Below is an excerpt from Rabbi Levi Brackman's upcoming book: "Jewish Wisdom for Business Success" that relates to this weeks' Torah portion Vayakhal which begins with what Moses did upon descending the Mountain with the second set of Tablets.
As Moses came down the mountain and saw the Israelites performing pagan rituals around the golden calf, he dropped and broke the two tablets that he had received from God on top of Mount Sinai and upon which the Ten Commandments had been inscribed (Exodus 32:19). Later (Exodus 34:28), Moses received a second set of tablets from God with the same words inscribed upon them.
According to the sages, the first set of tablets, inscribed and carved by the perfect divine hand (figuratively speaking), represent the erroneous idea that we can be perfect without blemishes. Thus, when the handiwork of the creator came down to earth among imperfect humans, that ideal vision came face to face with the stark reality of the frailty and fallibility of the created. When something that expects perfection is confronted with deficiency and failings, it cannot function at all and quickly breaks down. This is what happened to the first set of tablets: they could not handle the inherent imperfections of the Israelites and thus ended up broken.
The second set of Tablets that Moses received, tradition says, was of a different nature. They were dictated by God but carved by Moses, a human being. Thus, a human, inherently fallible, was a part of their makeup. According to the mystics, God designed it this way. He wanted there to be a second set of tablets-He wanted the perfect ideal to be pierced by failure. The reason for this, say the mystics, is because failure allows the individual to reach ever greater heights of success.
As King Solomon said (Ecclesiastes 1:18), "Much wisdom comes through much grief." Thus, as a result of the creation of the second tablets, tradition has it that God revealed additional details of His divine wisdom to Moses and through him to the Israelites. So, as a result of the failure of faith that was the sin of the golden calf, greater success was realized. This point was not lost on Torah thought. Through the second set of tablets, it became clear that any perceived failure, if handled properly, has the potential for eventual success. And after the shattering of any perfect vision there is always the potential for a second chance that will deliver results that are far superior to what the first perfect idea, vision, or project was able to yield.
With failure comes a lack of responsibility for the previous vision. When something fails, one is no longer obligated to make it work. An enterprise that is not working properly limits entrepreneurs, not allowing them to reach their full potential. When an enterprise fails, they are forced to find a solution from a different direction, leaving them unencumbered by failure to follow their ultimate dreams and desires. The failing project then no longer consumes their energy and the opportunities are endless. If perfection were always expected, then people would feel obligated to avoid failure at all costs which would therefore limit the desire to try risky enterprises, businesses, and investments. If seen in the way discussed above, failure is really just a stepping stone to another success. As the saying goes, "the path to success is paved with failures." But when shown in this light it is no longer really a failure rather just another step towards success.
In addition, when viewed through this prism, failure can be incredibly instructive. Often, when a person fails it is because they are not quite suited to run that particular enterprise or project. Thus, failure can be seen as a signpost on the path to success that shows us the direction one must take and gently guides them off the path not meant for them. In this sense, failure does not really exist. Rather, it is a correctional device that leads us to the path of success. If, however, one is afraid of failure, they may never reach success.