Timeless Torah

“Rabbi Yehoshua Ben Levi said, 'Every single day a Heavenly echo emanates from Mount Chorev (another name for Sinai) proclaiming these words, “Woe to the people for the Torah's humiliation!” For whoever does not occupy himself with the Torah is called reprehensible.’” (Ethics of our Fathers 6:2)
The world is neither still nor quiet. Everywhere men and machines work at high speed. So frenzied is the pace, so loud the din, that no one hears the plaintive cry from a lonely mountain so far away. But one might be tempted to ask, that even if one were to stand in the heart of the desert, could one possibly hear a Divine voice? And, if one indeed could not, why would man be then held accountable for neglecting its lament?
On a spiritual level, we are told, the soul of man does in fact hear. Proof of this is deduced from the story of Daniel the Prophet, who was one day walking with some other people. Suddenly, the heavens opened and a vision appeared. However, only Daniel with his spiritual sensitivity was cognizant of the Divine appearance. Nonetheless, the Prophet informs us, the entire party was seized by a great fear and trembling.
Our Sages wonder why the others in the group, who were unaware of the supernatural phenomenon, should have been so affected. Their answer is that it was their souls, who conscious of the event, created the involuntary reaction on the part of their bodies.
All in all, this does not seem enough to indict those who as of yet, are undiscerning and incapable of unscrambling coded messages that only the soul can apprehend. But can we in all honesty claim ignorance? Is it only the soul that has heard the mandate of Sinai? Have not the Ten Commandments been etched in the consciousness of Western culture? In truth, the Word of G-d has been perceived and accepted by all as the cornerstone of morality. Yet even as they are piously read, our deeds remain unchanged. Nations continue to wage war. Cities have become urban battlefields. And families live in terror behind locked doors that conceal abuse, addiction and breakdown.
How apt, that Sinai is referred to in our Mishnah as Chorev, which translates as destruction and sword. For as long as society ignores the directives of Sinai which produce peace of mind and international harmony, a sword of destruction is unsheathed and let loose.
But Heaven is not intent on being punitive. Instead, it pleads the cause of Torah. “Do not disdain its teachings,” it echoes. “Learn its lessons well and your fears will vanish. Adopt its ethics and you can realize the dreams of Daniel's fellow prophet, Isaiah, that 'they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their pears into pruning hooks, nation shall not lift up sword against nation, nor shall they learn war any more.’”