Midrash sobre Exodo 34:1

Rabbi Menaḥem bar Avin interpreted the verse as referring to Moses. “And Yokim” (I Chronicles 4:22) – on the basis of: “Rise [kuma] Lord, and let Your enemies be scattered” (Numbers 10:35). “And the people of Kozeva” (I Chronicles 4:22) – as he rendered the word of the Holy One blessed be He like falsehoods [kazav], as it is stated: “Why, Lord, is Your wrath enflamed at Your people?” (Exodus 32:11).⁷⁵God had said that He would consume the Israelites (Exodus 32:10), but after Moses’ prayer, He relented and did not destroy them. “Yoash” (I Chronicles 4:22) – as he despaired [nitya’ash] of living,” as it is stated: “And if not, please expunge me” (Exodus 32:32). “And Saraf” (I Chronicles 4:22) - as he mentioned the act of those who were burned [serufim], “Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel your servants” (Exodus 32:13).⁷⁶See footnote 18. “Who had dominion [ba’alu] over Moav” (I Chronicles 4:22) – as his pleasant actions ascended [alu] and came before his Father [aviv] in Heaven. “And Yashuvi Laḥem” (I Chronicles 4:22) – as he ascended on high and captured the Torah, on the basis of what is stated: “You ascended on high and you took a captive [shevi]” (Psalms 68:19).
“And the matters are ancient [atikim]” (I Chronicles 4:22) – Rabbi Aivu and Rabbi Yehuda ben Simon, Rabbi Aivu said: Even items that were taken [nitatku] from them, [Moses] returned, as it is stated: “Hew for yourself [two tablets of stone like the first]” (Exodus 34:1). These matters⁷⁷On the tablets. were stated by He who will [ultimately] remove [ma’atik] the world, as it is said: “He removed from there” (Genesis 12:8).⁷⁸Thus, the term atikim in the verse in I Chronicles is interpreted to refer to the tablets broken by Moses and then replaced, which contained the word of God. Rabbi Yehuda ben Rabbi Simon said: These matters are vague here, but explicit elsewhere. He restored [the tablets] to them, as it is stated: “The Lord said to Moses: ‘Write these matters for yourself, as on the basis of these matters [I have established a covenant with you and with Israel]’” (Exodus 34:27). “They are the yotzerim” (I Chronicles 4:23) – on the basis of: “The Lord God formed [vayitzer]” (Genesis 2:19).⁷⁹The midrash interprets the word yotzerim in the sense of yetzurim, creations. The subject is the words of Torah, because God’s intent in creating the world was in order to give the Torah (Etz Yosef).
Another matter, “they are the yotzerim” (I Chronicles 4:23) – these are the souls of the righteous with whom the Holy One blessed be He consulted when creating the world. “And the dwellers among the plants” (I Chronicles 4:23) – on the basis of: “And the Lord God planted” (Genesis 2:8). “And a fence” (I Chronicles 4:23) – on the basis of what is stated: “Who placed the sand for the bound of the sea” (Jeremiah 5:22). “With the king in his service” (I Chronicles 4:23) – the souls of the righteous sat there with the King who is the king of kings, the Holy One blessed be He, and He consulted them and created His world.

"Thereupon the LORD said to me, 'Carve out etc.'" (Deut. 10:1). A halachic question: When a Jewish man betrothes a woman, who must provide the payment for the scribing of the marriage document? Our Sages taught as follows: Betrothal and marriage documents are written only with the assent of both parties, and the groom provides the payment. From whom do we learn this? From the Holy One Blessed be He, when He betrothed Israel on Sinai, as it is written (Ex. 19:10), "Adonai said to Moses, “Go to the people and warn them to stay pure today and tomorrow." And who wrote this document? Moshe. Whence? As it says (Deut. 31:9), "Moses wrote down this (Song) Teaching." And what payment did the Holy One Blessed be He provide for him? The splendor of his face, as it is written (Ex. 34:29), "Moses was not aware that the skin of his face was radiant" -- when? "when He spoke with him." Resh Lakish said, "At the time he wrote the Torah, Moshe acquired the splendor of his face." How? Resh Lakish said,"The Torah was given to Moshe, its skin of white fire and written with black fire, and sealed in fire, and wrapped with fire. And while he was writing, he wiped his pen-reed on his hair, and from there he acquired the splendor of his face." R' Shmuel bar Nahman said, "It was from the tablets that Moshe acquired the splendor of his face. While the tablets were being given to him from hand to hand, Moshe acquired the splendor of his face. As soon as Israel did That Deed, he took them and broke them. The Holy One Blessed be He said to him, 'When you made the arrangement with Israel, I gave you your payment, the splendor of your face. and now you have broken the tablets.'" R' Yitzhak said, "Our Sages learned, 'If the barrel breaks, it breaks [to the account of] the middleman.' The Holy One Blessed by He said to him, 'You were the middleman between Me and My children. You broke; you replace. Whence? Because so it is written (Ex. 34:1-3): "The LORD said to Moses: 'Carve two tablets of stone like the first, and I will inscribe upon the tablets the words that were on the first tablets, which you shattered. Be ready by morning, and in the morning come up to Mount Sinai and present yourself there to Me, on the top of the mountain. No one else shall come up with you, and no one else shall be seen anywhere on the mountain; neither shall the flocks and the herds graze at the foot of this mountain.”

(Fol. 38.) R. Chama b. Chanina said: "Moses became rich of nothing else than from the chips of the tablets, as it is said (Ex. 34, 1) Hew thee out; i.e., their chips be thine." R. Josa b. Chanina said: "In the very beginning the Torah was given to no one except to Moses and his children, as it is said (Ib. 27) Write thee down and hew thee down; i.e., just us the chips be thine so also shall the writing (the Torah) be yours. Moses, however, was liberal with the Law and gave it to Israel. Concerning him the passage reads (Pr. 22, 9) A man of a benevolent eye will indeed be blessed, for he giveth of his bread to the poor." Raba raised the following objection (Deut. 4, 14) And me did the Lord command at that time to teach you, statutes and ordinances. Hence it shows that the Torah was given unto Israel. This means, He commanded me, and I gave it to you. But again it is written (Ib. 5) See I have taught you statutes and ordinances, just as the Lord my God commanded me. This also means as the Lord commanded me and I taught to you. But again it is written (Ib. 31, 19) Now therefore write ye for yourselves this song, (hence it was given unto Israel). This refers merely to the song he gave. But again it is written in the same passage. In order that the song may become a witness against Me for the children of Israel, hence it was given to the children of Israel? We must therefore say R. Chisda's tradition refers merely to the argumentive deductions.

R. Jochanan said: "The Holy One, praised be He! does not permit the Shechina to rest on any one unless he is strong, rich, wise and humble. All these we infer from Moses. That Moses was strong we infer from the following passage (Ex. 40, 19) And he spread the tent over the tabernacle, upon which Rab said that Moses our teacher spread it (the tent), and it is written again (Ib. 26, 16) Ten cubits shall be the length of one board, etc. [Hence it required a strong man to put it up]." But perhaps it was long and very thin? We must therefore infer from the following passage (Deut. 9, 17) And I took hold of the two tables, and cast them out of my hands, and I broke them before your eyes; and we are taught in a Baraitha that the length of the tables were six spans, their width six, and their thickness three. That Moses was rich we infer from the following passage (Ex. 34, 1) Hew thyself, i.e., the chips shall be yours; that he was wise, is explained by Rab and Samuel, both of whom say that fifty gates of wisdom were created in the world and all with the exception of one were given to Moses, as it is written (Ps. 8, 6) For yet Thou hast made him but a little less than angels; that he was humble, we learn from the following passage (Num. 12, 3) But the man Moses was very meek"

… it is written there “Behold the heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain You…” (Melachim I 8:27) and here it is written “…the glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle.” (Shemot 40:35) R’ Yehoshua of Sachnin said in the name of R’ Levi ‘to what is this likened? To an open cave at the edge of the sea. When the sea storms the cave is filled, but the sea is not reduced. So too, even though it is written that ‘the glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle’ the upper and lower worlds did not lose anything of the brilliance of the glory of the Holy One, just as it is written “Do I not fill the heavens and the earth? says the Lord.” (Yirmiyahu 23:24) Therefore it is written here ‘And it was’. Just as the Divine Presence was here below at the beginning of the creation of the world but withdrew to above, now it returned to be below as it had been “And it was that on the day that Moses finished…” (Bamidbar 7:1) ... [Another explanation. “And it was that on the day that Moses finished erecting the Mishkan…” (Numbers 7:1)] R’ Simon said: at the time when the Holy One told Israel to erect the Tabernacle, He hinted that when the Tabernacle below is erected, the Tabernacle above is erected, as it says “And it was that on the day that Moses finished…” (ibid.) It does not say ‘erecting the Tabernacle’ but rather ‘erecting this (et) the Tabernacle.’ This refers to the Tabernacle above. The Holy One said: in this world, when the Tabernacle was erected, I commanded Aharon and his sons that they bless you. In the time to come I, in my glory, will bless you. So it is written “May the Lord bless you from Zion, He Who made heaven and earth.” (Psalms 134:3)

And the Lord said: “Shall I hide from Abraham that which I am doing?” (Gen. 18:17). May it please our master to teach us whether one may recite the Aramaic translation (Targum) of the Torah while looking into the Torah scroll. Our masters teach us: One is forbidden to look into the Torah scroll while translating it, lest someone should contend that the translation is contained in the Torah scroll. Conversely, one who reads the Torah is forbidden to turn away from the scroll as he reads, for the Torah was given only in writing, as it is said: And I will write upon the tables the words that were on the first tables (Exod. 34:1). That is why anyone who is translating the Torah in public is forbidden to look into the Torah scroll while doing so. R. Judah the son of Pazzi declared: There is an entire verse in Scripture that deals with this subject: Write thou these words, for after the tenor of these words I have made a covenant with thee and with Israel (ibid., v. 27). Write thou these words alludes to the Pentateuch, which was given in writing, while The tenor of these words refers to the translation of the Torah that was given orally.

(Gen. 18:17:) THEN THE LORD SAID: SHALL I HIDE FROM ABRAHAM < WHAT I AM DOING >? Let our master instruct us: When someone is translating for one reading the Torah, is it correct for him to look at a written text?²⁷Tanh. Gen. 4:5; PR 5:1; cf. yMeg. 4:1 (74d); Meg. 32a (bar.) Thus have our masters taught: The translator is forbidden to look at a written text, and the reader is forbidden to take his eyes away from the Torah since the Torah was given only in a written text, as stated (in Exod. 34:1): AND I WILL WRITE UPON THE TABLETS. But it is forbidden for the translator to look at the Torah. R. Judah ben Pazzi said: There is a text (Exod. 34:27) which explicitly proves < this injunction >: WRITE DOWN THESE WORDS. Thus, the Scripture was given in writing. (Ibid., cont.:) FOR THESE WORDS ARE BY MOUTH. Here is < a reference to > the translation, which is given by word of mouth.²⁸See Pe‘ah 2:6 (17a); Exod. R. 47:3.

Another matter, “that the race is not to the swift” – this is Moses; yesterday he flew to the sky and ascended like a bird, as it is stated: “Moses ascended to God” (Exodus 19:3), but today, “as you will not be crossing this Jordan” (Deuteronomy 3:27); he was not allowed to cross even a tract of fifty cubits.
“And the war is not to the valiant” – this is Moses. Yesterday, “The kings of hosts flee again and again” (Psalms 68:13). What is “again and again”? They flee on the way there, and flee on the way back.⁷¹At the giving of the Torah, the angels flew back and forth in fear while Moses stood calmly on the mountain. Rabbi Yudan said in the name of Rabbi Aivu: Ministering angels is not written here, but rather kings of hosts; even the kings of the angels, Mikhael and Gavriel, were afraid of Moses. Now, he is unable to look at even the weakest soldiers; that is what is written: “For I was terrified due to the wrath and the fury” (Deuteronomy 9:19).
“Also bread is not to the wise” – this is Moses. Yesterday, he became a minister and an official in Pharaoh’s palace, as it is stated: “Moses was grown up, and he went out to his brethren” (Exodus 2:11). What is [the meaning of the statement that Moses] “was grown up”? It was that his greatness was to bring in and to take out.⁷²He was in charge of providing food for Pharaoh’s household. But today, “call him and let him eat bread” (Exodus 2:20).
“And also wealth is not to the clever” – this is Moses. From where did the wealth come to him, such that he became wealthy? Rabbi Ḥanin said: The Holy One blessed be He revealed to him a sapphire quarry inside his tent and he found it. It is from there that Moses became wealthy, as it is stated: “Carve for yourself [pesol lekha]” (Exodus 34:1); its residue [pesilatan] shall be for you. But today, none of that wealth remains.
“And also favor is not to the knowledgeable” – this is Moses. Yesterday, “as you have found favor in my eyes” (Exodus 33:17), and today, “do not continue to speak to Me anymore about this matter” (Deuteronomy 3:26).
“But rather, time and chance [vafega] befalls them all.” It is time that harms the person and undermines him in all these matters, and he is injured [mafgia]. What shall he do? He shall go and engage in prayer and supplication, and he will be saved. Rav Huna asked Shmuel, he said to him: ‘What is this that is written: “But rather time and chance [vafega]”?’ [Shmuel] said to him: ‘At times a person entreats in prayer and is answered, at times he entreats and is not answered, as you have no one who arranged prayers and supplications more than Moses our master, and ultimately it was stated to him: “Behold, your days to die are approaching” (Deuteronomy 31:14).’⁷³Moses prayed many times, and intensely, that he be permitted to enter the land of Israel, yet he died without being allowed to do so.

“Even in your thought do not curse a king, and in your bedrooms do not curse the wealthy, as a bird of the heavens will carry the sound, and a winged one will tell the matter” (Ecclesiastes 10:20).
“Even in your thought do not curse a king” – Rabbi Yehuda ben Rabbi Simon said: The Holy One blessed be He says to a person: Because I have given you intellect beyond that of the animal, the beast, and the birds, you curse and blaspheme before me? I gave you eyes and [the animal] eyes, you have ears and it has ears, you have hands and it has hands, you have feet and it has feet, you have a mouth and it has a mouth, he is like the beasts that perish [nidma].⁸⁶This is an adaptation in the singular of Psalms 49:21. The verse compares people to beasts, but the midrash reads it as implying a difference between people and animals, that animals cannot speak. Nidma means nothing other than silence; I have silenced it before you.⁸⁷Unlike people, animals cannot speak. See the honor that I have afforded you. But you do not understand all this goodness, “man does not understand the honor” (Psalms 49:21).
Another matter: “Even in your thought do not curse a king” that is in your generation, “and in your bedrooms do not curse the wealthy” – do not curse the wealthy of your generation. “As a bird of the heavens” – Rabbi Yirmeya ben Elazar said: This is the raven, by means of bird divination.⁸⁸The king or wealthy people might find out what you said from the ravens, by means of bird divination. “And a winged one will tell the matter” – because the wall has ears.
Another matter: “Even in your thought do not curse a king” – the King of the world; “and in your bedrooms do not curse the wealthy” – the wealthy One of the world. “As a bird of the heavens will carry the sound” – Rabbi Yehoshua of Sikhnin [said] in the name of Rabbi Levi: There are some sounds that are for good and there are some sounds that are for evil. [There are] sounds for good, as it is stated: “The Lord heard the sound of your words…they have done well in everything that they spoke” (Deuteronomy 5:24). Ḥiyya bar Ada and bar Kappara: Ḥiyya bar Abba said: For good [hatava], as in the preparation of [hatavat] the incense. Bar Kappara said: For good, as in the cleaning of [hatavat] the lamps. [There are] sounds for evil, as it is stated: “The Lord heard the sound of your words, and He was enraged and took an oath…” (Deuteronomy 1:34).
Rabbi Abbahu [said] in the name of Rabbi Taḥalifa his father in law: It is written: “As I took an oath in My wrath” (Psalms 95:11) – the Holy One blessed be He said: I took an oath in My wrath, but then I recanted; “that they⁸⁹The generation of the wilderness, which left Egypt. will not enter My place of rest” (Psalms 95:11) – they will not enter this resting place,⁹⁰The Land of Israel but they will enter another resting place.⁹¹The World to Come Rabbi Beivai said in the name of Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi: [This is analogous] to a king who was angry at his son and expelled him from his palace and took an oath that he would not allow his son to enter the palace. What did he do [once he reconsidered]? It was [already] built; he dismantled it and rebuilt it, and brought his son into it. He thereby brings his son in and [still] fulfills his vow. So too, the Holy One blessed be He said: I took an oath in My wrath and recanted. They will not enter this resting place, but they will enter another resting place.
“And a winged one will tell the matter” – Rabbi Bon said: When a person sleeps, the body tells the soul [what it has done], the soul [tells it] to the spirit, the spirit to the angel, the angel to the cherub, and the cherub to the winged one. Who is that? It is the seraph. The seraph will bring the matter and tell it before He who spoke and the world came into being.
Another matter: “Even in your thought do not curse a king” – do not curse a king who is before you. “And in your bedrooms do not curse the wealthy” – a prominent person in your locale. “As a bird of the heavens will carry the sound” – the Holy One blessed be He said to David: Would you not say: “All my enemies shall be ashamed and frightened” (Psalms 6:11)? Who were your enemies? Was it not Saul? Would you not say: “On the day that the Lord rescued him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul” (Psalms 18:1)?⁹²Thus, you cursed the king I appointed over Israel. David said: Master of the universe: Do You calculate them for me as intentional transgressions? Consider them as unwitting transgressions [shegagot] for me. That is what is written: “A meditation [shigayon] by David, a song that he sang to the Lord concerning the words of Kush the Benjamite (Psalms 7:1).⁹³Kush the Benjamite is a reference to Saul (see Moed Katan 16b).
Another matter: “Even in your thought do not curse a king” – this is Moses, as it is stated: “There was a king in Yeshurun” (Deuteronomy 33:5). “And in your bedrooms do not curse the wealth” – this is Moses. From where did Moses become wealthy? It was from the residue of the tablets. Rabbi Ḥanin said: He discovered a quarry of sapphires in his tent, and from that Moses became wealthy, as it is stated: “Carve for you two tablets of stone…” (Exodus 34:1), its carvings will be for you.

The Lord said to Moses: “Hew these two tablets of stone” (Exod. 34:1). May it please our masters to teach us: How many verses of the Torah must the reader recite? Thus did our masters teach us: One who reads the Torah may not recite less than three verses to correspond to the three patriarchs on whose behalf the Torah was given to Israel, as it is said: And Moses went up unto God, and the Lord called unto him out of the mountain (ibid. 19:3). How do we know the patriarchs were called mountains? Because it is said: Hear, O ye mountains, the Lord’s controversy (Mic. 6:2). Therefore a man must guard the Torah, for it guards his soul. R. Tanhum the son of Hanilai said: The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Israel: My daughter is in thy hands, and thy daughter is in My hands. “My daughter is in thy hands’ refers to the Torah. “And your daughter is in My hands” alludes to the soul: In whose hand is the soul of every living thing (Job 12:10). If you guard what is Mine, I shall guard what is yours. Thus Scripture says: Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently (Deut. 4:9).

Hew these two tablets (Exod. 34:1). Scripture states elsewhere: The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich (Prov. 10:22). This refers to Elisha’s prayer for water, when he said: Thus saith the Lord: Ye shall not see rain, neither shall ye see wind, yet that valley shall be filled with water (II Kings 3:17). What else is written there? And it came to pass in the morning, about the time of making the offering (ibid., v. 20). One who says in the morning also says “the time of the morning offering.” R. Tanhuma said: A rain storm occurred in the south and the water reached (the Temple) at the time the offering was made. Hence, The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and toil addeth nothing thereto (Prov. 10:22). Though they did not experience either the rain or the wind, the valley was filled with water.

Hew these two tablets of stone (Exod. 34:1). Scripture states elsewhere in allusion to this verse: The wrath of a king is as messengers of death; but a wise man will pacify it (Prov. 16:14). The wrath of a king is as messengers of death alludes to the Holy One, blessed be He. After the people had made the golden calf the demons attacked Moses. He pleaded for mercy, recalling the merit of the patriarchs and they departed from him. When he broke the tablets his anger diminished. What did Moses witness that compelled him to break the tablets? It may be compared to a king who travels abroad while his wife remains at home with the servants. Because she was alone with them, rumors began to circulate concerning her behavior. The king heard them, and when he returned home, he wanted to kill her. His advisor learned this and tore up her marriage certificate. He said: “If the king should say, my wife has done such and such, we can reply, she is no longer your wife.” The king inquired about her and found that she had done nothing wrong. Only the maidservants had acted shamefully. He became reconciled with her immediately. His advisor then said to him: “Master, write another marriage contract, since the first one was torn up.” “You tore it up,” the king replied, “so now you must bring the parchment and I will write the document with my own hand.” So too here. When the Israelites made the calf, the Holy One, blessed be He, felt the same way. He said to Moses: Go, get thee down, for thy people have dealt corruptly. Whereupon he replied: They are Your people and Your inheritance. Then the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses: This act proves that The ox knoweth his owner (Isa. 1:3). The Holy One, blessed be He, said to the calf: Who made you? The calf answered: The mixed multitude that departed from Egypt with the Israelites, for it is written about them: Whose flesh is as the flesh of asses (Ezek. 23:20). Then the Holy One, blessed be He, said: Did I not tell you: Go, get thee down, for thy people that thou broughtest up out of the land of Egypt have dealt corruptly (Exod. 32:7) and have made the golden calf. My people did not do it, as it is said: But Israel doth not know, My people doth not consider (Isa. 1:3). Immediately Moses arose and pleaded in their defense: O Lord God, destroy not Thy people and Thine inheritance that Thou hast redeemed through Thy greatness (Deut. 9:26). And he went ahead and broke the tablets. When the Holy One, blessed be He, became reconciled, He told him: Go, hew these two tablets of stone.

Hew these two tablets of stone (Exod. 34:1). When did Moses descend from the mountain? R. Judah the son of Shalum said: Moses remained on the mountain with the Holy One, blessed be He, for one hundred and twenty days. How did he arrive at this conclusion? From the verse In the third month after the children of Israel were gone out of the land of Egypt (Exod. 19:1). On the sixth day of that month He gave him the Ten Commandments, as it is written concerning him: And Moses went up into the mountain of God (ibid. 24:13). He remained there for forty days, that is, the twenty-four days of the month of Sivan and the sixteen days of the month of Tammuz—totaling forty days in all. He descended from the mountain on the seventeenth day of Tammuz, and on the eighteenth day and nineteenth day he saw the calf, broke the tablets, and halted their revelry. On the twentieth day he turned and ascended once again, as is said: And it came to pass on the morrow that Moses said unto the people: “Ye have sinned a great sin; and now I will go up unto the Lord” (ibid. 32:30). And it is written: And Moses returned unto the Lord and said: “Oh, this people have sinned a great sin” (ibid, v. 31). He remained there the ten days of the month of Tammuz and the entire month of Av, totaling another forty days. He went up on the first day of the month of Elul when He told him: Hew thee these two tablets … and be ready by the morning (ibid. 34:1–2). And he hewed … and Moses rose up early in the morning, and went up unto Mount Sinai (ibid., v. 4). He stayed there throughout the month of Elul and until the tenth day of Tishri (another ten days). On the tenth day of Tishri he descended while the Israelites were praying and fasting. On that day He said to him: I have pardoned according to thy word (Num. 14:20). Then the Holy One, blessed be He, established that day as the day of forgiveness and pardon for the future generations (Yom Kippur), as it is said: For on this day shall atonement be made for you, to cleanse you (Lev. 16:30). Thereupon He commanded Moses: Let them make Me a Sanctuary (Exod. 25:8).

Write thou these words refers to Scripture, and after the tenor of these words alludes to the Mishnah, which was transmitted orally. Another comment on Write thou these words. They concluded from these words that one is forbidden to glance into the Torah and translate it (during the reading of the Torah in the synagogue),³⁹While it was being read, the translator would translate the Hebrew text of Torah into Aramaic, the language familiar to the masses of the people. and that whoever is reading the Torah is prohibited from removing his eyes while reading it, since it was given in writing as it is said: And I will write upon the tablets the words (Exod. 34:1). One is prohibited from glancing into the Torah while translating it, for it is said: Write thou these words, but the Mishnah, concerning which it is stated: After the tenor of these words, may be interpreted freely because it was given orally.

...He started feeling bad that he broke the tablets, G-d told him: Do not feel bad about the first tablets, for they only contained the ten commandments, however in the second tablets I will give you, that they will have Halcaha Midrash and Agadah, this is what is said: (Job 11): I will tell you hidden wisdom for it shall be double comforting

Rabbi Tachanah said: The tables (of the Law) were not created out of the earth but out of the heavens, the handicraft of the Holy One, blessed be He, as it is said, "And the tables, the work of God were they" (Ex. 32:16). They are the tables which were of old, "and the writing" was divine writing; that was the writing which was of old, "graven upon the tables." Do not read Charuth, "graven," but (read) Chêruth, "liberty." When the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses: "Hew thee two tables of stone like unto the first" (Ex. 34:1), a quarry of sapphires was created for Moses in the midst of his tent, and he cut them out (thence), as it is said, "And he hewed two tables of stone like unto the first" (Ex. 34:4). Moses descended with the tables, and spent forty days on the mountain, sitting down before the Holy One, blessed be He, like a disciple who is sitting before his teacher, reading the Written Law, and repeating the Oral Law which he had learnt.