When chaos reigns, a strong leader is needed to pull things together. What you definitely don’t need is a leader to be the cause of chaos. No, I am not giving political commentary on current events in North Korea—I will leave that up to those who decide what news is “fit to print.” I am talking about the events detailed in this week’s Torah portion, where Moses recounts the story of the Golden Calf, and when he came down from Mount Sinai and broke the tablets.
When I pause and think about the story I have to wonder—did Moses cause more chaos by breaking the tablets, or did he stop the nonsense by breaking the tablets?
Posing the question differently, what would have happened if Moses had not broken the tablets, and instead held onto them for himself, telling the Jews, if you want the idol, fine, keep it. I will keep the tablets and the Torah for myself and for those who want to follow it. This would have been less dramatic, that is for sure, but would it also have been less chaotic? What was the point of breaking them?
Was Moses trying to bring the Jews to order, or to bring chaos?
The answer lies in one word, “Va’et’pos.” This idiom translates to I “took hold” of the two tablets, cast them out of my two hands, and shattered them before your eyes.
What is meant by Moses “took hold” of the two tablets when he was already holding them?
There are different legal explanations to help understand this term, however, today I would like to share with you a practical lesson that we can learn from this word.
Moses was saying that of course, he could just take the tablets home with him. He could easily have said you don’t deserve them; you broke the covenant. The Torah was given to you and you said you don’t want it. By doing so, it might have been quiet that day, but with time people would have recognized their mistakes and regretted their actions, and at that point it would have been too late for them to come back into the fold.
Instead, Moses said, no, he would take hold of the tablets. He would make them his, so that the Jews would not be responsible for their actions. He would then break them so that even if G-d argued and said that the Jews were responsible, he would say that the “contract” was shattered so that the Jews would be off the hook. Yes, at that moment the Jews screamed and shouted, “Why did you break the tablets? They were G-d’s handiwork.” Yes, there was chaos, but it was temporary chaos. Peace and tranquility would come. Soon, they would see their mistakes, they would come to see the error of their ways and come to appreciate what G-d has offered them.
Moses was right. It didn’t take long. The Jews repented, G-d forgave the Jews, and soon after they were given a second set of tablets forever. And both sets, the new and the shattered, are stored together in the Ark of the Covenant as a reminder that even if we err, we can return.
This is what a leader is all about. It was not a short-sighted solution that he was looking for. It was not the polls that would make him happy. It was the welfare of the people that he was after. Moses had one concern, and one concern only: What is best for the Jewish people? They might have made a mistake. A huge mistake … an unforgivable mistake … but he was not there to judge. He was there to defend. He held onto the tablets not so that they should be his to keep for himself, but they should be his so that the Jews should not suffer, because they are also theirs. By being only his, he was able to protect them. That was his goal.
Did it cause a little chaos? Maybe. Was it worth it? You bet.