After forgiving the Jewish people for worshipping the golden calf, God commanded Moses to quarry the stone for carving out a second set of luchot ha-brit :
"Carve out two tablets for yourself just like the first ones. I will write on those tablets the same words that were on the first tablets that you broke." (Ex. 34:1)
Why did God tell Moses to carve out the stone "for yourself"? In what way did these tablets belong to Moses?
The Talmud explains that Moses was to provide the material for the tablets from his own supply of precious stone. According to the Midrash, a sapphire quarry was located directly underneath Moses' tent. Moses, it turns out, was fabulously wealthy.
That Moses was rich is not incidental. The Sages learned from his example that wealth is a prerequisite for prophecy (Shabbat 92a). It is logical that a spiritual leader must be wise. But why should he be affluent?
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