Shabbat Yitro
Mount Sinai
How many times?
The Mount Sinai revelation is at the core not only of the Bible, but of the Jewish people, its culture and religion. But when you look at the Torah itself, you often see a confusing picture of what actually happened, and how important events were seen and described differently in the Torah itself.
The revelation on Sinai is a good example. In Shemot (Chapter 19: 2 -14), the Children of Israel journeyed from Refidim and came to the wilderness of Sinai. They encamped opposite the mountain. Moshe went up the mountain, and God appeared to him and said, “If you listen to what I tell you and keep my covenant, you will be more special to me than any other nation, and you will be a Kingdom of priests and a holy nation, and this is what you should say to the Children of Israel .” Moshe then called the elders and offered them the covenant, the deal (19:7), and all the people replied that whatever God commanded, they would do. God then tells Moshe to go down and instruct everyone to prepare for three days’ time.
On the third day, Moshe led the people towards Mount Sinai, which was now enveloped in fire and clouds. It is shaking, and there’s the loud noise of the Shofar getting stronger. God descended on Sinai and told Moshe to go back down and warn the people they shouldn’t try to rush towards the mountain (19:21). Moshe goes down again and this time comes back together with Aaron and the priests (19:24). Then in verse 25 he goes back down and proceeds to recite to the people the contents of the revelation, the Aseret HaDvarim, the Ten Principles.
In Chapter 20, verse 16, after the revelation, the people were terrified, and fearing God, they asked Moshe to speak directly to God, and they would rather listen to Moshe reporting to them. Even though they were supposed to have heard the words directly from God, and indeed in verse 19 God said, “You have seen that I have spoken to you from the heavens.” And once again, Moshe goes up the mountain and into the clouds.
Then the Torah expands on the Sinai revelation to cover the range of laws, moral, civil and social, that make up the Jewish constitution. But in Chapter 24, a different narrative appears. God said to Moshe, “I want you to come up towards me, you Aaron, Nadav, Avihu and the 70 elders.” But then Moshe goes up to God alone once more. Moshe tells the people what the laws are and writes them down.
The following morning, he builds an altar with 12 Stones to represent the 12 tribes, and young men (or princes) of Israel offered up sacrifices to God and Moshe joins them in the rituals. And again, he takes Sefer HaBrit, the Book of the Covenant, and reads it out to everyone. They respond, “We will do and then listen.” It is not at all clear whether the Sefer HaBrit and the Ten Principles are the same. In Chapter 34:28 after the Ten Principles are given a second time, the two seem to be the same. And if not, then the Sefer HaBrit has disappeared.
Then, returning to Chapter 24, these young men or princes, and the priests, who came close to the mountain, had a profound religious vision of God and in verse 10 they all sit down to celebrate. Once again, God tells Moshe to come up the mountain for the tablets of stone. Only this time he takes Yehoshua with him part of the way. Then he spends six days preparing himself for the revelation on the seventh day, and finally stays up there for forty days and forty nights. Later, of course, in Chapter 34, after the golden calf episode, Moshe will smash the tablets and then eventually, after reconciling with God, up he will go again, and God will reiterate the covenant (Chapter 34:10).
What are we to make of this coming and going, this to and fro up the mountain and down? The repetition of statements and the seeming contradictions? And the uncertainty as to what the Book of the Covenant was. We who have been educated into a Western systemic and rationalist way of writing, thinking and expressing ourselves, might be confused by a system that seems on the face of it to be so repetitive and inconclusive.
One way of looking at it would be to say that all events are seen simultaneously by different people by different onlookers. People looking at the same events can still come away with different records, impressions and subjective experiences. Why shouldn’t there be a range of different versions, seeing from different points of view and accepting as the Talmud does, that the process of transmission takes time, in some cases over 40 years?
The result of these narratives is a constitution, regardless of the variations in the way it came to be inspired and compiled. What matters is whether we choose to be guided by it or not. And that challenge has always been there. Notice how quickly the Children of Israel renege on their commitment! Human nature?
Rabbi Jeremy Rosen lives in New York. He was born in Manchester. His writings are concerned with religion, culture, history and current affairs – anything he finds interesting or relevant. They are designed to entertain and to stimulate. Disagreement is always welcome.
