In this parshah we read how Moshe came down from Mount Sinai carrying the luchos habris. To his great disappointment, he saw the people committing the grave sin of avodah zorah in worshipping the golden calf. He immediately let the luchos fall from his hands and break into many pieces.

Moshe's action is very difficult for us to understand. Just a few pessukim before this, the Torah tells us: 'And the luchos were the work of HaShem, and the writing was HaShem's own writing...' Our sages point to a number of things that were miraculous about the luchos. For example, the inside part of the engraved letter samech was suspended in mid-air. And the words could be read in order from both the front and back! They were so holy; how could anyone decide to break them?

We are not speaking of just anyone, either! This was Moshe Rabbeinu who broke them. Moshe was so connected to the Torah that it is called in his name, as the passuk says: 'Zicru toras Moshe avdi' - 'Remember the Torah of Moshe, My servant.' How, then, could the luchos, which stand for the entire Torah, be broken by Moshe himself?

Rashi helps us understand what Moshe was thinking when he saw what the people had done. He said to himself: "The Torah teaches that a non-Jew is not allowed to eat from the Korban Pesach. That is only one mitzvah of the Torah. I have in my hands the luchos, which stand for the entire Torah. The people are behaving in an extremely non-Jewish way - how can I give "the luchos to them?"

This helps us to understand why Moshe did not give the luchos to the people. At that time, they did not deserve to receive such a holy gift from HaShem. But Moshe could have set them aside, or even have returned them to HaShem. Why did he break the luchos?

In the Talmud (Shabbos 87a), our sages explain that Moshe broke the luchos because of his great love for the Jewish people. We see from the pessukim in this parshah that Moshe literally begged HaShem to forgive the people. He was such a devoted leader that he pleaded: "If You do not forgive them, erase my name from the Torah!" Moshe was not thinking about himself at all. We will see that breaking the luchos actually shows how dedicated he was to the people.

Our sages compare the luchos to a contract that was written between HaShem and the Jewish people. A contract is a written agreement that has to be kept. If one side does not fulfill what is written in the contract, the other side may point to the words in the contract and say: "It says here clearly that you may not do this. Now you will be held responsible and bear the judgment."

HaShem told Moshe that He was going to punish the people. Moshe knew that they had done wrong. They had not kept the contract. He was not going to try to show that their actions were proper, but he had such a strong love for the Jewish people that he felt he had to save them. This strong love pushed him to action. "I will tear up the contract!" Moshe decided. "Without a written contract, maybe the judgment won't be so harsh." So Moshe broke the luchos.

Our sages tell us, Naso libo lishbor haluchos - "His heart was prompted to break the luchos." This phrase naso libo is used when a person feels uplifted and anxious to do something helpful and good. This was the feeling that flowed from Moshe's heart and inspired him to help the people. He rose above the thought of how holy the luchos were and how they should be regarded with proper respect. He rose above the thought that the luchos represent all that he stood for - Toras Moshe. Moshe Rabbeinu thought only of one thing: how to save the Jewish people. That is why he is called roeh ne'eman - the faithful shepherd.

(Adapted from Likkutei Sichos, Vol. IX, p. 238)