Why Did Moses Shatter the Tablets of the Ten Commandments?
The Jewish holiday of Sukkot (Tabernacles) just ended.
The biblical reading for the holiday contains the famous scene where Moses shatters the tablets containing the Ten Commandments.
This act emanated from his anger at his people’s worshipping of the golden calf.
In trying to make sense of this text, the Jewish sages asked a poignant question. What happened to the shattered tablets?
Did they just remain on the edge of Mount Sinai? Of course not! They contained the handwriting of God. They could not simply be left behind.
The sages offered a profound answer.
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