God immediately commanded Moses: Lech reid—“Go down!”
The Midrash offers a deeper insight. It suggests that the word reid doesn’t merely mean to physically descend (from the root yarad). It comes from the root r'da, meaning “to control” or “to subjugate.” In essence, God told Moses: “Go subdue them.” A strong, firm hand was needed.
What lies behind this novel interpretation? Why was lacking from the plain reading of the text?
A Suitable Tutor
If the child is well-behaved, studious, and diligent—let’s call him the rare breed of "angel in disguise"—then what he needs is a tutor who can nurture the child's curiosity. A teacher who is both knowledgeable and kindhearted, one who will challenge him intellectually while providing the encouragement needed to believe that success is within reach.
Then there's the other child—the one who can't find his pencil but knows all the best hiding spots in school. The child whose attention span rivals that of a gnat. This child requires a different approach. Gentle encouragement won't cut it. He needs a firm hand, a disciplinarian who will instantly recognize and address any attempts at distraction. This instructor's task is to maintain order with stern but fair authority.
Now, these two teaching styles—the brilliant educator and the strict disciplinarian—are rarely found in the same person. So parents must decide which style best fits their child’s needs.
A Leader for Israel
Matan Torah at Sinai. A moment etched in eternity. The people, hearts ablaze, proclaiming, “All that God has spoken, we will do!” A moment of pure, unadulterated faith.
Who else could lead them at that moment but Moses? The Midrash, with poetic insight, captures it perfectly: “Let good come, and get good from Good for the good ones.” Moses, the embodiment of goodness, received the Torah, the ultimate good, from God, the source of all goodness, for a people realizing their potential for goodness.
It was a symphony of spiritual resonance. Moses, the teacher par excellence, for students eager to learn, their hearts and minds open to the Divine word.
But life rarely follows a straight path. We stumble, fall, and lose our way. The story of the Golden Calf is a stark reminder of human frailty.
In that moment, everything shifted. God told Moses, “Go down.” Not a rejection, God forbid, but a recognition of a new reality. “I no longer require your services,” God said, in effect. Not because Moses was any less, but because the people, in their time of rebellion, needed something different. Mardut. Discipline, strength, a firm hand.
The gentle teacher, the loving guide, was no longer what they needed. They needed a leader who would pick them up, dust them off, and set them back on the proper path.
(Adapted from Mishlei Yaakov, pp. 168-169)
Note: In fact, Moses proved to be an effective disciplinarian. He ground the golden calf to dust, mixed it with water, and made the people drink it. He instructed the Levites to slay all those guilty of worshiping the idol, and then prayed to God to forgive the people.
