Machshavot HaLev - Yeshivat Lev HaTorah

121
Ki Tisa
Luchot and Leadership
Jonathan Green
O ne of the defining moments in the leadership of Moshe can be found in this
week’s parasha: the event of the eigel ha-zahav and the shattering of the Luchot. As
Moshe went up the mountain to speak with Hashem, he left his brother Aharon to
tend to the nation. However, the people became distraught without their leader and
on Moshe’s descent he was hit hard with an all-too clear visual: a nationwide betrayal
of Hashem in the creation and worship of the eigel ha-zahav. In response, Moshe
smashed the Luchot, having seemingly succumbed to his uncontrolled emotions. Yet,
there are some crucial questions to ask about this event: had Moshe acted rashly, or
was he in full control of his actions? Perhaps this depends on how one might judge the
severity of the Jewish nation’s sin. Furthermore, how does his behavior reflect upon
his leadership?
Moshe faced a mob-scene at his descent. And in some respects, who could blame
the people, for they thought Moshe was dead! Nonetheless, Bnei Yisrael broke a
fundamental rule against worshipping idols; so could Moshe have just slapped them
on the wrist? Interestingly, there were times when Hashem did get angry with Moshe
but this was not one of them. One could suggest that Hashem did reprimand Moshe
by requiring him to carve out a new set of Tablets. However the Gemara in several
mashechtot (such as Shabbat 87a) quotes a midrash that Hashem said to Moshe,
“yeshar koach!” after the smashing of the tablets, clearly implying that Moshe was
right in his actions.