Parshat Ki Tisa: The Teachings of the Broken Tablets

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Rabbi Aaron Levitt

We read in Parshat Ki Tisa of Moshe Rabbeinu smashing the luchot (tablets) upon seeing B’nai Yisrael worshiping an eigel zahav (golden calf). It is a shocking and almost unfathomable story, coming off the spiritual high of Matan Torah at Har Sinai.

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Did you ever wonder why we celebrate the receiving of the Torah on Shavuot, which commemorates the anniversary of Matan Torah? After all, those luchot were smashed. The Torah that we have came several months later, on Yom Kippur of all days, when B’nai Yisrael were forgiven for the sin of the eigel and given the second set of luchot.

Some suggest that Shavuot is a celebration of God’s decision to give us the Torah, or perhaps of our willingness to accept it. But I think there is an even deeper lesson here as well. Maybe failure and brokenness are also an essential part of accepting Torah.

It’s one thing to feel close to God while receiving the Ten Commandments. It’s another thing to maintain that feeling when we feel distant, at the bottom of the mountain, with Moshe at the summit alone. That’s why, before he dies, Moshe reminds the people that the Torah is not far away in heaven, but very close to us in our hearts. (Devarim 30:11-14).

It’s only natural that there are times in our lives when we feel spiritually uplifted and inspired, and times when we feel lonely and uncertain. The question is what do we do with those moments of distance, of doubt and of brokenness?

Again, we return to the story of the broken luchot for an answer. The Talmud (Bava Batra 14b) tells us something fascinating: Both the new tablets and the broken tablets were kept in the Aron HaBrit (The Ark of the Covenant). Why would the first set of Luchot that were smashed be kept along with the second set? Perhaps the lesson is that we must remember that there are ups and downs in life, and when we face those moments of brokenness, we must not give up because there will be moments of meaning to come.

We could stop right there and reflect on our own spiritual journeys and relationship to Torah and God. But the Talmud (Brachot 8b) takes it even one step further. We learn from the two sets of luchot being kept in the same aron that if a Torah scholar forgets their learning, we must still show them the kavod (honor) that they earned. What a beautiful idea, comparing the kavod we show the Torah with the kavod we must show another human being. In fact, the Talmud elsewhere (Makkot 22b) says it even more directly, criticizing people who stand up to honor a passing Torah scroll, but not a passing person.

So, why are the broken kuchot kept in the aron? To teach us some powerful lessons about kavod for both Torah and people. And to remind us that every failure is just another step in our growth journey.

Moments of failure, disappointment and loss can be so painful. But they also have a lot to teach us.

On Pesach we break the middle matzah. On Rosh Hashanah we blow the broken shevarim sound with the shofar. At Jewish weddings we step on the glass. And on Shavuot we celebrate the giving of the first luchot. Because life is a journey. It is not always smooth or linear. But if we keep searching for meaning, connection and holiness we will climb that mountain again and see how close God has been this entire time.

Rabbi Aaron Levitt serves as executive director of Jewish Educational Services at The Associated: Jewish Federation of Baltimore, promoting and supporting Jewish education across Baltimore.
If you would like to get involved or learn more, please contact [email protected].

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