burst into tears and poured out their heart in contrition before God,
and then said: "All that the Lord hath said, will we do, and be
obedient." [202] Hardly had they uttered these words of
submission to God, when a hundred and twenty myriads of angels
descended, an provided every Israelite with a crown and a girdle of
glory - Divine gifts, which they did not lose until they worshipped
the Golden Calf, when the angels came and took the gifts away
from them. [203] At the same time with these crowns and girdles
of glory, a heavenly radiance was shed over their faces, but this
also they later lost through their sins. Only Moses retained it,
whose face shone so brightly, that if even to-day a crack were
made in his tomb, the light emanating from his corpse would be so
powerful that it could not but destroy all the world. [204]

After God had bestowed upon Israel these wonderful gifts, He
wanted to proceed to the announcement of the Torah, but did not
desire to do so while Moses was with Him, that the people might
not say it was Moses who had spoken out of the cloud. Hence He
sought an excuse to be rid of him. He therefore said to Moses: "Go
down, warn the people, that they shall not press forward to see, for
if even one of them were to be destroyed, the loss to Me would be
as great as if all creation had been destroyed. Bid Nadab and
Abihu also, as well as the first born that are to perform priestly
duties, beware that they do not press forward." Moses, however,
desirous of remaining with God, replied: "I have already warned
the people and set the bounds beyond which they may not
venture." God hereupon said to Moses: "Go, descend and call upon
Aaron to come up with thee, but let him keep behind thee, while
the people do not move beyond the positions thou hadst assigned
them." Hardly had Moses left the mountain, when God revealed