וְאֵ֣ת ׀ שְׂעִ֣יר הַֽחַטָּ֗את דָּרֹ֥שׁ דָּרַ֛שׁ מֹשֶׁ֖ה וְהִנֵּ֣ה שֹׂרָ֑ף וַ֠יִּקְצֹף עַל־אֶלְעָזָ֤ר וְעַל־אִֽיתָמָר֙ בְּנֵ֣י אַהֲרֹ֔ן הַנּוֹתָרִ֖ם לֵאמֹֽר׃
Then Moses inquired about the goat of sin offering, and it had already been burned! He was angry with Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron’s remaining sons, and said,
אמר להם אידין מתקרי חכים? אמרו ליה: איזהו חכם? הרואה את הנולד.
Alexander said to the Elders: Who is truly worthy of being called wise? They said to him, citing a tradition (see Avot 2:9): Who is the wise person? The one who sees and anticipates the consequences of his behavior.
Ha'drash v'Ha'iyyun (a commentary on the Torah by R. Aharon Levine (or Lewin; The Reisha Rav; 1879-1941), first published Bilgorai, 5688/1928)
“Then Moses inquired about the goat of sin offering, and it had already been burned! He was angry with Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron’s remaining sons, and said” (Lev. 10:16)
Between darosh and darash the Masorah accounts is the mid-point, half of the words of the Torah on either side.
This represents an ethical and spiritual teaching. Half of the Torah is dependent on these two words. Each of us should search and inquire into our deeds, to weigh where there is gain or where there is loss in them. Assessing one’s deeds is the ethical foundation of human life. This is what King David meant when he said, “The wicked, arrogant as he is, does not inquire (בל ידרוש)” (Ps. 10:4): the “wicked”, with their nose in the air, does not investigate their own ways. They do not search or investigate the consequences of their acts, which is not in accord with the Sages’ lesson: “Who is wise? One who sees the consequences” (Tamid 32a). Therefore, “Why does the wicked man scorn God?” Why is his life corrupt? Because he “thinks You do not call to account” (Ps. 10:13).