RAV KOOK ON Ki Tissa Part 3: The First and Second Luchot

Why Break the Tablets? “As he approached the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, Moses was angry. He threw down the tablets in his hand, shattering them at the foot of the mountain.” (Ex. 32:19) Why did Moses need to break the luchot? He could have put them aside for a later time, when the Jewish people would be worthy of them. The Torah does not record that Moses was criticized for destroying the holy tablets. On the contrary, the Talmud teaches that God complemented Moses for this act: “Yashar Kochacha!” “Good job that you broke them” (Shabbat 87a). Why did they have to be broken?