Broken Torah

The Gemora (Shabbos 87a and other places) is dorash on the words (10:2) אשר שברתה, yasher kochachah sh’shebartah.  The simple interpretation would be that the praise is because it saved Klal Yisroel.  However, the words of the derash seem to indicate that there was a positive from the very fact of breaking the luchos, not just because of the effect?  The Gemorah Menachos (98a) records that Resh Lakish derives from the breaking of the luchos that sometimes what seems to be a destruction of the Torah actually leads to greater Torah.  If this was a great act merely because it saved Klal Yisroel, we don’t see that it leads to greater Torah, we see that there must be some added greatness to the Torah, what is it? 

The peshat must be that there was a greater aspect to the Torah in the second luchos than in the first ones.  That is reflected in the Midrash Rabbah Shemos (46:1) that in by the second luchos there was a body of Torah sh’baal peh given.  However, we still need to understand, why was this aspect of Torah only received with the giving of the second luchos and not in the first one’s? 

The breaking of the luchos teaches us that one must have a broken heart, a sense of humility to properly incorporate the study of Torah sh’baal peh within the person.  To be able to be infused with the kedusha and wisdom that comes from Hashem one must feel humbled to allow it to have a positive effect on the person.  We say at the end of Shemoneh Esray ונפשי כעפר לכל תהיה פתח לבי בתורתך.  Only after the feeling of humbleness of feeling like dirt is it possible to try to understand Hashem’s wisdom.    

One must maintain the balance of using his own understanding to its fullest capacity to try to understand Torah but at the same time maintain that humbleness before Hashem.  That is the lesson of second luchos and first broken luchos being combined in the aron.  One must feel confident in his capabilities to be able to plunge to the depths of Torah and understand it.  This is represented by the complete and whole second luchos.  At the same time, one must have the feeling of humbleness before Hashem’s wisdom, represented by the broken luchos.  These are two opposite feelings which would seem to be impossible to balance, but that is the power of Torah.  The Gemorah says in Yoma 41a (and elsewhere) that the aron didn’t take up space, it was miraculous, it defied reality.  So too in or learning of Torah we can blend two opposite feelings together (Based upon Likutay Sichos volume 26 sicha 3 on Ki Sesa.)

[As an aside it’s not so clear it the derash of yasher kochachah sh’shebartah is from our parsha or Ki Tesa (34:1) where the same words apply.  See the midrash there and Maharsha Babba Bathra 14b and footnote 5 in the aforementioned sicha.]

See fantastic article here about why the possuk says וָאֲשַׁבְּרֵ֖ם לְעֵינֵיכֶֽם, the word עיניכם seems extra?