Shavuot Myths
By Rabbi Shay Tahan

As we prepare for Shavuot, it’s important to revisit not only the text of the Torah but also our perceptions of it. The giving of the Torah—Matan Torah—was a world-changing event, yet over the years, many myths and misconceptions have crept into our collective understanding. Some of these stem from artistic representations and others from common misunderstandings. Below are some of the more widespread errors, particularly regarding the Luchot (Tablets):

Myth: The Luchot had only the surface engraved with letters.

Reality: The letters of the Ten Commandments were engraved entirely through the stone, not merely on the surface. This means there was empty space where the letters were carved—nothing behind them.
Even more miraculously, when the Luchot were turned, the letters didn’t appear reversed. They remained legible from both sides (Rav Hirsch, Shemot 32:15).
In fact, Chazal teach (Ra’avad on Avot 5:6) that the letters could be read from all four sides of the stone—a supernatural feature.

Myth: The Luchot were hard and rigid.

Reality: There was a lesser-known miracle: the Luchot could be rolled like a Sefer Torah (Ra’avad and Tosefot Yom Tov on Avot 5:6). According to this view, Moshe may have held the Luchot rolled up, rather than as flat stone tablets. This also explains the opinion of the Radbaz (Siman 8803), who wrote that the letters on the Luchot were not visible to outsiders.

Myth: Only partial phrases were written on the Luchot (e.g., “Anochi Hashem,” “Lo Yihiyeh Lecha”).

Reality: The entire text of each of the Ten Commandments was engraved on the Luchot. One clear proof is that the letters samech (ס) and mem sofit (ם) appear only later in the verses, yet Chazal say they floated miraculously inside the stone. This would only make sense if the full text was included.

Myth: The Luchot had rounded tops, as shown in common illustrations.

Reality: The Gemara (Bava Batra 14a) states clearly that each Luchah was six tefachim wide by six tefachim high, and three tefachim thick—making them perfectly square, not rounded. The rounded image is an artistic convention with no source in Chazal.

Myth: One tablet had five commandments and the other five.

Reality: While this is the opinion of Rabbi Chanina, the majority opinion of the Chachamim is that all ten commandments were written on both tablets—each tablet containing the full text (Yerushalmi Shekalim 14). This duplication reflected a contract format, with one copy for each “party”—Hashem and Bnei Yisrael.
Rashi (Shemot 34:1) even compares the Luchot to a ketubah, a marriage contract between Hashem and the Jewish people.
Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai offers a third view: that twenty commandments were written on each Luchah. This may align with the view that the text was visible from all four sides, thus appearing to be repeated four times.

Potential Confusion: The Hebrew term “Aseret HaDibrot” (Ten Commandments) is grammatically incorrect.

Reality: The word dibrot is a feminine plural, yet the correct masculine plural would be devarim. Indeed, the Torah itself refers to the Ten Commandments three times as Aseret HaDevarim:

• “…And He wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Devarim” (Shemot 34:28)
• “He told you His covenant… the Ten Devarim” (Devarim 4:13)
• “…He wrote on the tablets, like the first writing, the Ten Devarim” (Devarim 10:4)

The Mishnah (Tamid 5:1) also uses the phrase Aseret HaDevarim. However, the Gemara (Berachot 11b) does use the more familiar term Aseret HaDibrot, making both usages somewhat acceptable, though the Torah’s phrasing is more accurate.

Myth: Only the Ten Commandments were engraved on the Luchot.

Reality: According to Midrashim and the Radbaz (Vol. 3, Siman 915), not only the commandments but also their explanations and details were engraved. This miraculous compression of vast content is called me’at hamachzik et hamerubeh—a small space holding much.

Summary:
A crucial part of learning Torah is ensuring that our study is done with truth and accuracy. We must not take for granted what we hear from others but develop a critical mindset that carefully examines and questions, seeking understanding rather than accepting ideas blindly.

May our Torah study bring us closer to appreciating the greatness of that moment at Har Sinai.