עקידת יצחק — ואשב בהר / ואתנפל לפני ה'

Q — Why does Moshe recount his forty days on the mountain, the breaking of the luchos, and his prostration in such detail? Why dwell on his own fasting and pleading? What is the lesson for the people he rebukes?

A — The recounting reveals that the greatness of Israel's leader lies in bearing the people and devoting himself utterly for their sake. Moshe relives the forty days, the shattered tablets, and the prostrate prayer not to magnify himself but to show how a true manhig throws himself between the nation and destruction. By recalling his total mesirus — no bread, no water, only intercession — he teaches both the gravity of their sin and the model of leadership: one who carries his people on his soul and pleads their cause without limit.