הלכה: כָּתוּב וַיִּשְׁכֹּ֤ן כְּבוֹד־יי֨ עַל־הַ֣ר סִינַ֔י וַיְכַסֵּ֥הוּ הֶֽעָנָן֖ שֵׁ֣שֶׁת יָמִ֑ים וַיִּקְרָ֧א אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֛ה בַּיּ֥וֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִ֖י. וַיַּ֥עַל מֹשֶׁ֖ה. שְׁבִיעִי שֶׁהוּא לַאַחַר הַדִּיבְּרוֹת וּתְחִילָּה לָאַרְבָּעִים. אָמַר לָהֶן מֹשֶׁה. אַרְבָּעִין יוֹמִין אֲנָא מֵיעֲבֲד בְּטוּרָא כֵּיוָן שְׁהִגִּיעַ יוֹם אַרְבָּעִים וְלֹא בָא. מִיַּד וַיַּרְ֣א הָעָ֔ם כִּֽי־בוֹשֵׁשׁ מֹשֶׁ֖ה לָרֶ֣דֶת מִן־הָהָ֑ר. וְכֵיוָן שְׁהִגִּיעַ שֵׁשׁ שָׁעוֹת וְלֹא בָא. מִיַּד וַיִּקָּהֵ֙ל הָעָ֜ם עַֽל־אַֽהֲרֹ֗ן וַיֹּֽאמְר֤וּ אֵלָיו֙ ק֣וּם ׀ עֲשֵׂה־לָנ֣וּ אֱלֹהִ֗ים אֲשֶׁ֤ר יֵֽלְכוּ֙ לְפָנֵ֔ינוּ וגו׳. וַיֹּאמֶר יי֨ אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֑ה לֶךְ־רֵ֕ד כִּ֚י שִׁחֵ֣ת עַמְּךָ֔ וגו׳. וַיִּשְׁמַ֧ע יְהוֹשֻׁ֛עַ אֶת־ק֥וֹל הָעָ֖ם בְּרֵעֹ֑ה וַיֹּ֨אמֶר֙ אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֔ה ק֥וֹל מִלְחָמָ֖ה בַּֽמַּֽחֲנֶֽה. אָמַר מֹשֶׁה. אָדָם שֶׁהוּא עָתִיד לְהַנְהִיג שְׂרָרָה עַל שִׂשִּׁים רִיבּוֹא אֵינוֹ יוֹדֵעַ לְהַבְחִין בֵּין קוֹל לְקוֹל. וַיֹּ֗אמֶר אֵ֥ין קוֹל֙ עֲנ֣וֹת גְּבוּרָ֔ה וְאֵ֥ין ק֖וֹל עֲנ֣וֹת חֲלוּשָׁ֑ה ק֣וֹל עַנּ֔וֹת אָֽנֹכִ֖י שׁוֹמֵעַ׃ אָמַר רִבִּי יָסָא. קוֹל קִילוּס עֲבוֹדָה זָרָה אָנֹכִי שׁוֹמֵעַ. רִבִּי יוּדָן בְּשֵׁם רִבִּי יָסָא. אֵין כָּל־דּוֹר וָדוֹר שֶׁאֵין בּוֹ אוּנְקִי אַחַת מֵחֶטִיוֹ שֶׁלְעֶגֶל. וַיְהִ֗י כַּֽאֲשֶׁ֤ר קָרַב֙ אֶל־הַֽמַּֽחֲנֶ֔ה וַיַּרְ֥א אֶת־הָעֵ֖גֶל וּמְחוֹלוֹת. רִבִּי חִלְקִיָּה בְשֵׁם רִבִּי אָחָא. מִיכָּן שֶׁלָּא יְהֵא אָדָם דָּן (עוּמָדוֹת) [אוּמָדוֹת]. דָּרַשׁ מֹשֶׁה מִקַּל וָחוֹמֶר. מָה אִם פֶּסַח שֶׁהִיא מִצְוָה יְחִידִית נֶאֱמַר בּוֹ כָל־עָרֵ֖ל לֹא־יֹ֥אכַל בּֽוֹ. הַתּוֹרָה שֶׁכָּל־הַמִּצְווֹת כְּלוּלוֹת בָּהּ עַל אַחַת כַּמָּה וְכַמָּה. וַיִּֽחַר־אַ֣ף מֹשֶׁ֗ה וַיַּשְׁלֵ֤ךְ מִיָּדָיו֙ אֶת־הַלּוּחוֹת וַיְשַׁבֵּ֥ר אוֹתָם תַּ֥חַת הָהָֽר׃ תַּנֵּי רִבִּי יִשְׁמָעֵאל. הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא אָמַר לוֹ שֶׁיִּשְׁבְּרֵם. [שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר] וְאֶכְתֹּב֙ עַל־הַלּוּחוֹת אֶ֨ת־הַדְּבָרִ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֥ר הָי֛וּ עַל־הַלּוּחוֹת הָרִאשׁוֹנִים אֲשֶׁ֣ר שִׁיבַּרְתָּ. אָמַר לוֹ. יָפֶה עָשִׂיתָ שֶׁשִּׁיבַּרְתָּ. רִבִּי שְׁמוּאֵל בַּר נַחְמָן בְּשֵׁם רִבִּי יוֹנָתָן. הַלּוּחוֹת הָיוּ אוֹרְכָן שִׁשָּׁה טְפָחִים וְרָחְבָּן שְׁלֹשָׁה. וְהָיָה מֹשֶׁה תָפוּשׂ בִּטְפָחַיִים וְהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא בִּטְפָחַיִים וּטְפָחַיִים רֵיוַח בָּאֶמְצָע. כֵּיוָן שֶׁעָשׂוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל אוֹתוֹ מַעֲשֶׂה בִּיקֵּשׁ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְחוֹטְפָן מִיָּדוֹ שֶׁלְמֹשֶׁה. וְגָֽבְרָה יָדוֹ שֶׁלְמֹשֶׁה וְחָטְפָן מִמֶּנּוּ. הוּא שֶׁהַכָּתוּב מְשַׁבְּחוֹ בַּסּוֹף וְאוֹמַר וּלְכֹל֙ הַיָּ֣ד הַֽחֲזָקָ֔ה. יְיֵא שְׁלָמָא עַל יָדָא דְגָֽבֵרָת עַל מִינָא. רִבִּי יוֹחָנָן בְּשֵׁם רִבִּי יוֹסֵה בַּר אַבַּיי. [הַלּוּחוֹת] הָיוּ מְבַקְּשִׁין לִפְרוֹחַ וְהָיָה מֹשֶׁה תוֹפְשָׂן. [דִּכְתִיב] וָֽאֶתְפּוֹשׂ בִּשְׁנֵי הַלּוּחוֹת. תַּנֵּי בְשֵׁם רִבִּי נְחֶמְיָה. הַכְּתָב עַצְמוֹ פָרַח. רִבִּי עֶזְרָה בְשֵׁם רִבִּי יְהוּדָה בֵּירִבִּי סִימוֹן. הַלּוּחוֹת הָיוּ מַשּׂאוּי אַרְבָּעִים סְאָה וְהַכְּתָב הָיָה סוֹבִלָן. כֵּיוָן שֶׁפָּרַח הַכְּתָב כָּֽבְדוּ עַל יָדָיו שֶׁלְמֹשֶׁה וְנָֽפְלוּ וָנִשְׁתַּבְּרוּ.
HALAKHAH: It is written: The glory of the Eternal dwelt on Mount Sinai; the cloud covered it for six days; He called to Moses on the Seventh Day. Moses ascended. The Seventh after the Ten Commandments, the start of the Forty. Moses said to them, I shall be occupied on the Mountain for 40 days. When the fortieth day came and he did not come, immediately the people saw that Moses tarried in descending from the Mountain. When noontime came and he did not come, immediately the people congregated on Aaron and said to him, rise and make us gods which shall go before us, etc. The Eternal said to Moses, descend, for your people corrupted, etc. And Joshua heard the sound of the people in its dealings; he said to Moses, there is sound of war in the camp. Moses said, a man who in the future will rule over 600’000 does not know to distinguish between sound and sound? He said, there is no sound of shouts of strength nor sound of sounds of weakness, a sound of shouts I am hearing. Rebbi Yasa said, a sound of acclaim of foreign worship I am hearing. Rebbi Yudan in the name of Rebbi Yasa: There is no generation in which there is not an ounce of the sin of the Calf. It was when he approached the camp that he saw the Calf and fifes. Rebbi Ḥilkiah in the name of Rebbi Aḥa: From here that a person should not argue from guesses. Moses made an argument de minore ad majus. Since for the pesaḥ sacrifice, which is an isolated obligation, it is said no uncircumcised may eat from it, the Torah in which all commandments are contained not so much more? Moses got angry and he threw the tablets from his hand and broke them below the Mountain. Rebbi Ismael stated, the Holy One, praise to Him, told him to break them, [as it is said,] I shall write on the tablets the words which were on the first tablets luckily you broke. He said to him, you did well that you broke. Rebbi Samuel bar Naḥman in the name of Rebbi Jonathan: The tablets were six hand-breadths long and three wide. Moses held two hand-breadth, the Holy One, praise to Him two hand-breadth, and two hand-breadths of space were between them. When Israel sinned in that way, the Holy One wanted to seize them from Moses’s hand, but Moses’s hand had the better of it and seized them from Him. That is what the verse praises him at the end and says, and all the strong hand, peace shall be on the hand which had the better on mine. Rebbi Joḥanan in the name of Rebbi Yose ben Abbai: the tablets wanted to fly off but Moses held them, [as is written,] I grabbed the two tablets. It was stated in the name of Rebbi Nehemiah, the writing itself flew off. Rebbi Ezra in the name of Rebbi Jehudah ben Rebbi Simon: The tablets were a load of forty seah but the writing was carrying them. When the writing flew off they were too heavy for Moses’s hands, they fell, and broke.
אמר ר' אושעיא עד ירבעם היו ישראל יונקים מעגל אחד מכאן ואילך משנים ושלשה עגלים אמר ר' יצחק אין לך כל פורענות ופורענות שבאה לעולם שאין בה אחד מעשרים וארבעה בהכרע ליטרא של עגל הראשון שנאמר (שמות לב, לד) וביום פקדי ופקדתי עליהם חטאתם
Rabbi Oshaya says: Until Jeroboam, Israel was suckling, i.e., suffering the consequences, from worshipping one calf that they fashioned in the wilderness. From that point forward, they were suckling from two and three calves, as Jeroboam added the calves in Bethel and Dan. Rabbi Yitzḥak says: You have no punishment that comes to the world in which there is not one twenty-fourth of the surplus of a litra of the first calf. When weighing a substance, there would often be a disparity of up to one twenty-fourth of its weight. The point is that a minuscule portion of the sin of the Golden Calf is added to every punishment imposed upon the Jewish people, as it is stated: “On the day when I punish, I will punish their sin upon them” (Exodus 32:34), indicating that atonement for that sin is incomplete, and the Jewish people will continue to suffer for it.