Parshat Ki Tisa
The question was posed: Why did Moshe need to go up to the top of Har Sinai the second time for another full 40 days? He had just been there the first time when he learned the whole Torah, reached the spiritual highs and whatever else he accomplished up there. So when he had to go the second time why did it need to be for 40 days? It could have just been a day or two to get the new set of tablets. What was he doing there for 40 days the second time?
Neil from Modern Uberdox quotes the Sfas Emes to answer this question. The Sfas Emes explains a phenomenal answer. Briefly, he says that after the first time, Israel did a horrible sin and had gone through stages of repentance. The Torah of a baal teshuva is no tthe same as that of even a tzaddik. It is much greater. After having experienced all that happened, the first set he had already studied was no longer relevant to Bnei Yisrael. Ergo, Moshe had to go up a second time to study it all over again with a fresh approach.
I would like to suggest another answer. After Moshe came down the first time, he saw what the people had done. The passuk says he got angry and threw down and broke the tablets. We know and the mussar seforim tell us that anger is really the worst of all the bad charachter traits. Often it is based on haughtiness, though I would be hard pressed to say that about Moshe who the Torah testifies about as having been the most humble person ever.
Even if anger is not based on haughtiness, even if anger is justified, as it may have been in this case, anger is still destructive. I would like to suggest that because Moshe got angry, he "ruined" the effects of his having spent 40 days on Har Sinai learning the Torah. because of his anger, even though it was justified, he had to spend more time re-learning the Torah and refining his charachter.
Showing posts with label luchot. Show all posts
Showing posts with label luchot. Show all posts
Friday, March 09, 2007
Thursday, March 08, 2007
investing your own efforts
Parshat Ki Tisa
Moshe is preparing to go up to Har Sinai for the second time to get the new set of tablets. Hashem tells him (in 34:1-4) that he has to hew two new stone tablets like the first set, etc. and Moshe hewed his own stones.
Why did Moshe have to do this? He did not have to hew his own stones the first time around - Hashem gave them to him. Why the second time did he have to bring his own?
Rashi says that Hashem said because you broke the set I gave you, you have to bring your own this time.
Sometimes you get something for your kid. Maybe a toy or a book or whatever. The kid breaks the toy. Happens in my house all the time. They actually prefer dismantling the toys and seeing how they are constructed rather than actually playing with them!
So you get your kid a toy and he breaks it fairly quickly. Are you going to run out and by him a new toy right away? Usually not. You will make the kid earn it. You want the child to learn responsibility and about waste. He has to learn the value of the item and thereby treat it better in the future.
So too by Moshe. You broke it, so bring your own this time. Moshe was being taught the real value of these tablets. true he broke the first set for a good reason and it was justified. But forcing him to hew his own stones and shlep them up the mountain really teaches Moshe the value and increases his level of respect for the tablets. In general he will treat them better and with more respect the next time.
When you invest your own efforts in something, you respect it that much more.
Moshe is preparing to go up to Har Sinai for the second time to get the new set of tablets. Hashem tells him (in 34:1-4) that he has to hew two new stone tablets like the first set, etc. and Moshe hewed his own stones.
Why did Moshe have to do this? He did not have to hew his own stones the first time around - Hashem gave them to him. Why the second time did he have to bring his own?
Rashi says that Hashem said because you broke the set I gave you, you have to bring your own this time.
Sometimes you get something for your kid. Maybe a toy or a book or whatever. The kid breaks the toy. Happens in my house all the time. They actually prefer dismantling the toys and seeing how they are constructed rather than actually playing with them!
So you get your kid a toy and he breaks it fairly quickly. Are you going to run out and by him a new toy right away? Usually not. You will make the kid earn it. You want the child to learn responsibility and about waste. He has to learn the value of the item and thereby treat it better in the future.
So too by Moshe. You broke it, so bring your own this time. Moshe was being taught the real value of these tablets. true he broke the first set for a good reason and it was justified. But forcing him to hew his own stones and shlep them up the mountain really teaches Moshe the value and increases his level of respect for the tablets. In general he will treat them better and with more respect the next time.
When you invest your own efforts in something, you respect it that much more.
wrath on luchot
Parshat Ki Tisa
Moshe comes down from Har Sinai and finds Bnei Yisrael engaged in licentious and borderline idolatrous behavior around a golden calf. Enraged, he throws down the tablets and breaks them.
Why break the tablets? What benefit is there in that? They were very valuable, as we see later from when Moshe has to make a new set, and they were very holy. So why be so extreme as to break them?
I would suggest that this is similar to what we find in the gemara regarding the Beis Hamikdash - the gemera learns from a passuk in tehillim that we thank Hashem that he took out his wrath on the stones and wood of the temple rather than on the people. He could have destroyed us, the people, but instead saved us and destroyed the Temple instead.
I would suggest that Moshe did the same. Hashem wanted to destroy the people and start over. Moshe had told Hashem not to, but I think the price of that was that he break the luchot.
Moshe comes down from Har Sinai and finds Bnei Yisrael engaged in licentious and borderline idolatrous behavior around a golden calf. Enraged, he throws down the tablets and breaks them.
Why break the tablets? What benefit is there in that? They were very valuable, as we see later from when Moshe has to make a new set, and they were very holy. So why be so extreme as to break them?
I would suggest that this is similar to what we find in the gemara regarding the Beis Hamikdash - the gemera learns from a passuk in tehillim that we thank Hashem that he took out his wrath on the stones and wood of the temple rather than on the people. He could have destroyed us, the people, but instead saved us and destroyed the Temple instead.
I would suggest that Moshe did the same. Hashem wanted to destroy the people and start over. Moshe had told Hashem not to, but I think the price of that was that he break the luchot.
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