D'var Torah: Moshe Rabenu grasped the essence of the sin of the golden calf and aligned his thinking with HaShem. Our Sages of blessed memory, likened Moshe Rabenu's breaking the Tablets of Stone to a fitting parable. There was a nobleman who asked his messenger to marry him to a fine woman of good deeds. He found the perfect wife and married them. Subsequently, she had an affair. The messenger said, "If I say that they were married before she had an affair, she will be forbidden to my master, forever. It is better that I should annul the marriage from the beginning." So too, Moshe Rabenu said, "I have charged them with Mitzvot that make them liable for serving other deities. Better that I should annul the "marriage" from the beginning."
Moral: There is always a foolish side to sin. We can call it the voice of the Negative Impulse. Moshe Rabenu recognized this factor and wisely annulled the "marriage" to allow Klal Yisrael to reunite with HaShem.
Application: We need to revisit Moshe Rabenu's breaking the Tablets of Stone at the time of the sin of the golden calf. He was relating to the foolish side of sin. He wisely determined that it is preferable to annul the "marriage" rather than to forbid Klal Yisrael to HaShem, forever. Let us utilize Moshe Rabenu's strategy and preserve our relationship with HaKodesh Baruch Hu.
(Avot D'Rebbi Nosson, Perek 2)
