Machshavot HaLev - Yeshivat Lev HaTorah

117
Ki Tisa
Shattered Fragments
Rav Asher Friedman
W hat happened to the first luchot ha-brit, the tablets fashioned by God and
smashed by Moshe? One would expect that, like any unusable holy object, they would
be buried honorably. But Rashi in Bamidbar (10:33,35) and Devarim (10:1) paints a
far more complex picture. He claims that two separate ‘aronot ha-brit’ travelled with
Am Yisrael in the desert. One, crafted of wood by Moshe, contained within it the
shattered fragments of the first luchot. According to Rashi, this aron traveled three
days’ journey ahead of Am Yisrael, clearing a path for their journey. The other aron,
constructed of gold by Betzalel, contained within it the Sefer Torah and the luchot
shniyot, and traveled at the center of the camp, with the other components of the
mishkan.
What was the point of carrying around the powdered remains of the first luchot?
Aside from their practical uselessness, they were a reminder of the lowest point in
Am Yisrael’s relationship with God. What could be gained by retaining a memento of
that horrible time? And if there was a value in preserving the first luchot, why did the
two sets of luchot travel separately?
To understand the role of the two aronot, let’s take a close look at Moshe’s negotiations
with God after the sin of the golden calf. We’ll see that there are two distinct stages
to the negotiations, each of which has lasting significance to our relationship with
Hashem, and each of which clearly corresponds to one of the sets of luchot.