A NEW DAY

“At that time Hashem said to me ‘Hew two tables of stone like the first and come up to me on the mountain and make an ark of wood. And I will write on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets which you broke and you shall put them in the ark’” (Deut.10.1f)

Both the new set of tablets and the old set that had been broken were placed in the ark. (Menahot 99) Moshe was descending Sinai with the original tablets when he heard that the people were worshipping the golden calf. They fell from his hands and smashed as they struck the ground.

The broken pieces of stone had little intrinsic value, yet when placed in the ark together with the new set, they were accorded the same honour. From this we learn the importance of remembering past mistakes especially after cleaning one’s slate and setting out afresh.

We need to keep in mind the values that we have let go. Moral teachings are discarded, ethical practices dropped. Disregarding commitments and undertakings and breaking promises all shatter the hearts and expectations of others.

There can be no future without a break from the past. Yet we need to go through the anguish of the night and wrestle with the errors of our ways, so that each break of day heralds a new tomorrow.