Thinking Torah Blog

This past Sunday, the Temple Beth Emeth Board gathered for our annual retreat and orientation. We welcomed new board members and reconnected after the summer break. As always, we began our meeting with words of Torah, and I had the privilege of leading a brief text study.

In this week’s Torah portion, Eikev, Moses recounts the giving of the Ten Commandments and the dramatic moment when he shattered the tablets upon seeing the Israelites worshiping the Golden Calf. I posed a question to our board: Why did Moses break the tablets? Many suggested it was out of anger—a natural conclusion when reading the text. However, our Sages offer various interpretations, and one of my favorites comes from Midrash Tanchuma. In it, Rabbi Akiva and Rabbi Yishmael debate whether God was proud of Moses for breaking the tablets. One suggests that Moses acted not out of anger, but out of love. By destroying the tablets, he spared the Israelites from violating the Second Commandment against idolatry. They even imagine Moses ripping the Tablets out of God’s “hands” in order to save the Isrealites.

This Midrash resonates deeply with me, serving as a potent reminder. It's essential to seek understanding before making judgments. We often assume we grasp a situation by simply observing it, but true understanding requires more than just seeing and hearing—it demands delving into the motivations behind actions. As we approach our fall festivals, let us take this opportunity to cultivate deeper understanding in our relationships, recognizing that communication is more complex than it appears, and that expressing our inner motivations doesn't always come easily. Now is the time to foster empathy and seek greater connection in our personal lives.