In Parshat Ki Tisa, we are told how Moshe came down from the summit of Mount Sinai with the Ten Commandments in his hands. And then when he saw the Israelites worshipping the golden calf the Torah says, “וישלך מידו [מידיו] את הלחת - He threw the tablets down from his hands.”
But the word ‘מידו [מידיו]’ – ‘from his hands’ – is missing a yud, and therefore it can be read literally as ‘מידו’ – ‘from his hand’. What sense can we make of this?
Reb Yisrael Salanter gives a marvelous commentary. This is how he puts it. Moshe had two Luchot. One, which was held in his right hand, was the Luchot bearing the laws between ourselves and Hashem. The other, which he held in his left hand, bore the laws between ourselves and our fellow human beings. That’s how Moshe came down the mountain.
When he saw the Bnei Yisrael worshipping the calf, he recognized that they were breaking the first two of the commandments: 1. We have to believe in Hashem, and 2. We cannot worship any idols. These commandments were on the Luchot held by his right hand and therefore the thought crossed his mind, “וישלך מידו,” – that he would cast that tablet down from his ‘hand’ because what they were doing related only to the mitzvot between ourselves and Hashem, not to the mitzvot between ourselves and others.
But then Moshe realized that actually we should never separate the two Luchot - because ultimately our responsibility towards our fellow human beings must always be seen as an integral part of our relationship with Hashem and that’s why “וישלך מידו [מידיו],” – he cast down the Luchot from both of his hands.
Here we have yet another reminder of the centrality of our responsibility towards others within the mitzvot of the Torah because ultimately what Hahem wants of us is to have a full deep and meaningful relationship with Him and at the same time to always see our responsibility to others as being part of our belief in Hashem.
So let’s show Hashem how we have a deep and meaningful relationship with Him by praying for our soldiers, police and medical professionals, especially through these trying times by adding a special prayer for the healing of all those injured, for the safe return of those taken as hostages, as well as Divine Protection for our brave IDF soldiers, police officers, medical professionals, firefighters, ZAKA members, security personnel and all those citizens protecting us in Israel as well as around the world, and for those who need healing, shidduchim, children or parnassah and may we be blessed to have the most awesome, gorgeous, beautiful, peaceful, healthy, amazing, relaxed, spiritual, safe, quiet and sweet Shabbat.
