The Tablets of the Ten Commandments

Hello. As I understand the Israelites on mount sinai only heard the commandments but didn't see Hashems finger of fire inscribe the tablets. Why is this? And why did Moses write the second tablets instead of God rewriting it?

Shalom!

Thank you for your question.

Here are some teachings about the Revelation at Sinai that are relevant to your question.

Let us begin with some teachings based primarily on the Mechilta to Exodus chapter 20:

All Ten Commandments were spoken by G-d in a single breath. G-d then repeated the Commandments to the nation one at a time. We are told that after G-d spoke the first commandment the Jewish people died from the holiness of G-d’s voice and had to be revived. After G-d pronounced the second commandment the same thing happened – the Jewish people fainted from the holiness of the voice. After they were revived a second time, they asked Moses to be the intermediary for them and for him to deliver the remaining eight commandments rather than G-d. And so, it was.

Here is a teaching from Midrash Rabba relevant to your inquiry, as well:

The Torah was given through seven voices. And the people saw G-d revealed in every one of these voices. This is the meaning of the verse ‘All the people saw the voices. ’ (Exodus 20:15) These voices were accompanied by sparks of fire and flashes of lightening that were in the shape of the letters of the Ten Commandments. They saw the fiery word pouring out from the mouth of the Almighty and watched as they were inscribed on the stone tablets, as it says, ‘The voice of God inscribes flames of fire’ (Psalms 29:4). And when the people actually saw The-One-Who-Speaks-the-World-into-Being, they fainted away. Some say that their souls left their bodies, while others say that they entered a prophetic trance. These visions brought them to trembling and shaking and a blackout of the senses.”

Regarding the second set of the Ten Commandments, there are sources to suggest that it was done by G-d and sources to suggest that it was done by Moses. (Compare for example Exodus 34:27 and Deuteronomy 10:1)

One way of reconciling the apparent contradiction is from the teaching of Rabbi Meir Simcha of Dvinsk in his work “Meshech Chochmah.” He explains that the second tablets were for the most part written by Moses, but that Moses did it in a natural manner. After this, G-d came and infused the second Tablets with spirituality and turned it into a more holy text.

On the other hand, the Ibn Ezra insists that the second Tablets were written by G-d just like the first.