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Why did Moshe break the Luchos after the Golden Calf? The Gemara (גמרא)'s kal v'chomer from Korban Pesach (פסח) seems flawed since we don't exclude mumrim from all mitzvos. The shiur develops that Korban Pesach and the Luchos both represent covenant-making rather than mere mitzvah (מצוה) performance, so rejection through idolatry justified withholding the marriage contract itself.
This shiur examines a profound Gemara (גמרא) from Shabbos (שבת) and Pesachim that explains Moshe Rabbeinu's reasoning for breaking the Luchos after the Golden Calf. The Gemara presents Moshe's kal v'chomer (logical inference): if the Korban Pesach (פסח), which is only one of 613 mitzvos, excludes a ben nechar (one who rejects Torah (תורה)), then certainly the entire Torah represented by the Luchos should be withheld from Israel who had become mumrim through the Golden Calf. Tosafos (תוספות) raises a fundamental question about this reasoning, noting that it's not a complete kal v'chomer since we don't find that a mumar is forbidden from all mitzvos, only from korbanot. Rabbi Yeshaya Greenberg ZT"L addresses this difficulty by exploring the unique nature of both Korban Pesach and Bris Milah - they are the only positive commandments whose neglect carries the punishment of kares (spiritual excision).
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Shabbos and Pesachim (Moshe breaking the Luchos)
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