Three Decisions Moses Made That Matched God's Own Will

This is one of three things that Moses did based on his own reasoning, and his reasoning accorded with the reasoning of the Holy One blessed be He. He separated from his wife; Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai says: He expounded and said: If regarding Mount Sinai, whose sanctity was temporary, it is stated: “Do not approach a woman” (Exodus 19:15), I, who, each and every moment He speaks with me, is it not right that I should be separated from my wife?

Rabbi Akiva says: It was stated to him from the mouth of the Holy One blessed be He, as it is stated: “Mouth to mouth I speak with him” (Numbers 12:8).5When Miriam and Aaron disparaged Moses for having separated from his wife, God responded by saying “Mouth to mouth I speak with him.” Rabbi Akiva interprets this to mean that God told them that He had commanded Moses to separate from his wife. Rabbi Yehuda said: It was stated to him from the mouth of the Holy One blessed be He, as it is stated: “Do not approach a woman”; Moses was included among them and all were prohibited.

When [God] said: “Return you to your tents” (Deuteronomy 5:27), He permitted them. Moses said to Him: ‘Am I included among them?’ He said to him: No, “you stay here with Me” (Deuteronomy 5:28). Additionally, [Moses] expounded and said: If at Mount Sinai, which was temporary, He would not have spoken to me until He called to me,6Only after God called to Moses and told him to ascend the mountain was God ready to speak with him.

Had Moses ascended before being called, God would not have spoken to him. as it is stated: “The Lord called to him from the mountain, saying” (Exodus 19:3), at the Tent of Meeting7The sanctity there was permanent. all the more so. The Holy One blessed be He knew, and He called to him, as it is stated: “He called to Moses…[from the Tent of Meeting]” (Leviticus 1:1). Additionally, [Moses] expounded and said: If regarding the paschal offering, which is an offering of lesser sanctity, it is stated: “No stranger shall partake of it” (Exodus 12:43), the tablets that are the handiwork of God, shall idolaters have use of them?

That is why he broke them. See the praiseworthiness of Moses. Aaron and the seventy elders were seizing Moses’ hands, but they were unable to overcome him. Not only those, but the will of the Holy One blessed be He, too, was that he not break them, as it is stated: “All the signs and the wonders” (Deuteronomy 34:11).8Moses’ breaking of the tablets was a “wonder” in that he overpowered the elders in order to break the tablets and that he did so without God’s prior approval.

Alternatively, God was actually opposed to the breaking of the tablets; He wanted Moses to withhold them from the Israelites but not to break them (Etz Yosef). The Holy One blessed be He said to him: Let there be peace for that hand, as it is stated: “And with all the mighty hand” (Deuteronomy 34:12).9The reference is to the hand with which he broke the tablets. Thus, God’s blessing of Moses’ hand expressed His approval of Moses’ act after the fact (Rashash).