Mount Sinai - The Real Story
Rabbi Bentzi Epstein
Sinai at Home | A Project of OU’s Torah Initiatives Rabbi Bentzi Epstein
Mount Sinai – The Real Story
1. 12 Places in the Torah talks about the story: Exodus 19:1-25, 20:1-14, 20:15-23, 24:1-18, 31:18-34:26, 34:27-35; Numbers 10:33-36; Deuteronomy 4:9-24, 4:32-36, 5:1-30, 9:8- 29, 10:1-5.
2. Questions that need to be resolved.
a. What are the pre-requisites for receiving the Torah?
b. When was Naaseh V’nishma said?
c. How could they accept the Torah without knowing what it says?
d. Why does G-D have to hold the mountain over their head if they already accepted it?
e. When did they get the Tablets?
f. Why did G-D say all the commandments at once?
g. When did they get the Torah? Which parts?
h. What did they get at Mount Sinai?
i. Where were they planning to store them, it was before the tabernacle was even commanded to be built?
j. How do we know this? Or do we just believe this?
3. Let’s start day by day and see what happened.
4. They got the Torah on the 7th of Sivan, the third month of the Jewish year.
5. 1st day of Sivan - the Jewish people came to Mount Sinai united as one.
a. Unity brings G-Ds revelation, i.e. Purim- the only other time.
6. 2nd day of Sivan - Moshe Went up to the mountain and was told to speak softly to the women and give it to the men.
7. You have seen with your own eyes what I did to Egypt.
a. You don’t have to take anybody’s word for it.
8. We can make the covenant based on us keeping the Torah. Sinai at Home | A Project of OU’s Torah Initiatives Rabbi Bentzi Epstein
9. Moses comes back and tells the Jewish people everything that G-D says, and everybody answers whatever G-D says we will do.
10. 3rd day of Sivan – Moshe goes back to G-D and tells G-D the Jewish people have accepted.
11. G-D says I will speak with you in a thick cloud, so the people will hear me speaking with you and will believe in you and all future prophets forever.
a. This is the source of us knowing that Moshe was a prophet
12. 4th day of Sivan – Moshe goes back and tells G-D the Jewish people want to hear directly from You not through a messenger.
13. G-D says great, if that’s the case, have them prepare themselves today (4th) and tomorrow (5th) so they can be ready to receive the Torah (on day 6).
14. Warn them not to touch the mountain until the shofar sounds, this shofar was from the Ram that was sacrificed instead of Isaac at the Binding of Isaac. The other shofar from this ram will be used to herald the coming of the Moshiach.
15. Moshe comes back down and tells the Jewish people to prepare themselves for 3 days (4,5,6) and on the 7th day G-D will come and reveal himself on Mount Sinai.
16. Moshe then also tells the Jewish women to separate from their husbands for these 3 days.
17. He then tells them don’t go on the mountain for you will die.
a. The 7 Noahide laws.
b. The Laws of Shabbos.
c. Honoring your parents.
d. The Red Heifer.
e. Civil Laws that were taught at Marah.
18. G-D then begins to dictate to Moshe the Torah from Genesis till the giving of the Torah (Exodus 19). As well as the Laws that we had received at Marah.
19. 5th of Sivan – Built an Alter by Mount Sinai and 12 pillars for the 12 Tribes. Had the Firstborns bring the offerings (Olah and Shelamim) and read to the Jewish people the Sinai at Home | A Project of OU’s Torah Initiatives Rabbi Bentzi Epstein
Beginning of the Torah that He had just written. The Jewish people responded Naaseh V’Nishmah – We will do and we will hear.
a. They got 2 crowns for such an acceptance.
b. How could they accept it without knowing? Truth vs. Illusion.
20. 7th of Sivan – G-D got to the mountain before the Jews.
21. Moshe leads the people out towards G-D. G-D comes towards the Jewish people like a groom towards a bride.
22. G-D tells Moshe go down and warn them one more time not to touch the mountain. Moshe says I already did and G-D said do it one more time and Moshe goes down and warns them one more time.
23. Moshe, Aaron, Nadav and Avihu, and the 70 Elders go up the mountain each group closer than the next, with Moshe being the closest. The rest of the people were not able to touch it.
24. G-D picked up the mountain and held it over their heads.
a. Why did G-D need to do this we already said Naaseh V’inishma? Once the people saw the punishments that would come if we didn’t do it we became afraid.
25. G-d went and said all the 10 commandments in one breath.
a. Why would G-D do that if it couldn’t be understood? In reality the entire Torah is one unit, it’s not different pieces put together.
26. G-D then went ahead and said the First commandment all the Jewish people died and they flew back 12 Mil. G-D sent the Angels to bring us back to the Mountain.
27. G-D then said the 2nd commandment all the Jewish people died and they flew back 12 Mil. G-D sent the Angels to bring us back to the Mountain.
28. The Jewish people then said to Moshe please let G-D tell it to you and then you tell it to us. Moshe said fine and we heard G-D say it to Moshe and then G-D helped Moshes voice be amplified so that we could hear Moshe say it to us.
29. The Jewish people responded after each one the appropriate response.
30. All the people were able to see (Exodus 20:15); All the Jews could talk (Exodus 19:8); All of the m could hear (exodus24:7) Sinai at Home | A Project of OU’s Torah Initiatives Rabbi Bentzi Epstein
31. After we get all the 10 commandments G-D tells Moshe to come up and get the Tablets Torah and Mitzvahs. Since all the 613 commandments are a subset of the 10 commandments.
32. Moshe then is Heaven for 40 days and nights and that ends with the Sin of the golden Calf and Moshe breaking the first set of Tablets.
33. Moshe then goes up for a 2nd set of 40 days and nights to ask G-D not to kill the Jewish people.
34. Moshe then goes up for a 3rd set of 40 days and nights and comes down with the second set of Tablets on the Holiday of Yom Kippur.
35. The day after Yom Kippur the Jewish people begin building the Tabernacle.