רָאִיתִי אֶת הָעָם הַזֶּה וְהִנֵּה עַם וְגוֹ'. כָּךְ פָּתַח רַבִּי תַּנְחוּמָא בְּרַבִּי אַבָּא, נְשִׂיאִים וְרוּחַ וְגֶשֶׁם אָיִן אִישׁ מִתְהַלֵּל בְּמַתַּת שָׁקֶר (משלי כה, יד). וְאוֹמֵר: בְּאֹרֶךְ אַפַּיִם יְפֻתֶּה קָצִין (משלי כה, טו). מִי שֶׁאָמַר לִתֵּן מַתָּנָה לַחֲבֵרוֹ וְאֵינוֹ נוֹתְנָהּ, דּוֹמֶה לִנְשִׂיאיִם וְרוּחַ וְגֶשֶׁם אָיִן. אֵלּוּ דּוֹר הַמִּדְבָּר, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וַיַּעֲנוּ כָּל הָעָם יַחְדָּו וַיֹּאמְרוּ כֹּל אֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר ה' נַעֲשֶׂה וְנִשְׁמָע (שמות כד, ז), וְעָבְרוּ עַל הַכֹּל וְעָשׂוּ אֶת הָעֵגֶל. כֵּיוָן שֶׁרָאָה הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא כָּךְ, אָמַר לְמֹשֶׁה: לֵךְ רֵד. כִּי שִׁחֵת. אֵין שִׁחֵת אֶלָּא קִלְקוּל מַעֲשִׂים, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: שִׁחֵת לוֹ לֹּא בָּנָיו מוּמָם (דברים לב, ה). וְלֹא עֵגֶל בִּלְבַד עָשׂוּ, אֶלָּא גִּלּוּי עֲרָיוֹת וּשְׁפִיכוּת דָּמִים, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וַיֵּשֶׁב הָעָם לֶאֱכֹל וְשָׁתוֹ וַיָּקֵמוּ לְצַחֵק. וְאֵין צְחוֹק אֶלָּא גִּלּוּי עֲרָיוֹת, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: בָּא אֵלַי הָעֶבֶד הָעִבְרִי וְגוֹ' (בראשית לט, יז). שְׁפִיכוּת דָּמִים, דִּכְתִיב: יָקוּמוּ נָא הַנְּעָרִים וִישַׂחֲקוּ (ש״ב ב, יד), And the Lord spoke unto Moses: “Go, get thee down…. I have seen this people, and behold, it is a stiff-necked people” (Exod. 32:7–9). R. Tanhuma the son of Abba began the discussion with the verses: As vapors and wind without rain, so is he that boasteth himself of a false gift. By long forbearing is a ruler persuaded (Prov. 25:14–15). One who promises a gift to his friend but fails to fulfill his promise can be likened to vapors and wind without rain. The generation of the desert behaved in that fashion. It is said: All the people answered with one voice, and said: “All the words which the Lord hath spoken we will do” (Exod. 24:7), yet they violated every command He issued. When the Holy One, blessed be He, observed that, He ordered Moses: Go get thee down, thy people have dealt corruptly (ibid. 32:7). The word dealt corruptly refers to immoral acts, as it is said: Is corruption His? No, His children’s is the blemish (Deut. 32:5). Not only did they make the golden calf, they were also guilty of sexual crimes and shedding blood, as it is said: And the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to make merry (ibid., v. 6). The words make merry imply sexual crimes, as is stated: The Hebrew servant, whom thou hast brought unto us, came unto me to make merry (Gen. 39:17). They were also guilty of bloodshed, as it is written: Let the young men, I pray thee, arise and play before us (II Sam. 2:14).
וְאֵין לְךָ גָּדוֹל מִן חוּר שֶׁנֶּהֱרַג. בְּאוֹתָהּ שָׁעָה, נִזְעַף מֹשֶׁה עַל שֶׁדִּבֵּר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא קָשׁוֹת כְּנֶגְדּוֹ. וְאֵין וַיְדַבֵּר הָאָמוּר כָּאן אֶלָּא קָשׁוֹת, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: דִּבֶּר הָאִישׁ אֲדֹנֵי הָאָרֶץ אִתָּנוּ קָשׁוֹת. (בראשית מב, ל). בְּאוֹתָהּ שָׁעָה, יָצְאוּ חֲמִשָּׁה מַלְאֲכֵי חַבָּלָה כְּנֶגְדּוֹ, קֶצֶף, אַף, וְחֵמָה, מַשְׁחִית, וְהַשְׁמֵד. עָמַד מֹשֶׁה מִתְחַבֵּט לְמַעְלָה, וְלֹא הִנִּיחַ זָוִית שָׁם שֶׁלֹּא נִתְחַבֵּט עָלֶיהָ. כֵּיוָן שֶׁהִזְכִּיר זְכוּת אָבוֹת וְאָמַר זְכֹר לְאַבְרָהָם לְיִצְחָק וּלְיִשְׂרָאֵל, מִיָּד נִגְרְעוּ מִמֶּנּוּ שְׁלֹשָׁה, נִשְׁאֲרוּ אַף וְחֵמָה. הָיָה מֹשֶׁה מִתְחַבֵּט וּמִתְנַפֵּל, כְּמוֹ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וָאֶתְנַפַּל לִפְנֵי ה' (דברים ט, יח). אָמַר מֹשֶׁה: רִבּוֹנוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם, כִּי יָגֹרְתִּי מִפְּנֵי הָאַף וְהַחֵמָה (דברים ט, יט). אָמַר לוֹ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא: אֶפְשָׁר שֶׁתֵּצֵא רֵיקָן, עֲמֹד אַתָּה בְּאֶחָד וַאֲנִי בְּאֶחָד. אָמַר מֹשֶׁה: רִבּוֹנִי, קוּמָה ה' בְּאַפֶּךָ (תהלים ז, ז). וַאֲנִי עוֹמֵד בַּחֵמָה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: לוּלֵי מֹשֶׁה בְחִירוֹ עָמַד וְגוֹ'. There was no one superior to Hur, who was killed at that time. Moses became angry because the Holy One, blessed be He, spoke harshly to him. The word daber (“spoke”) signifies harsh speech, as it is said: The man, the lord of the land, spoke roughly with us (Gen. 42:30). At that moment five demons came toward him: Wrath, Anger, Fury, Destruction, and Annihilation. Moses prostrated himself on the steps before the Most High, and indeed, there was not a corner into which he did not hurl himself as he invoked the merit of the fathers. He said: Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Whereupon three of the demons fled leaving only Anger and Fury. Moses remained prostrate and bowed down, as it is said: And so I fell down before the Lord (Deut. 9:25). He cried out: Master of the Universe: For I was in dread of anger and fury (ibid., v. 19). The Holy One, blessed be He, responded: Perhaps you will escape unharmed if you attack one while I attack the other. Moses then answered: My Master, arise, O Lord, against Anger, while I arise against Fury, as it is said: Had not Moses his chosen stood before Him in the breach, to turn back His fury (Ps. 106:23).