Approval and Praise
With regard to the breaking of the Luchos (Tablets), our Sages state that this was one of the matters in which “Moshe acted on his own initiative, and the Holy One, blessed be He, agreed with him.” Moshe broke them because he derived a kal va’chomer (an a fortiori inference): If regarding the Korban Pesach, which is only one of the six hundred and thirteen mitzvos, the Torah states, “No alienated person may eat from it,” {then, in this instance, where} the entire Torah {is being given}, and the Jews {at that moment} were apostates, {as they were worshiping the Golden Calf} — how much more so {are they unfit for it}!
Subsequently, “The Holy One, blessed be He, agreed with him, as it is stated, ‘{The Luchos} which (asher) you broke’; and Reish Lakish said {that this is interpreted to mean}: ‘Yishar kochacha (your strength shall be true {to its mark}) because you broke them.’” Rashi explains: “Asher” — {connotes} “ishur” (approval), {implying} that He approved of and praised him for breaking them.”
This requires clarification: The term ishur (approval) indicates Hashem’s concurrence with the breaking of the Luchos. The term “praised him,” however, implies {something further} — that the act of breaking the Luchos was itself something good and cherished, an act deserving of praise.
What exactly is the “praise” inherent in the breaking of the Luchos? We cannot answer that Moshe’s praise for breaking the Luchos was merely because he acted out of concern for the Torah’s honor — i.e., that he did not wish to give it to “apostates.” On the contrary: breaking the Luchos is the very opposite of honoring the Torah! If the intent was to protect the Torah’s honor by ensuring it would not be given to “apostates,” this could have been accomplished by preserving the Luchos intact and hiding them beneath the mountain in their entirety, or placing them in an Ark — as was later done with the broken fragments of the Luchos — and the like.
Protection or Intrinsic Value?
Another reason for the breaking of the Luchos is found in the Midrash:
It is preferable that she be judged as an unmarried woman rather than as a married woman. The Luchos are likened to a kesubah (marriage contract) between Hashem and the Jewish people. Since they “acted unfaithfully with another” — {referring to the sin of the Golden Calf} — Moshe “took her kesubah... and tore it.”
According to this explanation, the breaking of the Luchos brought about a benefit for the Jewish people: through this act, Moshe spared them from the more severe punishment that would have resulted had they been judged “as a married woman” {who had been unfaithful}.
On this basis, the praise accorded to Moshe for breaking the Luchos is clear — through this act, he brought about the salvation of the Jewish people. However, this explanation is not sufficient. Aside from the fact that even for the sake of this salvation, it was seemingly not necessary to break the Luchos — it would have sufficed to hide them and not deliver them to the Jewish people (the “bride”) — the straightforward implication of the expression “Yishar kochacha because you broke them” is that the approval and praise are not merely for the positive outcome that emerged in a different area — namely, the salvation of the Jewish people — but for the act of breaking the Luchos itself.
This is underscored even more clearly by several of the Rishonim, who explain that the basis for interpreting “asher shibarta” as “Yishar kochacha because you broke them” is derived from the verse (in Parshas Eikev): “{I will inscribe on the [new] Luchos the [same] words that were on the first Luchos,} which you broke, and you must place them into the wooden Ark,” from which the Gemara infers that “the broken fragments of the Luchos were placed in the Ark.” These commentators explain: From this it is evident that their breaking was cherished before Him — for if not, He would not have commanded that they be placed (and preserved) in the Ark, for “a prosecutor cannot serve as a defender.”
Thus, it is clear that the breaking of the Luchos was desirable not merely because it brought about the salvation of the Jewish people at that time. In fact, that very salvation recalls the sin of the Jewish people — for which they required saving — and would therefore once again constitute a “prosecutor.” Rather, the breaking itself contains within it an enduring virtue and preciousness.
Its Cessation Is Its Establishment
In a straightforward sense, we can explain this based on the Midrash, which relates that Moshe Rabbeinu was distressed over the breaking of the Luchos. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: Do not be distressed over the first Luchos, which contained only the Ten Commandments. In the second Luchos I will give you {much more} — they will contain Halachos, Midrash, and Aggados... — “a doubled wisdom” (kiflayim letushiyah).”
This, then, is the meaning of the statement, “Yishar kochacha because you broke them”: The praise — and preciousness — of breaking the Luchos pertains to the Luchos themselves, for as a result of their breaking the second Luchos were given, which are superior to the first — “a doubled wisdom.”
This is also evident from {the context of} the source of the statement, “Yishar kochacha because you broke them.” {The Gemara records}: Reish Lakish states: “There are times that the cessation of Torah is itself its establishment, as it is written: ‘which you broke’... ‘Yishar kochacha because you broke them.’” The straightforward meaning of “the cessation of Torah is itself its establishment” is that the very act of suspending Torah brings about its establishment and preservation. (For if we were to explain that “Yishar kochacha because you broke them” was merely on account of the salvation of the Jewish people, it would not be appropriate to describe this as “its [i.e., Torah’s] establishment.”)
Specifically, this statement emphasizes that it was precisely through the breaking of the Luchos that the “establishment” of Torah was achieved — since this led to the giving of the second Luchos, which are {characterized as} “a doubled wisdom.”
[This also resolves another question: Why did the Divine approval and praise for breaking the Luchos not appear immediately after the event — as one might have expected — but instead is only alluded to later, in the command (given forty days afterward) concerning the second Luchos: “Hew for yourself... like the first... which you broke”? The reason is that the superior quality and benefit of the breaking became apparent only with the giving of the second Luchos, which are {characterized as} “a doubled wisdom.”]
However, this itself calls for further explanation: Why did Hashem not give the Jewish people “Halachos, Midrash, and Aggados” already in the first Luchos? From the Midrash it appears that only after the breaking of the first Luchos could the concept of “a doubled wisdom” be realized through the giving of the second Luchos. Moreover, if “a doubled wisdom” could have been granted even without the breaking of the first Luchos — how would Hashem’s explanation have alleviated Moshe’s distress? This leads to a fundamental question: What is the intrinsic connection between giving the Torah in the manner of “a doubled wisdom” — Halachos, Midrash, and Aggados — and the breaking of the Luchos specifically?
The Prerequisite of Bitul
One of the explanations for this is as follows: We have discussed many times that as a prerequisite and condition for a Jew to become a vessel (kli) for the Torah of the Holy One, blessed be He, there must be within him the quality of humility and bitul (self-nullification).
As we say in the prayer Elokai Netzor: May my soul be as dust to all; open my heart to Your Torah. In order for there to be a true opening of the heart — to receive and internalize “Your Torah” — the necessary preparation and foundation is that a person exist in a state of bitul — and not just a general bitul, but specifically in the manner of being “as dust to all.”
This is likewise reflected in the statement of the Gemara: If a person makes himself like a wilderness upon which everyone treads, his study will endure. It is not sufficient that a person feel his insignificance in relation to Hashem, the Giver of the Torah. Rather, he must also cultivate a sense of lowliness in relation to every human being — “upon which everyone treads.”
The reason for this is that the Torah is “His Torah” — the wisdom of the Holy One, blessed be He. Just as Hashem is Ein Sof (Infinite), and the intellect of a created being cannot truly grasp Him, so too His wisdom is beyond the reach of a created being’s comprehension.
Although Hashem contracted His wisdom into the Torah — allowing it to “descend” and “clothe itself” within the matters of Torah as they appear before us, so that even the intellect of a created being in this lowly world can comprehend it — nevertheless, the Torah remains the wisdom of the Holy One, blessed be He, even in its descended state. Therefore, for a created being to truly grasp Divine wisdom and “receive” the Torah — which in its essence transcends the very reality of created beings — there must be the state of “May my soul be as dust to all”: a complete bitul of the created being’s independent existence.
Shattering the Heart to Receive the Infinite
This explains the connection between the breaking of the Luchos and the second Luchos, which were given with “Halachos, Midrash, and Aggados” — that is, the Oral Torah (Torah Shebe’al Peh): One of the ways in which it becomes evident and perceptible that even in this lowly world the Torah is the wisdom of the Holy One, blessed be He, is through the quality of boundlessness revealed within it, {in the words of the verse:} “Longer than the earth in measure, and broader than the sea.”
This “infinite” quality of Torah is revealed specifically within the Oral Torah.
The Written Torah (Torah Shebiksav), is given with precise measure and limitation — not a letter more and not a letter less. The Oral Torah, however, is characterized by the mandate to “expand it” (le’afshah lah): one must continually innovate within Torah, and in this pursuit, there is no end or limit.
For this reason, the “Halachos, Midrash, and Aggados” were given specifically after the breaking of the Luchos: The Giving of the Torah was the time when Hashem openly chose the Jewish people — “You have chosen us from among all peoples and tongues” — along with “You have exalted us above all tongues.”
It is thus clear that at that time — when the Jewish people were in a state of elevation and exaltedness — they were, by their very holy nature, simply not in a position to be “as dust to all.” True, the revelation of the Divine Presence (Shechinah) at Sinai engendered within them a sense of awe and bitul. However, this was not a bitul “to all” {i.e., all other people}, and it came as a result of revelations from above.
The Jewish people, in and of themselves, standing at the height of elevation as the recipients of the Torah — Hashem’s “hidden treasure” — were incompatible with a state of “May my soul be as dust to all,” “upon which everyone treads.” This is the {deeper} meaning of “Yishar kochacha because you broke them”: The breaking of the Luchos — done specifically in the manner of “I broke them before your eyes” — produced within the Jewish people a sense of lowliness and a broken heart. It was precisely this inner shattering that transformed them into a proper vessel capable of receiving the “a doubled wisdom” of the second Luchos — the infinite expanse of the Oral Torah.
Wholeness and Brokenness in the Ark
Based on the above, we can also understand the reason that “The Luchos and the broken fragments of the Luchos were placed in the Ark.” These two elements — the {whole} Luchos and the broken fragments of the Luchos — by their very nature correspond to the two elements required in order to truly receive the Torah.
The Luchos represent Torah as it is engraved upon stone. In engraving, the letters are not an independent entity affixed to the material upon which they are formed. Rather, the letters are intrinsic to it; they are an inseparable part of the very stone in which they are carved. [This stands in contrast to a Sefer Torah, where the letters are written with ink upon parchment — that is, an independent substance added to the parchment. For that reason, it is possible to remove or erase the letters from the parchment.] The Luchos thus symbolize the “wondrous union” achieved through Torah study: the human intellect becomes invested in and encompassed by Hashem’s wisdom, while simultaneously absorbing His wisdom in such a manner that they become “truly united from every side and angle.”
The broken fragments of the Luchos, {on the other hand,} symbolize the element of bitul — the {inner} brokenness required to truly receive His Torah: “May my soul be as dust to all” — and specifically through this — “open my heart to Your Torah.”
The Paradox of Intellect and Bitul
These two elements required for Torah study are, by their very nature, opposites. On the one hand, Torah study demands the full presence, activity, and contribution of the human intellect. In fact, this is the fundamental difference between the performance of mitzvos and the study of Torah.
In the performance of mitzvos, the primary element is {expressed in the wording common to all mitzvah blessings}: Who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us. A Jew obeys Hashem and fulfills His will through kabbalas ol — acceptance of His sovereignty and the yoke of His mitzvos.
By contrast, Torah study cannot be fulfilled through kabbalas ol alone. Specifically (with regard to the Oral Torah), there must be genuine understanding and comprehension.
It is not enough for a Jew to believe with perfect faith that everything written in the Torah is true. Torah study means that he learns its subject matter until it is firmly settled within his own mind. When a Jew encounters a question in Torah, it must be a genuine difficulty for him — within his own intellectual framework. And the resolution provided by the Torah must remove that difficulty in such a way that, in his own mind, the subject matter is now settled and entirely clear.
It is specifically through this type of rigorous study that the “wondrous union” is achieved — whereby the human intellect absorbs the intellect of the Torah and is, simultaneously, encompassed by it. On the other hand, for one’s Torah study to reflect the Torah as it truly is — meaning, for the human mind to grasp the subject matter as it is rooted in Hashem’s wisdom (which is incomparably beyond human intellect) — there must also be the element of bitul — a state of “May my soul be as dust to all,” symbolized by the “broken fragments of the Luchos.”
It is specifically through this bitul that the human intellect is lifted beyond its inherent limitations, enabling a person to understand in alignment with His wisdom.
The Union of Opposites in the “Ark” of the Soul
This raises the question: How can two such opposite forces — intellectual exertion and total bitul — coexist. The answer lies in the teaching that “the Luchos and the broken fragments of the Luchos were placed in the Ark.”
Regarding the Ark, our Sages state: “The space of the Ark was not included in the measurement {of the Holy of Holies}.” This represents a fusion of opposites within a single reality: On the one hand, it was the “space of the Ark” — a physical space with precise dimensions as required by the Torah, as it is written: “Two and a half cubits shall be its length...” Yet, at the same time, this very space was “not included in the measurement” {as the Ark did not take up any of the room’s measured dimensions}. It was both measured and beyond measure simultaneously.
This was possible because within the Ark — in the Holy of Holies — there was a revelation of Hashem’s Essence (Atzmus). Since He is Nimna HaNimna’os (“the One for whom no impossibility exists”) and the “bearer of opposites” — as the Rashba explains — He allows for the simultaneous existence of two opposite states in one place.
The same is true of the “Ark” within the human soul — for, as is well known, every element of the Mishkan (and the Beis HaMikdash) and its vessels has its counterpart within the soul — namely, the innermost point of the heart, the yechidah of the soul.
Through the service of the yechidah — {the level characterized by the words} “Yechidah le’yachedach” (“the Yechidah to Your Oneness”), for within it shines the Supernal Yachid (the “Singular One”), Hashem’s very Essence — a Jew can embody both of these opposing modes of Divine service simultaneously: {He can study Torah with the full rigor of his human intellect while at the same time remaining in a state of brokenness and complete bitul — thus embodying the teaching that} “the Luchos and the broken fragments of the Luchos were placed {together} in the Ark.”
From sichos delivered on Purim, 5745 (1985), and Shabbos Chol HaMoed Sukkos, 5729 (1968)
