Would you take a precious gift received from your father or mother and, in a pique of anger, thrust it onto the ground, breaking it? Yet it seems that is exactly what Moses does. He sees his countrymen worshipping an idol and, in disgust, he flings away the priceless sapphire tablets of the Ten Commandments, shattering them. Plausible? Hardly!

In truth, his action saves his nation from a worse calamity. The Tablets constitute an impending marriage contract – a marriage to G-d. Seeing the people’s ‘promiscuity’ in worshipping the golden calf, he ‘tears’ the contract up, preventing what could be construed as a ‘spiritually adulterous union’. Far-fetched? Perhaps.  But note how the commentaries try to see the good, rather than the lazier path of accusation.

Do you look for the positive? When you hear of a scandal do you take secret satisfaction that someone is caught out? The Frierdicker Rebbe taught that one should always look at the other through the ‘right eye’. In the spiritual world ‘Right’ is the side of Hessed – compassion and empathy – whereas ‘Left’ is the side of Gevurah – strict judgement. The Rebbe’s advice means that we should always look for the good in the other, rather than jump to the accusative.

Take a leaf out of the Rebbe’s book. Moses acted in defence of his people. So should you.  Especially today. Especially in application to the current circumstances in Israel.