כי תשא - שבירת הלוחות

The LORD spoke to Moses, “Hurry down, for your people, whom you brought out of the land of Egypt, have acted basely. They have been quick to turn aside from the way that I enjoined upon them. They have made themselves a molten calf and bowed low to it and sacrificed to it, saying: ‘This is your god, O Israel, who brought you out of the land of Egypt!’” The LORD further said to Moses, “I see that this is a stiffnecked people. Now, let Me be, that My anger may blaze forth against them and that I may destroy them, and make of you a great nation.” But Moses implored the LORD his God, saying, “Let not Your anger, O Lord, blaze forth against Your people...

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. When Joshua heard the sound of the people in its boisterousness, he said to Moses, “There is a cry of war in the camp.” But he answered, “It is not the sound of the tune of triumph, Or the sound of the tune of defeat; It is the sound of song that I hear!” As soon as Moses came near the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, he became enraged; and he threw the tablets from his hands and shattered them at the foot of the mountain.

(3) לעיני כל ישראל [WHICH MOSES SHOWED] BEFORE THE EYES OF ALL ISRAEL — This refers to the fact that his heart inspired him to shatter the Tablets before their eyes, as it is said, (Deuteronomy 9:17) “And I broke them before your eyes” (Sifrei Devarim 357:45), and the opinion of the Holy One, blessed be He, regarding this action agreed with his opinion, as it is stated that God said of the Tablets, (Exodus 34:1) אשר שברת "Which you have broken", [which implies] "May your strength be fitting (יישר; an expression of thanks and congratulation) because you have broken them" (Yevamot 62a; Shabbat 87a).

(1) פסל לך HEW THYSELF — thou hast broken the first tablets, do thou therefore hew others. A parable: this may be compared to a king who travelled to a remote country (more lit., to a province over-sea) leaving his betrothed at home with her handmaids. Through the immoral conduct of her handmaids she also gained a bad reputation (more lit., there went forth against her an evil name). Her bridesman arose and tore up the marriage-contract saying: If the king proposes to kill her I shall say to him, “She is not yet thy wife” (the marriage contract which might have served as evidence being destroyed. The king made enquiry, found that the immorality had been only on the hand maids’ side and became reconciled with her. Her bridesman then said to the king, “Write another marriage contract for her because the first has been torn up”. Whereupon the king replied: You tore it up; do you therefore purchase for her new paper and I will write it for her in My handwriting. So, here, too: the King is the Holy One blessed be He, the handmaids are the mixed multitude, the bride’s friend is Moses, and the betrothed of the Holy One, blessed be He, is Israel — therefore it is said פסל לך, “Hew thyself the new tablets” (Midrash Tanchuma 3:9:30).