Illustration credit: Chaim File
After the sin of the עֵגֶל (eigel, calf), Moshe destroys the eigel, prays to God to save Benei Yisrael, carves a new set of לֻחוֹת (luhot, tablets), and spends another 40 days and 40 nights on הַר סִינַי (Har Sinai, Mount Sinai) with God. When he comes down from the mountain, the Torah describes a transformation that happened to him.
וַיְהִי בְּרֶדֶת מֹשֶׁה מֵהַר סִינַי
וּשְׁנֵי לֻחֹת הָעֵדֻת בְּיַד מֹשֶׁה בְּרִדְתּוֹ מִן הָהָר
וּמֹשֶׁה לֹא יָדַע כִּי קָרַן עוֹר פָּנָיו בְּדַבְּרוֹ אִתּוֹ׃
וַיַּרְא אַהֲרֹן וְכׇל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶת מֹשֶׁה
וְהִנֵּה קָרַן עוֹר פָּנָיו
וַיִּירְאוּ מִגֶּשֶׁת אֵלָיו׃
When Moshe came down from Har Sinai,
there were two luhot of testimony in Moshe’s hands when he came down from the mountain.
Moshe didn’t know that the skin of his face was glowing, since he had spoken with God.
Aharon and all of Benei Yisrael saw that the skin of Moshe’s face was glowing;
and they were scared to come near him.
- What sticks out to you? What questions do you have?
- This wasn’t the first time Moshe spoke to God. What might have been different about this time that made his face glow?
- What does it mean about Moshe that his face shone with light? What does it mean about him that he didn’t realize it?
- Why do you think Benei Yisrael were frightened?
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