Moses and the Tablets

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The Divine Tablets

TANAKH

The tablets were inscribed on both sides and were the direct work of God, highlighting their divine origin and miraculous nature. The book of Exodus describes Moses descending from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the Covenant, which were inscribed by God on both sides.

Thereupon Moses turned and went down from the mountain bearing the two tablets of the Pact, tablets inscribed on both their surfaces: they were inscribed on the one side and on the other. The tablets were God’s work, and the writing was God’s writing, incised upon the tablets.

Exodus 32:15-16

Engraved as Freedom

KABBALAH

The word 'engraved' on the tablets can be read as 'freedom,' symbolizing liberation from the angel of death. In Kuntres Matan Torah, Rabbi Yehuda Ashlag explores the Midrashic interpretation of the Torah's engraving on the tablets, linking it to spiritual freedom.

“‘…engraved upon the tablets’ (Exodus 32:16) … Do not read it as ḥarut (engraved), but rather ḥerut (freedom) (which teaches us it is) freedom from the angel of death” (Shemot Rabbah 41, 7).

Kuntres Mattan Torah, Sixth Discourse; The Freedom 1:1

Moses and the Golden Calf

COMMENTARY

Moses' physical strength left him when he saw the golden calf, causing him to hurl the Tablets a short distance to avoid injuring his feet. The medieval Torah commentary Chizkuni offers a unique perspective on Moses' reaction to the Israelites' idolatry.

וישלך מידיו, “he hurled from his hands;” Moses’ physical strength left him when he saw with his own eyes the golden calf, and he was no longer able to hold on to the Tablets, and threw them a short distance from where he stood, just far enough so that they would not hurt his feet by falling on them.

Chizkuni, Exodus 32:19:2

Moses's Afflictions and Rewards

MIDRASH

Moses endured great physical and spiritual afflictions during the reception of the Torah, which ultimately led to a deeper connection with the Divine and the Torah itself. Shemot Rabbah, a medieval midrashic work on the book of Exodus, explores Moses's dedication and the significance of the Oral Torah, emphasizing the value of Torah study and the spiritual sustenance it provides.

Another matter, “the Lord said to Moses: Write for yourself these matters” (Exodus 34:27) – that is what is written: “It is good for me that I was afflicted, so I might learn Your statutes” (Psalms 119:71). It was for Moses’s benefit that he fasted the one hundred and twenty days that he received the Torah. From what would Moses eat? It was from the aura of the Divine Presence, as it is stated: “And You sustain them all” (Nehemiah 9:6).
Another matter, from what did he eat? It was from the Torah, as it is stated: “Son of man, eat what you find, [eat this scroll]…I ate it” (Ezekiel 3:1, 3)…

Shemot Rabbah 47:7

The Enlightening Power of the Tablets

CHASIDUT

The Tablets of the Covenant have the power to sharpen the intellect and enhance one's perception of God, leading to profound humility. Rabbi Nachman of Breslov, a prominent Hasidic master, teaches about the transformative spiritual significance of the Tablets in his work Likutei Moharan.

Now, the primary light of the tefilin comes from the Tablets. As is brought: When the Jewish people said (Exodus 24:7), “We will do and we will hear,” they merited a supernal coat of armor. And from the Tablets’ light Moshe merited a radiance of the facial skin, because [the Tablets] are the mentalities themselves. For by sharpening the intellect through the Torah, the mentalities are sharpened. One gains <added perception in recognizing God> and becomes exceedingly embarrassed <before God. This is because> the Tablets are the root of the Torah…

Likutei Moharan 38:7:3

The Comprehensive Nature of the Ten Commandments

COMMENTARY

The Ten Commandments are not just a list of ten rules but encapsulate all 613 commandments of the Torah. Rashi, the renowned medieval French rabbi, explains this comprehensive nature of the Ten Commandments in his commentary on Exodus, drawing on the insights of Rabbi Saadia Gaon.

את לחת האבן והתורה והמצוה אשר כתבתי להורתם [AND I WILL GIVE THEE] THE TABLETS OF STONE, AND THE LAW, AND THE COMMANDMENT WHICH I HAVE WRITTEN TO TEACH THEM — All the six hundred and thirteen commandments are implicitly contained in the Ten Commandments and may therefore be regarded as having been written on the tablets. Rabbi Saadia specified in the אזהרות which he has composed those commandments which may be associated with each of the Ten Commandments.

Rashi on Exodus 24:12:3

The Aftermath of Idolatry

TARGUM

The Israelites' moral and spiritual decline led to severe consequences, including a loss of reputation and physical afflictions. The Aramaic Targum to Song of Songs offers a midrashic interpretation of this event, highlighting its impact on the Israelites' well-being.

1:12 And while Moses their rabbi was still in the Firmament to receive the two tablets of stone, the Law and the Ordinance, the wicked of that generation and the mixed multitude among them arose and made the golden calf, and they corrupted their deeds. And they earned a bad reputation in the world. While previously their fragrance had gone forth in the world, after this they smelled like nard, which has a terrible odor, and the plague of leprosy came down upon their flesh.

Aramaic Targum to Song of Songs 1:12

Engraved by God

CHASIDUT

The engraving on the tablets represents a unique and intense revelation of the Divine Presence in the material world. The late 18th-century Chabad Chassidic text, Tanya, by Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, delves into the profound spiritual significance of the tablets and their divine origin.

At the time the First Temple stood, in which the Ark and Tables [of the Decalogue] were housed in the Holy of Holies, the Shechinah, i.e., malchut d’Atzilut, that is, the aspect of the “revealed” light of the En Sof, blessed is He, dwelled there and was clothed in the Ten Commandments, far higher and stronger, and with a greater and mightier revelation, than its revelation in the shrines of the Holy of Holies above in the upper worlds. For the Ten Commandments are the all-embracing principles of the whole Torah…

Tanya, Part I; Likkutei Amarim 53:1

Moses the Advocate Leader

JEWISH THOUGHT

Moses, despite his anger and the act of shattering the tablets, pleaded with God to save the people from destruction. This text explores Moses' leadership and his role as an intercessor during the Israelites' journey in the wilderness, particularly during crises like the sin of the Golden Calf.

Even as problems were exacerbated and heightened in intensity and significance, Moses was able to manage his anger and serve as an intercessor between God and the people. Most notably, at the sin of the Golden Calf, Moses may have shattered the tablets, but he still pleaded with God to save the people God was bent on destroying.

Leadership in the Wilderness; Authority and Anarchy in the Book of Numbers, Part II, Chapter 7; The Dark Hours of Leadership 29

Days of Assembly and Reaffirmation

LITURGY

Mondays and Thursdays hold special significance in Jewish tradition as days of assembly and reaffirmation of commitment to God's Law. This text from the weekday morning prayers in the Siddur highlights the importance of these days, linked to Moses' receipt of the Second Tablets.

Moses ascended Mount Sinai to receive the Second Tablets on the fifth day of the week, and he returned to the people on the second day of the week, bringing them the new tablets as a security for the Divine covenant and as confirmation of God's atonement for their transgression. Ever since, the second and fifth day of each week, Monday and Thursday, have been days of summons to the Jewish people to assemble anew before God and to reaffirm their sincere "return" to the Law of God. Our regular service is therefore augmented on these days by these additional supplications.

Weekday Siddur Sefard Linear, The Morning Prayers, Vehu Rachum 5

The Interconnected Commandments

MIDRASH

The Ten Commandments are not just a list of rules but a deeply interconnected moral and ethical framework. Louis Ginzberg’s early 20th-century work, Legends of the Jews, explores the correspondence between the first five and the last five commandments, illustrating their interconnectedness.

The Ten Commandments are so closely interwoven, that the breaking of one leads to the breaking of another. But there is a particularly strong bond of union between the first five commandments, which are written on one table, and the last five, which were on the other table. The first commandment: "I am the Lord, thy God," corresponds to the sixth: "Thou shalt not kill," for the murderer slays the image of God. The second: "Thou shalt have no strange gods before me," corresponds to the seventh: "Thou shalt not commit adultery," for conjugal faithlessness is as grave a sin as idolatry…

Legends of the Jews 3:2:68

Moses' Unanswered Prayer

COMMENTARY

Moses, despite his unparalleled leadership and successful intercessions for others, faced the paradox of his own unfulfilled personal prayers. Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, in his commentary on Deuteronomy, reflects on Moses' final moments and his unique relationship with God.

Moses – the man who stood before Pharaoh demanding his people’s freedom, who was unafraid even to challenge God Himself, who when he came down the mountain and saw the people dancing around the Golden Calf smashed the divinely hewn tablets, the holiest object ever to be held by human hands – pleaded for the one small mercy that would give completion to his life’s work, but it was not to be. When he prayed for others he succeeded. When he prayed for himself, he failed. That in itself is strange.

Covenant and Conversation; Deuteronomy; Renewal of the Sinai Covenant, V'Zot HaBerachah, End Without an Ending 4

The Timing of Moses' Ascent

TALMUD

The exact timing of when Moses ascended Mount Sinai and the duration of his stay is meticulously calculated, offering a fascinating insight into the Hebrew calendar. The Talmudic tractate Taanit provides a detailed account of the dates and duration of Moses' time on Mount Sinai, combining the days of Sivan and Tammuz.

According to the one who said that the Ten Commandments were given on the seventh of Sivan, they were given on the seventh, and on the seventh Moses ascended to Mount Sinai, as it is written: “And He called to Moses on the seventh day out of the midst of the cloud” (Exodus 24:16), and it is written: “And Moses entered into the midst of the cloud, and he went up into the mount, and Moses was on the mount forty days and forty nights” (Exodus 24:18). The calculation is as follows: There were twenty-four days remaining in Sivan…

Taanit 28b:9

The Unified Tablets

MUSAR

The two tablets given to Moses symbolize the inseparability and equal importance of commandments between man and God and those between man and his fellow man. In Shemirat HaLashon, Rabbi Yisrael Meir Kagan (the Chofetz Chaim) emphasizes the holistic approach to Jewish ethics, highlighting the unity of all commandments.

And how fitting is the homily of our sages of blessed memory on the verse (Shemoth 32:16): "And the tablets [luchoth] are the work of G-d.": "'Luchoth' is written [without the vav] to show that they [the tablets] were both the same; that is, they looked like one tablet. For it is known that on one tablet, on the right, there were written those things between man and his Maker, and on the second tablet, that begins (Ibid. 20:13): "You shall not kill," "You shall not commit adultery," until the end of that tablet…

Shemirat HaLashon, Book II 27:5

The Tablets in the Ark

COMMENTARY

The placement of the Tablets of the Testimony in the Ark is a significant aspect of the Israelites' worship and their covenant with God. Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz’s modern translation and commentary on the Hebrew Bible provides a clear and engaging explanation of this pivotal moment.

You shall place in the ark the Tablets of the Testimony, the two tablets of the covenant, that I will give you.

Steinsaltz on Exodus 25:16

Moses coming down from Mount Sinai the Tablets containing the Ten Commandents; Joshua is with him. London: Frederick Warne & Co., [1872] Camden Press. From the British Library archive

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