A Transformative Moment: The Giving of the Torah at Sinai

The giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai was an event that changed the course of humanity. It marked a new phase in creation. The world after the giving of the Torah was different from what it was before. In the 26th generation of creation, when the Torah was given, the world reached its purpose, a purpose it had anticipated since the creation of the world, as brought in Rashi (Genesis 1:31) referring to the sages. The giving of the Torah signaled the beginning of a new world centered around the Torah.

At that moment, the entire world was still. Creation was silent; the heavens were torn open, the depths split apart, and Hashem revealed Himself to His people with thunder and lightning, delivering to them the Ten Commandments. All of Israel stood at the foot of the mountain witnessing this divine revelation, unprecedented in nature. This began a new chapter in the history of the world and humanity. The people of Israel were commanded to study and fulfill the Torah, to shine its light to the broader world.

The fact that our Torah was given by the Creator of the universe frequently comes up when discussing the fundamentals of Judaism. The divine origin of the Torah mandates that our lives be aligned with and nourished by this path. Therefore, it is extremely important to describe and explain, at least briefly, what occurred at this lofty event that so significantly impacted the world, both directly and indirectly.

The Torah repeatedly emphasizes that this unique event happened before the eyes of the entire people, and they were all eyewitnesses to Hashem's revelation to His chosen nation. We'll cite some verses that describe the majesty of the event and the participation of the entire nation in the giving of the Torah:

In the Book of Exodus (19:9): "And Hashem said to Moses, 'Behold, I come to you in a dense cloud so that the people will hear when I speak with you.'" And in verse 17: "And Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet with G-d, and they stood at the foot of the mountain." With the direct impression from the vision, came the voice of G-d giving the Ten Commandments to His people (20:1-2): "And G-d spoke all these words, saying, 'I am Hashem, your G-d, etc.'". Even after the giving of the Ten Commandments, it said (20:15): "And all the people saw the thunder and the lightning, and the sound of the shofar, and the mountain smoking."

This event has all the marks of a historical fact. A phenomenon witnessed by millions of people, the entire nation without exception, is indeed a fact. The revelation at Sinai happened before 600,000 men aged 20 to 60, not counting the elderly, women, and children.

The Sinai event is mentioned throughout the Bible as an undeniable fact. Here is one example: in connection with the construction of the Temple by King Solomon, it is said, "There was nothing in the Ark except the two stone tablets which Moses placed there at Horeb, where Hashem made a covenant with the Israelites when they came out of Egypt" (1 Kings 8:9). Another example: the prophet Elijah (1 Kings 19) went to Mount Sinai, as it is referred to in verse 8: "The mountain of G-d, Horeb," where the divine was revealed to him.

The distinctive point of the Sinai revelation, as mentioned, is its public nature. Everything was visible to all. G-d manifested before them, and their ears heard the voice of the Creator speaking to them. All the people witnessed everything with physical sight and were very spiritually uplifted by all that was revealed to them.

A testimony of millions cannot, heaven forbid, be a hallucination. This is a historical event with every characteristic defining historical verification, alive and present.

The Creator desired to grant humanity absolute certainty about the giving of the Torah to His people, so He appeared before all the people and spoke with a supernatural voice in their ears. Everyone witnessed this revelation and saw its details. This divine revelation in a large forum, where everyone served as eyewitnesses and earwitnesses, is unmatched by any other religion, except for Judaism.

Never has another event occurred with certainty like the revelation at Sinai. This event is passed down from generation to generation, from father to son, and about this Rabbi Yehuda Halevi said that the account of these events is transmitted with "a tradition akin to visible reality," in terms of its clarity and certainty (The Kuzari, First Essay, 25). The tradition of the generations, which we will elaborate on further, leads us, people of our generation, to a sense where we seem to see everything happening at the mountain with our own eyes.

There is no stronger testimony than the testimony of our people regarding the roots of their Judaism. Millions of Jews all over the world celebrate Passover and Shavuot, recounting in the name of their ancestors who passed down the message to them about the miracles of the Exodus from Egypt and the giving of the Torah that occurred on these holiday dates. These Jews received a historical testimony perfectly transmitted over three thousand three hundred years. This testimony has undergone no changes and continues to be passed down from generation to generation as on the day it was given. This precise transmission serves as proof that the first generation, the ancestor of the tradition, was indeed an eyewitness to this event in vast numbers. With the certainty of the first generation, the people succeeded in passing these facts down to generations. The absolute conviction of the first generation is what still lives within the heart of the Jewish people today.

All the millions who stood at the foot of the mountain attuned themselves to the secret used by the ministering angels and declared (Exodus 24:7): "We will do and we will hear." This declaration and willingness to fully and willingly accept the Torah, came spontaneously from everyone. There was no prior consultation among the people about what to declare and how. Each individual separately proclaimed aloud and simultaneously, that they were ready to accept the Torah and its commandments and to implement them fully. The identical declaration from millions of individuals joined together in a general and public proclamation by the entire nation. Their recognition of the Creator's desire to do good for them and give them the best, led them to the willingness to accept the Torah and keep it. They understood with absolute certainty that accepting the Torah for themselves and future generations was the most positive, beneficial, and best step. From this arose the consensus that erupted from their hearts when they all declared in unison "We will do and we will hear."

The verse "Face to face Hashem spoke with you" (Deuteronomy 5:4), teaches us that the Sinai revelation was a prophetic event where all the people became prophets witnessing the divine revelation before their eyes. The verse: "And all the people saw the voices" (Exodus 20:15) opens a window into the chamber of prophecy and provides some understanding of its essence. It is a broad perception beyond the sensory capabilities, by which one can only listen to voices and not see them. This, despite all attempts to bring the concepts somewhat closer to our understanding, for us, who have not experienced prophecy and are far from comprehending it, the experience of prophecy will remain mysterious, and in this area, we are like a person blind from birth who can never understand how colors look.

At the Sinai revelation, before the giving of the Ten Commandments, it is written: "Hashem descended upon Mount Sinai" (Exodus 19:20). This expression intends to indicate that Hashem created a special opportunity for the people standing at the foot of the mountain to receive messages from beyond the sensory world, allowing them profound impressions from the grand event about to occur. G-d "descended," creating new possibilities for perception. The entire people were granted a spiritual encounter. An encounter, which the human experience, of people immersed in material concerns, does not comprehend.

Yet, the experience of this extraordinary encounter is deeply embedded in our consciousness, remaining in the depths of our soul since that grand event. This is the reason for the spiritual restlessness of the Jewish person, of every Jew regardless of who they are. He is always secretly longing for this mighty experience, for the encounter with the Creator, for the one-time public revelation that was with the entire people. Therefore, as mentioned, he is stealthily striving for perfection. He is accompanied by unrest and an unwillingness to rest on his laurels.

In light of these heavenly phenomena that have changed the future of the people, it is appropriate to emphasize that realistic people in our generation may sometimes struggle to connect with a miraculous event, an occurrence outside the natural world and its patterns. They live within the material system of life and find it hard to detach and ascend to heights. However, they need to know that belief in the G-d who created our world, a belief ingrained in the hearts of many people, also lies outside the boundaries of nature. It is faith in the One who holds nature like clay in the potter's hands, and it is an ascent to what is hidden and unknown to our eyes.

Therefore, every person should get accustomed to this thought. They should understand that the entire world was created in a process beyond the confines of nature, and they should also understand that the Sinai revelation, a scene of overwhelming grandeur, entirely miraculous, actually took place before the eyes of all the people.

Let us now turn to another point:

The Torah warns the people to remember the immense impression of the Sinai revelation: "Only take heed to yourself and diligently guard your soul, lest you forget the things your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. Teach them to your children and grandchildren the day you stood before Hashem your G-d at Horeb" (Deuteronomy 4:9-10).

Remembering the event throughout the generations serves as the solid anchor on which the people of Israel rely in observing the commandments. They do not veer from them, nor do they turn their gaze away from the promise they made at the foot of the mountain, which remains for all generations; the promise of "We will do and we will hear."

The ancient religions of the nations have been abandoned or altered, whereas Judaism continues with that royal eternity, as firm as the unchanging laws of nature.

The nations viewed in astonishment the unwavering loyalty of the people of Israel to the Torah and the sacrifices for its sake. As it is said, "If a man would give all the wealth of his house in love, he would utterly be despised" (Song of Songs 8:7). The love of Hashem and the love of the Torah live in the hearts of the people forever. The nations could not understand that the significance of the Sinai revelation for the people of Israel is that the nation, which was a witness to Hashem's presence at Sinai, does not forget it for eternity and is devoted to its teachings forever.

Excerpt from the highly recommended book "At the Foot of Mount Sinai."