By Sholom Olensky
This week in the Torah:
Moses receives the Tablets containing the Ten Commandments, from G-d. Upon descending Mt. Sinai, Moses sees the nation’s sin of the Golden Calf and breaks the Tablets. Moses prays that G-d forgive the Jews. Although forgiven, the sin leaves a residual effect on the nation so that they remain without the purity they experienced at Mt. Sinai; this, until the times of Moshiach. Moses prays to “see” G-d. G-d shows him a glimpse of actual G-dliness and His Thirteen Attributes of Mercy. Moses receives the Second Tablets from G-d. Upon Moses’ arrival with the new Tablets, the people see that his face is literally aglow. This is what the people see when Moses speaks to and teaches them. Otherwise, Moses wears a veil that hides the glow of his face.
Questions:
How could one single week’s Torah portion comprise such a diverse variety of themes, of which some are completely contradictory in meaning to each other? The tale of the grandeur of the Tablets and, then, their ruin brought about by grave sin. Then, G-d’s most sublime revelations to Moses, as well as the Second Tablets which bring additional aspects of Torah knowledge for all eternity. And Moses’ face lighting up. All in one single week.
Answer:
Indeed, that is the specialty of this week’s Torah portion, comprising “everything” and showing it all as one single entity.
To explain:
G-d created everything to comprise of a beginning, a middle, and an end.
The beginning includes everything as it is in the planning stage. The middle fulfills and actualizes the plan. The end is the culmination – when the original purpose stands fulfilled.
In the Jewish perspective of Time, these three elements are: a) The Torah which preceded the world and which possesses the guidelines for the world. b) The world and all of its inhabitants, with all our ups and downs. And c) the Days of Moshiach, when the Torah’s vision of the world will be, through mankind’s activities (b), perfectly completed.
Hence, the order of this week in the Torah:
- The glory of the Tablets prior to man’s iniquity.
- Man’s iniquity and its results; in a way, planned by G-d (a), so as to bring about man’s repentance and (resulting perfection of the world, aided and guided by) the Second Tablets.
- G-dly revelation to the people through Moses and to the whole world.
Lesson:
Every person is able to accomplish “everything” from beginning to end, by fulfilling the Torah and its Mitzvahs , the blueprint of the world.
(Based on Sefer HaSichos—5752, Ki Sisa)
