, אָמַר רַבִּי אַבָּהוּ בְּשֵׁם רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן, כְּשֶׁנָּתַן הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא אֶת הַתּוֹרָה, צִפּוֹר לֹא צָוַח, עוֹף לֹא פָּרַח, שׁוֹר לֹא גָּעָה, אוֹפַנִּים לֹא עָפוּ, שְׂרָפִים לֹא אָמְרוּ קָדוֹשׁ קָדוֹשׁ, הַיָּם לֹא נִזְדַּעֲזָע, הַבְּרִיּוֹת לֹא דִּבְּרוּ, אֶלָּא הָעוֹלָם שׁוֹתֵק וּמַחֲרִישׁ, וְיָצָא הַקּוֹל: אָנֹכִי יי אֱלֹקֶיךָ
Rabbi Abahu said in the name of Rabbi Yohanan: When the Holy One gave the Torah, no bird chirped, no fowl flew, no ox lowed, not one of the ofanim stirred a wing, not one of the seraphim said, “Holy, holy, holy!” The sea did not roar, creatures did not speak – the whole world was hushed into breathless silence. It was then the voice went forth: “I am Adonai your God.”
"And they stood at the bottom of the mountain (Exodus 19:17)-" Rabbi Avdimi the son of Chama the son of Chasa said, "This teaches that the Holy One, Blessed be He, held the mountain over them like a barrel and said, 'If you accept the Torah, it is good. And if not, here shall be your graves.'" Rav Acha Bar Yaakov said, "From here there is a great claim against the Torah!" Rav said, "Even so, they accepted it again [willingly] in the days of Ahasuerus, as it is written, (Esther 9:27) 'They upheld and accepted' - they upheld what they already accepted."
כפה עליהן הר כגיגית. ואע"פ שכבר הקדימו נעשה לנשמע שמא יהיו חוזרים כשיראו האש הגדולה שיצאתה נשמתן
"He held the mountain over them like a barrel" - Even though they had already said “We will do and we will listen,” perhaps they retracted when they saw the great fire [on the mountain] that caused their souls to depart...
חידושי הרי״ם
נעשה ונשמע היה משום שהיו חושקים בדבקות לתורה ולעבודת ה׳, מכל מקום יעשו כמו שהם בכל נפשם ובאם לא יאבדו חס ושלום, מה שעל זה היה מראה הכפייה בהר.
Chiddushei Ha-Rim
“We will do and we will listen” was because they were craving Torah and the service of G-d. But they needed to accept it for generations--even if their will and desire was not for Torah and service, nonetheless they would perform with all their souls, and if not, they would be lost G-d forbid. It is this that forcing the mountain reflected...
(15) All the people witnessed the thunder and lightning, the blare of the horn and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it, they fell back and stood at a distance. (16) “You speak to us,” they said to Moses, “and we will obey; but let not God speak to us, lest we die.”
WHAT DID THEY SEE?
“The Torah was given through seven voices. And the people saw the Master of the Universe revealed in every one of these voices. That's the meaning of the verse ‘All the people saw the voices.’ (Exodus 20:15) These voices were accompanied by sparks of fire and flashes of lightening that were in the shape of the letters of the ten commandments. They saw the fiery word pouring out from the mouth of the Almighty and watched as they were inscribed on the stone tablets, as it says, ‘The voice of God inscribes flames of fire’ (Ps 29:4). And when the people actually saw The-One-Who-Speaks-the-World-into-Being, they fainted away. Some say that their spirits left their bodies, while others say that they entered a prophetic trance. These visions brought them to trembling and shaking and a blackout of the senses.” (Midrash Exodus Rabbah)
WHAT DID THEY HEAR? “Rabbi Yochanan Said: When God’s voice came forth at Mt. Sinai, it divided itself into 70 human languages, so that the whole world might understand it. All at Mt. Sinai, young and old, women, children, and infants according to their ability to understand. Moses too, understood only according to his capacity, as it is said (Ex. 19:19), ‘Moses spoke and God answered him with a voice.’ With a voice that Moses could hear.” (Midrash Exodus Rabbah 5:9)
בּוֹא וּרְאֵה הֵיאַךְ הַקּוֹל יוֹצֵא, אֵצֶל כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל כָּל אֶחָד וְאֶחָד לְפִי כֹּחוֹ, הַזְּקֵנִים לְפִי כֹּחָן, הַבַּחוּרִים לְפִי כֹּחָן, וְהַקְּטַנִּים לְפִי כֹּחָן, וְהַיּוֹנְקִים לְפִי כֹּחָן, וְהַנָּשִׁים לְפִי כֹּחָן, וְאַף משֶׁה לְפִי כֹּחוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שמות יט, יט): משֶׁה יְדַבֵּר וְהָאֱלֹהִים יַעֲנֶנּוּ בְקוֹל, בְּקוֹל שֶׁהָיָה יָכוֹל לְסוֹבְלוֹ. וְכֵן הוּא אוֹמֵר (תהלים כט, ד): קוֹל ה' בַּכֹּחַ, בְּכֹחוֹ לֹא נֶאֱמַר אֶלָּא בַּכֹּחַ, בְּכֹחוֹ שֶׁל כָּל אֶחָד וְאֶחָד, וְאַף נָשִׁים מְעֻבָּרוֹת לְפִי כֹּחָן, הֱוֵי אוֹמֵר כָּל אֶחָד וְאֶחָד לְפִי כֹּחוֹ.
אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹסֵי בַּר חֲנִינָא אִם תָּמֵהַּ אַתָּה עַל הַדָּבָר הַזֶּה לְמֹד מִן הַמָּן שֶׁלֹא הָיָה יוֹרֵד לְיִשְׂרָאֵל אֶלָּא לְפִי כֹּחַ שֶׁל כָּל אֶחָד וְאֶחָד מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל, הַבַּחוּרִים הָיוּ אוֹכְלִין אוֹתוֹ כְּלֶחֶם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שמות טז, ד): הִנְנִי מַמְטִיר לָכֶם לֶחֶם מִן הַשָּׁמָיִם וגו'. וְהַזְּקֵנִים, כְּצַפִּיחִת בִּדְבָשׁ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שמות טז, לא): וְטַעֲמוֹ כְּצַפִּיחִת בִּדְבָשׁ. וְיוֹנְקִים, כְּחָלָב מִשְּׁדֵי אִמּוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (במדבר יא, ח): וְהָיָה טַעֲמוֹ כְּטַעַם וגו'. וְהַחוֹלִים כְּסֹלֶת מְעֹרָב בִּדְבַשׁ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (יחזקאל טז, יט): וְלַחְמִי אֲשֶׁר נָתַתִּי לְךָ סֹלֶת וְשֶׁמֶן וּדְבַשׁ הֶאֱכַלְתִּיךָ. וְהָעוֹבְדֵי כּוֹכָבִים טָעֲמוּ אוֹתוֹ מַר וְגַד, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (במדבר יא, ז): וְהַמָּן כִּזְרַע גַּד הוּא. אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹסֵי בַּר רַבִּי חֲנִינָא וּמָה הַמָּן שֶׁהָיָה מִין אֶחָד נֶהְפַּךְ לְכַמָּה מִינִין בִּשְׁבִיל צֹרֶךְ כָּל אֶחָד וְאֶחָד, הַקּוֹל שֶׁהָיָה כֹּחַ בּוֹ עַל אַחַת כַּמָּה וְכַמָּה שֶׁהָיָה מִשְׁתַּנֶּה לְכָל אֶחָד וְאֶחָד שֶׁלֹא יִנָּזֵקוּ. וּמִנַּיִן שֶׁהַקּוֹל נֶחְלַק לְקוֹלוֹת הַרְבֵּה שֶׁלֹא יִנָּזֵקוּ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שמות כ, טו): וְכָל הָעָם רֹאִים אֶת הַקּוֹלֹת.
Come and see how the voice would go out among all of Israel - each and every one according to his strength: the elders according to their strength; the young men according to their strength; the infants according to their strength; the babies according to their strength; the women according to their strength; and even Moshe according to his strength, as it is stated (Exodus 19:19), "Moshe would speak and God would answer him with a voice" - with a voice that He could withstand. And so [too,] it states (Psalms 29:4), "The voice of the Lord is in strength" - it is not stated, "in His strength," but rather "in strength"; in the strength of each and every one, and even the pregnant women, according to their strength. Hence one would say each and every one according to his strength.
Rabbi Yose bar Chanina said, "If you wonder about this thing, learn from the manna, as it would only come down according to the strength of each and every one of Israel: the young men would eat it like bread, as it is stated (Exodus 16:4), 'Behold I will rain upon you bread from the skies, etc.'; the elders like a wafer in honey, as it is stated (Exodus 16:31), 'and its taste was like a wafer in honey'; the sucklings like the milk of it's mother's breast, as it is stated (Numbers 11:8), 'and its taste, was like the taste of, etc.'; the sick ones like fine flour mixed with honey, as it is stated (Ezekiel 16:19), 'And My bread that I gave you, fine flour and oil I fed you'; and the idolaters tasted it bitter and coriander, as it is stated (Numbers 11:7), 'And the manna was like coriander seed.'" And Rabbi Yose bar Rabbi Chanina said, "And since the manna which was one type switched to many types because of the need of each and every one, all the more so, the voice that had strength in it would change for each and every one, so that that they would not be injured, as it is stated (Exodus 20:15), 'And all the people saw the voices.'"
SAW YOU AT SINAI: "And God spoke all these words, saying" (Exod. 20:1). Rabbi Isaac said: At Mount Sinai, the prophets of each and every generation received what they were to prophesy (in the future). For Moses told Israel, "But with him that stands here with us this day before Adonai our God, and also with him that is not here this day" (Deut. 29:14). He did not say, "That is not standing here with us this day," but, "That is not here with us this day," as a way of referring to the souls that are still destined to be created. Moses did not use the word "standing" for them, because as yet these had no substance. Still, even though they did not as yet exist, each one received his share of the Torah. Nor were the future prophets the only ones who received at Sinai the prophecy they were to utter. The sages who were to rise in each and every generation--each and every one of them also received at Sinai the wisdom he was to share later.
אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן מַלְאָךְ הָיָה מוֹצִיא הַדִּבּוּר מִלִּפְנֵי הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא עַל כָּל דִּבּוּר וְדִבּוּר, וּמַחֲזִירוֹ עַל כָּל אֶחָד וְאֶחָד מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל וְאוֹמֵר לוֹ מְקַבֵּל אַתָּה עָלֶיךָ אֶת הַדִּבּוּר הַזֶּה?... וְרַבָּנִין אָמְרִין, הַדִּבּוּר עַצְמוֹ הָיָה מְחַזֵּר עַל כָּל אֶחָד וְאֶחָד מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל וְאוֹמֵר לוֹ מְקַבְּלֵנִי אַתְּ עָלֶיךָ, כָּךְ וְכָךְ מִצְווֹת יֵשׁ בִּי, וְכָךְ דִּינִין יֵשׁ בִּי, כָּךְ וְכָךְ עֳנָשִׁין יֵשׁ בִּי, כָּךְ וְכָךְ גְּזֵרוֹת יֵשׁ בִּי, כָּךְ וְכָךְ מִצְווֹת יֵשׁ בִּי, כָּךְ וְכָךְ קַלִּין וַחֲמוּרִין יֵשׁ בִּי, כָּךְ וְכָךְ מַתַּן שָׂכָר יֵשׁ בִּי, וְהוּא אוֹמֵר, הֵן וָהֵן, מִיָּד הַדִּבּוּר נוֹשְׁקוֹ עַל פִּיו...
Shir haShirim Rabbah 1:2:2
Said Rebbe Yochanan: An angel would bring out each utterance before the Blessed Holy One, one by one, and to each Israelite the angel would bring (the utterance) and say "Do you accept upon yourself this utterance?"...
And Sages say: The utterance itself would go out to each and every Israelite, and she would say to them: "Do you accept me upon yourself? I have within me such and such commandments, and these judgments, and these and those punishments, and those and these decrees; and these other commandments, some of them easy and others difficult, and these within me give different rewards.
And the Israelite would say, "these and these," and immediately the Utterance would kiss him on the mouth...
WHAT IS REVELATION?
David Hartman, A Living Covenant, p.8
Belief in the giving of the Torah at Sinai does not necessarily imply that the full truth has already been given and that our task is only to unfold what was already present in the fullness of the founding moment of revelation. Sinai gave the community a direction, an arrow pointing toward a future filled with many surprises. Halakhah, which literally means “walking,” is like a road that has not been fully paved and completed. The Sinai moment of revelation, as mediated by the ongoing discussion in the tradition, invites one and all to acquire the competence to explore the terrain and extend the road. It does not require passive obedience and submission to the wisdom of the past.
Franz Rosenzweig in Revelation and Law, published in On Jewish Learning.
“Revelation is certainly not Law-giving. It is only this: Revelation. The primary content of revelation is revelation itself. ‘He came down’ (on Sinai) – this already concludes the revelation; “He spoke” is the beginning of the interpretation…”
Why does the Torah begin with the letter Bet (the 2nd letter of the Hebrew alphabet)?
Rabbi Arthur Green, in Seek My Face: A Jewish Mystical Theology
God spoke only the first letter of the word. That letter, aleph, is by itself silent. God speaks only the great silence; the divine is a silent womb that contains all language within it… All God says is that which cannot be spoken, the pronouncement of the unpronounceable word. But this word is overflowing with the energy of Being.
REVELATION EVERYDAY: The Kotzker Rebbe was asked: ”Why is Shavuot called (z’man matan Torah) 'The Time that the Torah was Given,' rather than 'The time the Torah was Received?” He answered: “The giving took place on one day, but the receiving takes place at all times.” (Martin Buber Tales of Hasidim)