English translation — תשא ג

A.

Regarding the breaking of the Tablets, Chazal say¹,

that this is one of the things that "Moshe did from his own mind and the Holy One, blessed be He, agreed²

with him" — Moshe broke them because he made a kal vachomer "And what³

about Pesach, which is one of the 613 mitzvos, the Torah said⁴

'No foreigner shall eat of it,'

the entire Torah

and Yisrael are apostates, all the more so",

and "the Holy One, blessed be He, agreed²

with him, as it is said⁵

'which you broke,' and the Holy One, blessed be He, said, 'May your strength be true that you broke'".

Rashi explains⁶

: "Asher — approval,

that He approved and praised him for their breaking".

One must understand: the expression "approval",

indicates the agreement of the Holy One, blessed be He, to the breaking of the tablets: the expression of "He praised"⁷

But — means,

that the action of breaking the tablets is a matter good and beloved for which praise is due.

What is the "praise" in the breaking of the tablets?

One cannot answer that the praise of Moses for breaking the tablets is for that which he stood up for the

honor of the Torah

(which he did not want to give to "apostates")

— because,

on the contrary: breaking of the tablets is the opposite of honor of the Torah! One must prevent

(honor of G‑d)

Torah that it should not be given to "apostates" — one must express this by placing the tablets intact under the mountain

(or in an ark,

as was later done regarding the broken tablets,

etc.)⁸.

B.

Another reason for the breaking of the tablets is stated in the midrash⁹

— "Better that she be judged as a single woman and not as a married woman": the tablets are like a marriage contract between the Almighty and the Jewish people,

and since "she committed adultery with another" "she forfeits her marriage contract ..

and tears it."

According to this reason it turns out,

that through the breaking of the tablets a good came out for Jews — through this he prevented them from a severe punishment which would have come if they were judged as "an adulterous wife."

And according to this is explained the praise of Moshe in the breaking of the tablets¹⁰

— with this he brought about the rescue of Israel.

But this is not a sufficient explanation,

because

(apparently)

not a necessity to break the tablets — it is enough to guard them and not give them over to Jews

(the "Kallah")¹¹

— is]

From the plainness of the language "Yasher koach sheshibarta" it implies,

that the approval and praise is not on the result

(good)

that came out from this in another matter

(the saving of Israel)

— but also on the breaking of the tablets itself.

Even stronger is it emphasized in several Rishonim<sup>12</sup>,

who say,

that the proof for the interpretation "which you broke — may your strength be firm that you broke" is derived "because it is written

(in Parshat Ekev<sup>13</sup>)

you broke and you shall place them

(in the ark)

from which it is derived<sup>14</sup>

that "the broken tablets are placed in the ark" — "and hear<sup>15</sup>

from it that their breaking was beloved<sup>16</sup>

before Him,

for if not,

it would not be a commandment to place them

(and to fulfill them)

in the ark, for there is no accuser in the place of a defender".

From this it is understood,

that this

That the breaking of the tablets was a desirable thing is not only because this then brought about the rescue of Jews

(Because of which they needed to come to a rescue)

— it is yet again an instance of "prosecutor"],

Rather, the breaking contains in itself a virtue

(and endearment)

permanent¹⁷.

3.

Simply, one can explain this based on the words of the midrash¹⁸

that Moses our teacher was distressed about the breaking of the tablets — "The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: Do not be distressed over the first tablets, for they contained only the Ten Commandments alone, but in the second tablets I am giving you that there will be in them laws, midrash, and aggadot ..

double¹⁹

to wisdom."

And this is the explanation of "Yasher koach sheshibarta" — the praise

(and endearment)

for the breaking of the tablets is because of the tablets themselves,

since through this the second tablets were given, which are higher than the first tablets²⁰

— "keflayim letushiyah".

And as is also understood from the source of the maamar "Yasher koach sheshibarta"²¹

— "Amar Reish Lakish, sometimes the nullification of Torah is its foundation, as it is written 'asher shibarta ..

Yasher koach sheshibarta": the simple explanation of "bitulah shel Torah zeh yesodah" is,

that "bitulah shel Torah" itself opens up the

foundation

(and existence)

of Torah²²

(because if one were to learn that the "thank you for breaking [the tablets]" is only for the sake of saving Israel — then one cannot say "this is the foundation of the Torah).

That is,

that the discourse emphasizes,

that specifically through the breaking of the tablets was the "foundation" of Torah — because through this was the giving of the second tablets which are "double in wisdom."

(as it should be,

seemingly),

but this is hinted only at the command

(forty days later)

regarding the second tablets,

(Carve for yourself etc. like the first etc. which you broke"²³

— because the

advantage and benefit of the breaking of the tablets is revealed only at the giving of the second tablets which are "double in wisdom"²⁴].

But the very thing itself requires a reason: why did the Almighty not give Jews "laws of midrash and aggadah* directly in the first tablets?

From the midrash it is understood,

that specifically after the breaking of the first tablets took place could there be the matter of "double for wisdom" in the giving of the second tablets.

And — if it could have been "double for wisdom"* even without the breaking of the first tablets — then how is the distress of Moses removed?

It is perplexing: what is the connection of the giving of the Torah in the manner of "double for wisdom" — laws, midrash and aggadot — specifically with the breaking of the tablets²⁵?

4.

One of the explanations in the Y”L:

It has already been spoken several times,

that an introduction and condition,

in order that a Jew be able to be a vessel for the Torah of the Holy One, blessed be He, there must be with him the matter of lowliness and self-nullification.

As one says in the prayer "Elokai

Netzor"²⁶

: "And my soul like dust to all shall be; open my heart in Your Torah" — so that he should have opening of the heart to

(take in,

absorb)

"Your Torah",

is the introduction and preparation for this that he should be in self-nullification — and not merely self-nullification,

but in the manner of "like dust to all".

And as the Gemara²⁷

says "If a person makes himself like this desert that everyone tramples upon, his learning is sustained in his hand."

It is not sufficient that he feels his lack of place in relation to the Most High

(the Giver of the Torah),

rather there must be the feeling of lowliness in relation to every person

("that everyone tramples upon him").

Because Torah is indeed His Torah,

the wisdom of the Holy One, blessed be He,

that just as²⁸

as the Supreme One is "infinite" and the intellect of a created being cannot have any grasp of Him, blessed be He,

so too is His wisdom, blessed be He, higher than that a created being should be able to grasp it²⁹.

And although the Supreme One contracted His wisdom, blessed be He, in the Torah which "descended" and "clothed itself" in the matters of the Torah as it is before us,

in a manner that also the intellect of a created being below should be able to have a comprehension in Torah²⁸

— nevertheless,

Torah is

(remained)

the wisdom of the Holy One, blessed be He, also as it came down here below.

And therefore,

in order for a created being to truly comprehend the Divine wisdom and "take" the Torah

(which is essentially above the existence of created beings)

— there must be in him the ,

and my soul shall be like dust to all — the nullification of the existence of the created being to the utmost.

H.

And this is the connection between the breaking of the tablets and the second tablets which were given "laws, midrash, and aggadot"

(Oral Torah)

One of the matters in which it is evident and it is heard how Torah is also below the wisdom of the Holy One, blessed be He — is the matter of boundlessness that is seen in Torah — "Its measure is longer than the earth and wider than the sea"³⁰

: and the "Endless" of Torah is

(in revelation)

specifically in the Oral Torah³¹.

The Written Torah is specifically with a measurement and limitation,

neither lacking nor extra: but the Oral Torah is on the contrary — it must be "expound upon it"³²,

one must innovate in Torah,

and in this there is no end and limit³¹.

And therefore the "laws of midrash and aggadot" were given specifically after the breaking of the tablets:

Matan Torah was the time when the Most High

(in a revealed manner)

chose the people of Israel — "and us You chose from every people and tongue"³³

together with "and You exalted us from all tongues"³⁴.

It is therefore understood,

that then,

when Jews were in a state of exaltation and elevation,

they — according to the nature of holiness — were not connected to a state of "like dust to all".

True indeed,

that the revelation of the Shechinah at the time of the Giving of the Torah awakened in them the feeling of awe and self-nullification — but this is entirely not "to all",

and it came from the side of the revelations from above.

The Jews themselves,

standing at the ultimate elevation and exaltation

(those who received the Torah — the "hidden treasure"³⁵

of the Holy One, blessed be He),

they were not fit for "and my soul like dust to all",

"that all trample upon it".

And this is the "Yasher koach sheshibarta" — because the breaking of the tablets in a manner of "and I broke them before your eyes"³⁶,

awakened in the Jews the feeling of lowliness and brokenness of heart,

which made them a fitting vessel³⁷

to be able to receive the "double wisdom" of the second tablets,

the multitude without end of the Oral Torah.

6.

With this one will also understand the reason that "the tablets and the broken tablets are placed in the Ark" — because "the tablets and the broken tablets" are in their matters,

connected with the two matters that are required in order to receive the Torah:

The tablets are their matter like the Torah is engraved upon the stone³⁸,

that by engraving the letters are not an added existence to the object in which they are

engraved,

but the letters are of mem and bet — they are an inseparable part of the stone in which they are engraved

but unlike in a Sefer Torah the letters are written in ink on parchment — an additional thing on the parchment,

therefore it is possible that one should separate the letters

(erase)

from the parchment],

And this alludes to the "wondrous unity"³⁹

which is brought about through the study of Torah,

that the human intellect is inserted and encompassed by His wisdom, blessed be He, and simultaneously he takes into himself His wisdom, blessed be He, in a manner that they become "truly unified from every side and angle"³⁹.

And the "broken tablets" allude to the concept of self-nullification,

the brokenness that is required in order to be able to receive His Torah,

"And let my soul be like dust to everyone

(and through this specifically)

open my heart to Your Torah."

7.

The two matters,

which are required in the study of Torah,

are in their essence opposites:

In the study of Torah is required the existence,

the effect and action,

of the human intellect.

Which this is generally the difference between the fulfillment of the commandments and the study of Torah: by the fulfillment of the commandments the main thing is — "Who sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us,"

that the Jew obeys the Most High and does His will, blessed be He, with acceptance of the yoke

(His kingship,

and acceptance of the yoke of commandments)

: but not so the study of Torah, one cannot fulfill it with acceptance of the yoke alone,

rather it must be

(in the Oral Torah)

understanding and comprehension⁴⁰.

In Torah study it is not enough that the Jew believes with complete faith that everything that is written in the Torah is true; Torah study means,

that he learns the topics of the Torah in such a way,

that they should be deposited in his intellect.

When a Jew learns a difficulty in Torah — the topic must be difficult and hard for him,

from the perspective of his intellect; and the Torah's resolution of the difficulty must remove the difficulty in such a manner that in his intellect the topic becomes correct.

And specifically through such Torah study the "wondrous unification" is brought about,

that the human intellect takes into itself

(and is also encompassed by)

the intellect of the Torah.

But on the other hand,

so that the study of Torah should be in a manner that his intellect

(=understanding)

should be directed to the truth of the Torah — i.

e.

that in the human intellect

(created)

should be deposited as it is from His wisdom, blessed be He,

(which is incomparably higher than human intellect,

created)

— there must be the matter of self-nullification — "like dust to all",

"broken tablets" — which through this elevates the human intellect of man above his limitations and he understands in accordance with His wisdom, blessed be He.

Ch.

How can there be two opposite movements simultaneously?

The answer to this is — "the tablets and the broken tablets lie in the Ark":

Regarding the Ark, Chazal say⁴¹

"The place of the Ark is not from the measure",

which is a union of two opposites at once: it is "the place of the Ark" — a place with a measure

true,

a measure obligated by Torah,

and as it is written⁴²

"two cubits and a half⁴³

its length etc.": and together with this the place itself was "not from the measure" — measure and not from the measure at once!

Because in the Ark

(which is within the Holy of Holies)

was the revelation of His Essence, may He be blessed,

for He, may He be blessed, is "the impossible of impossibilities" and the bearer of opposites — as explained by the Rashba in this⁴⁴,

and consequently through it can be the connection of two opposites simultaneously.

And likewise is regarding the aspect of "Ark" in the soul of man

that all details in the extent

(Sanctuary)

and its vessels have their counterpart in the soul of man]

— the innermost of the innermost of the heart,

the yechidah of the soul⁴⁶

From the aspect of the service of the yechidah in the soul — "yechidah l'yachadecha"

(in which shines the quality of yechidah above⁴⁷,

His very Essence)

— can there be in a Jew both opposite movements in divine service simultaneously⁴⁸,

"the tablets and the broken tablets lie in the Ark".

(From the talks of Purim 5745,

Shabbat Chol HaMoed Sukkot 5729)