We all know the story, HaShem created tablets containing the 10 Commandments which were in many ways beyond the physical and miraculously spiritual in their disposition (which reflected the lofty state of the Jewish people at that time). Moshe came down the mountain and saw the Jews rejoicing around the golden calf and subsequently broke the tablets…
Eventually G’d forgave the Jewish people, but as a natural consequence of our lowered state, the two tablets we were to receive were now very physical (made of stone). But what happened to the original smashed tablets – the ones that represented the greatest level of holiness of the Jewish people – C’ish echad b’lev echad (like one man with one heart) accepting G’d’s Torah?
They were put together with the second tablets carved by Moshe. This is so that the Jewish people could constantly focus on what they could achieve if they focused on their goal. Ie. They saw where they were (stone tablets representing physicality) and saw where they could be (“Holy tablets” carved by G’d).
Especially at this time of year, when dreaded exams are looming – we often think “I wish I would have started work 3 months ago!” or “I should have known that if I went out last night I wouldn’t get out of bed!” The truth is that if we had only been real with ourselves then we could have strategized for the future. Although we do not have the tablets to focus on today, and have difficulty saying “I’d better knuckle down because in 2 years time I’ll want to do my Masters!” We do have something that allows us to regain our focus on where we should be heading – Shabbos – a day of introspection, evaluation and reflection which should be used to take a step back from the busy week and focus on where we want to head and plan for how we want to get there. Have a Good Focused Shabbos
