The Torah tells us that when Moses descended from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the Testimony – the luchot ha-brit (לוחות הברית) – he didn't realize his face was radiating light. It says, "Moses did not know that the skin of his face was radiant upon His speaking with him" (Exodus 34:29). But how did this happen? Where did this light come from?

The Midrash, specifically Shemot Rabbah, explores this very question, diving into the mystical details surrounding this pivotal moment. The Midrash is a collection of Rabbinic commentaries on the Torah, offering interpretations and expansions on the biblical text.

First, let’s talk about those tablets. The text states, "He wrote upon the tablets" – it teaches that the first and the second were identical, Ten Commandments. But how were they arranged? Rabbi Yehuda suggests there were five commandments on each tablet, while Rabbi Nehemya proposes ten commandments on each! He reads into the verse "the two tablets of the Testimony" to mean that the entire Testimony (all ten commandments) were inscribed on both tablets. Mind-blowing, right?

The Midrash goes on to say something even more incredible: "The writing was bearing them." What does this mean? The engraved letters miraculously held up the stone tablets! Yet, the tablets appeared to be held in Moses’ hand. Talk about a divine paradox.

Now, back to the light. Where did Moses get those rays of splendor? The Rabbis suggest it came from the cave where Moses experienced God’s glory, as it is stated: “It will be with the passage of My glory” (Exodus 33:22).

Rabbi Berekhya HaKohen, in the name of Rabbi Shmuel, gives us a fascinating image. He says the tablets were six handbreadths long and six handbreadths wide. Moses held two handbreadths, the Shekhinah (שכינה) – the Divine Presence – held two handbreadths, and there were two handbreadths in the middle. It was from this central space, this point of ultimate connection, that Moses received the rays of splendor. Imagine being that close!

But Rabbi Yehuda bar Nahman, in the name of Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish, offers another explanation. He says that while Moses was writing with a quill, a bit of ink remained. He passed the quill over his head, and from that ink, the rays of splendor were formed. As God spoke and Moses wrote, the light manifested.

Think about that for a moment. The act of writing, of transcribing the divine word, itself became a source of light. It’s a powerful image. Moses, the humble servant, so close to God that he’s literally illuminated by the experience.

What can we take away from this? Perhaps it's a reminder that encountering the Divine, even in small ways – through studying Torah, through prayer, through acts of kindness – can leave us transformed. Maybe we won't glow like Moses, but perhaps we can carry a bit of that light within us, radiating it out into the world.