Dear friend,
There is nothing as upright as a slanted ladder leaning on a wall.
There is nothing as foolish as a smart remark, (about someone).
There is nothing as complete as a broken heart.
Words paraphrased from the Rebbe of Kotzk.
When Moses realized that the Jews sinned while he was on Mount Sinai learning the Torah with G-d, that they created a golden idol, worshiped it and praised it saying “this is the G-d that took us out of Egypt", he immediately threw the tablets down intentionally breaking them.
Yes, the actual tablets formed by G-d himself, which contained on them the ten commandments, which he was just about to give to the Jews for the first time.
G-d later tells Moses, you broke the tablets, now go and make a new set of tablets, and I'll write the ten commandments again and bring this new set to the Jews.
It is very ironic that later when the Jewish people built the temple and made the ark, both the second tablets with the ten commandments, and the pieces of the first set of tables which Moses broke, were contained in that ark.
Isn’t it strange that the holiest article in the temple would contain the broken tablets, a symbol of the result of a grave sin. And that the broken pieces would be right near the second set which were complete, and actually considered greater than the first.
With this we learn a great powerful life skill. We often think that our accomplishments are what make us great, our sense of control over things and situations, our ability to manage, create, build, learn from experience and so on.
However we forget that many times it is what we feel most comfortable with that also limits us. We cannot grow because we are stuck, we have to do things the way we were taught, the way it’s always been done, based on experience and knowledge, without realizing that this removes every bit of creativity and risk taking, without which there can be no real growth or progress.
A humble heart will always be willing to learn and hear new ideas!
G-d wants the Jewish people to know that along with every accomplishment and achievement, even one as great as being able to receive forgiveness and a second set of tables with the ten commandments, we were to keep the broken set near the complete set, so that our greatness would never stand in the way of further growth and achievement. So that we always remember our beginnings, to remain open minded. So that we would always have a broken humble heart in order that we be able to be truly complete in life.
Sincerely,
Rabbi Mendel & Elke Zaltzman
