תַּנֵּי רִבִּי יִשְׁמָעֵאל. הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא אָמַר לוֹ שְֶׁשַׁבְּרֵם. [שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר] וְאֶכְתֹּב֙ עַל־הַלּוּחוֹת אֶ֨ת־הַדְּבָרִ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֥ר הָי֛וּ עַל־הַלּוּחוֹת הָרִֽאשֹׁנִי֖ם אֲשֶׁ֣ר (אושׁר) שִׁיבַּרְתָּ. אָמַר לוֹ. יָפֶה עָשִׂיתָ שֶׁשִּׁיבַּרְתָּ. רִבִּי שְׁמוּאֵל בַּר נַחְמָן בְּשֵׁם רִבִּי יוֹנָתָן. הַלּוּחוֹת הָיָה אוֹרְכָן שִׁשָּׁה טְפָחִים וְרָחְבָּן שְׁלֹשָׁה. וְהָיָה מֹשֶׁה תָפוּשׂ בִּטְפָחַיִים וְהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא בִּטְפָחַיִים וּטְפָחַיִים רֵיוַח בָּאֶמְצָע. כֵּיוָן שֶׁעָשׂוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל אוֹתוֹ מַעֲשֶׂה בִּיקֵּשׁ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְחוֹטְפָן מִיָּדוֹ שֶׁלְמֹשֶׁה. וְגָֽבְרָה יָדוֹ שֶׁלְמֹשֶׁה וְחָטְפָן מִמֶּנּוּ. הוּא שֶׁהַכָּתוּב מְשַׁבְּחוֹ בַּסּוֹף וְאוֹמַר וּלְכֹל֙ הַיָּ֣ד הַֽחֲזָקָ֔ה. יְיֵא שְׁלָמָא עַל יָדָא דְגָֽבֵרָת עַל מִינָא. רִבִּי יוֹחָנָן בְּשֵׁם רִבִּי יוֹסֵה בַּר אַבַּיי. [הַלּוּחוֹת] הָיוּ מְבַקְּשִׁין לִפְרוֹחַ וְהָיָה מֹשֶׁה תוֹפְשָׂן. [דִּכְתִיב] וָֽאֶתְפּוֹשׂ בִּשְׁנֵי הַלּוּחוֹת. תַּנֵּי בְשֵׁם רִבִּי נְחֶמְיָה. הַכְּתָב עַצְמוֹ פָרַח. רִבִּי עֶזְרָה בְשֵׁם רִבִּי יְהוּדָה בֵּירִבִּי סִימוֹן. הַלּוּחוֹת הָיוּ מַשּׂאוּי אַרְבָּעִים סְאָה וְהַכְּתָב הָיָה סוֹבִלָן. כֵּיוָן שֶׁפָּרַח הַכְּתָב כָּֽבְדוּ עַל יָדָיו שֶׁלְמֹשֶׁה וְנָֽפְלוּ וָנִשְׁתַּבְּרוּ.
Rebbi Ismael stated, the Holy One, praise to Him, told him to break them, [as it is said,] I shall write on the tablets the words which were on the first tablets happily you broke. [Exodus 34:1] He said to him, you did well that you broke. Rebbi Samuel bar Naḥman in the name of Rebbi Jonathan: The tablets were six hand-breadths long and three wide. Moses held two hand-breadth, the Holy One, praise to Him two hand-breadth, and two hand-breadths of space were between them. When Israel sinned in that way, the Holy One wanted to seize them from Moses’s hand, but Moses’s hand had the better of it and seized them from Him. That is what the verse praises him at the end and says, and all the strong hand [Deuteronomy 34:12], peace shall be on the hand which had the better on mine. Rebbi Joḥanan in the name of Rebbi Yose ben Abbai: the tablets wanted to fly off but Moses held them, [as is written,] I grabbed the two tablets. [Deuteronomy 9:17] It was stated in the name of Rebbi Nehemiah, the writing itself flew off. Rebbi Ezra in the name of Rebbi Jehudah ben Rebbi Simon: The tablets were a load of forty seah but the writing was carrying them. When the writing flew off they were too heavy for Moses’s hands, they fell, and broke.