(טו) וַיִּ֜פֶן וַיֵּ֤רֶד מֹשֶׁה֙ מִן־הָהָ֔ר וּשְׁנֵ֛י לֻחֹ֥ת הָעֵדֻ֖ת בְּיָד֑וֹ לֻחֹ֗ת כְּתֻבִים֙ מִשְּׁנֵ֣י עֶבְרֵיהֶ֔ם מִזֶּ֥ה וּמִזֶּ֖ה הֵ֥ם כְּתֻבִֽים׃ (טז) וְהַ֨לֻּחֹ֔ת מַעֲשֵׂ֥ה אֱלֹהִ֖ים הֵ֑מָּה וְהַמִּכְתָּ֗ב מִכְתַּ֤ב אֱלֹהִים֙ ה֔וּא חָר֖וּת עַל־הַלֻּחֹֽת׃ (יז) וַיִּשְׁמַ֧ע יְהוֹשֻׁ֛עַ אֶת־ק֥וֹל הָעָ֖ם בְּרֵעֹ֑ה וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֔ה ק֥וֹל מִלְחָמָ֖ה בַּֽמַּחֲנֶֽה׃ (יח) וַיֹּ֗אמֶר אֵ֥ין קוֹל֙ עֲנ֣וֹת גְּבוּרָ֔ה וְאֵ֥ין ק֖וֹל עֲנ֣וֹת חֲלוּשָׁ֑ה ק֣וֹל עַנּ֔וֹת אָנֹכִ֖י שֹׁמֵֽעַ׃ (יט) וַֽיְהִ֗י כַּאֲשֶׁ֤ר קָרַב֙ אֶל־הַֽמַּחֲנֶ֔ה וַיַּ֥רְא אֶת־הָעֵ֖גֶל וּמְחֹלֹ֑ת וַיִּֽחַר־אַ֣ף מֹשֶׁ֗ה וַיַּשְׁלֵ֤ךְ מִיָּדָו֙ אֶת־הַלֻּחֹ֔ת וַיְשַׁבֵּ֥ר אֹתָ֖ם תַּ֥חַת הָהָֽר׃
(15) 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. (16) The tablets were God’s work, and the writing was God’s writing, incised upon the tablets. (17) When Joshua heard the sound of the people in its boisterousness, he said to Moses, “There is a cry of war in the camp.” (18) 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!” (19) As soon as Moses came near the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, he became enraged; and he hurled the tablets from his hands and shattered them at the foot of the mountain.
When Moshe first hears about the sin of the calf, he defends the people to God, but when he sees the calf he smashes the tablets. Why did Moshe not smash the tablets immediately?
עקדת יצחק:
ואינה שאלה חמורה כל כך, כי ברית כרותה לעינים שיתפעל האדם למראיהן יותר ממה שיתפעל למשמע אזניו, אף על פי שלא יהיה במה ששמע שום ספק.
Akeidat Yitzhak:
Moshe's behavior is actually not that surprising, for a person always reacts more strongly to something he sees with his eyes than to something he merely hears about. This is true even if the report he is told is undeniably true.
ר׳ עובדיה ספורנו:
כי חשב שבשובו אליהם ישובו בתשובה, ואם אין ישברם לעיניהם לכלות עיניהם כדי שיחזרו בתשובה.
Rabbi Ovadya Sforno:
Moshe believed that when he returned to the Israelite camp, the people would repent. And if that did not happen, he planned to smash the tablets in front of them, a sight that would be so dramatic that the people would feel compelled to repent.
העמק דבר:
משום שרצה משה את לב העם ולהסעיר דעתם בראותם, אשר משה משבר לעיניהם סגולה נפלאה כזו ויהיו נעצבים, אד שלא ימצאו ידיהם למחות על כל מה שעשה...שנשברה לעיניהם סגולה שאין כמוה בעולם.
Haamek Davar:
Moshe smashed the tablets because he wanted to break the hearts of the nation and arouse their emotions. For when the Israelites saw Moshe destroying this wonderful treasure that God had given them they would become so anguished, that they would be unable to criticize what he had done.
Questions to consider:
- Which of the commentaries understands that Moshe intentionally waited to smash the tablets? Look at Deuteronomy 9:17 - does it support or contradict this position?
- According to Haamek Davar, Moshe is counting on the shock value of smashing the tablets. In modern terms, this is sometimes called "leadership by outrage." How do you react when people act this way? Do you think that the effects are strongest in the short term or the long term?