פרשת כי תשא
ויהי כאשר קרב אל המחנה וירא את העגל ומחולות ויחר אף משה וישלך מידו את הלוחות וישבר אתם תחת ההר
It happened as he drew near the camp and he saw the calf and the dances, that Moshe’s anger burned, he threw down the Luchos from his hands and shattered them at the bottom of the mountain.
The ספורנו questions why the posuk brings the מחולות, the dances, even though the main thing was that he saw the עגל. Why mention the dances?
The ספורנו explains that when he saw the rejoicing over the great sin they’ve done, then he was angered and gave up hope that this mistake can ever be corrected. The Luchos were broken because of the dances. The ספורנו explains the words חטאה גדולה to mean "מה ששמחו בקלקול במחולות, וזה הוא רע מן הפשע והמרד שעשו בעגל" – The joy they had with their decadence through dancing, which is worse than the rebellion of the עגל itself.
Our students are exposed to more and more of the decadence of society. At times we might feel that in some areas we can no longer battle them without regretful consequences. WE can at least attempt to infuse the message of the ספורנו. To curtail the joy that accompanies that which we frown upon.
About the Author: Rabbi Yisroel Meir Rubinfeld
Rabbi Rubinfeld has been in the field of Torah education for over 3 decades and serves as an Executive School Consultant for Torah Umesorah. He provides an array of services to schools across North America, including teacher and principal mentorship, school and curricula evaluations, professional development and parent education.
Rabbi Rubinfeld's expertise includes classroom management and discipline, effective instruction, bullying, cultivating sensitivity in the classroom, impulse disorders (such as ADHD and ODD), and balancing the educational needs of mainstream and special needs children in the classroom.
Rabbi Rubinfeld is the also the founder and director of Torah Umesorah's Lilmod U'Lilamed department which provides professional development for teachers and principals throughout the year.
Rabbi Rubinfeld is a talmid of the distinguished Yeshivos of Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin, the Mirrer Yeshiva in Yerushalayim and Bais Medrash Govoha in Lakewood.