Exodus 31:18 - Divine tablets at Sinai.

The Giving of the Luchot HaEdut (Tablets of Testimony)

The verse (Shemot 31:18) describes the culmination of Moshe's time on Har Sinai, where Hashem gives him the two tablets of stone inscribed with the Ten Commandments. Rashi explains that the phrase "כְּכַלֹּתוֹ לְדַבֵּר אִתּוֹ" ("when He had made an end of speaking with him") refers to the completion of all the commandments and teachings that Hashem conveyed to Moshe during his 40-day stay on the mountain.

The Nature of the Tablets

The tablets are called "לֻחֹת הָעֵדֻת" (Tablets of Testimony) because they testify to the covenant between Hashem and Bnei Yisrael. The Ramban notes that the term "עֵדֻת" implies an eternal witness to the truth of Torah and the relationship between Hashem and His people.

"Written with the Finger of God"

The phrase "כְּתֻבִים בְּאֶצְבַּע אֱלֹהִים" emphasizes the divine origin of the writing. The Talmud (Makot 11a) explains that this refers to the miraculous nature of the engraving—the letters were carved completely through the stone yet remained legible from both sides. The Midrash (Shemot Rabbah 41:7) elaborates that the tablets were made of sapphire, symbolizing the heavens, and the writing was black fire on white fire.

Significance of the Two Tablets

• The first tablet contained commandments between man and Hashem (e.g., belief in God, Shabbat), while the second contained interpersonal mitzvot (e.g., honoring parents, prohibitions against theft and murder), teaching that both dimensions are essential to Torah.
• The Mechilta notes that the two tablets parallel heaven and earth, showing that Torah bridges the spiritual and physical realms.
• The equal size of the tablets symbolizes the balance between ritual and ethical obligations in Judaism.