Timeless Torah

Revelation was the most profound event in our nation’s history, the singular moment when G-d spoke ‘face-to-face’ to His nation. Was this the greatest miracle of all time? How does it compare, for example, with the Splitting of the Sea?

Six weeks earlier, at the parting of the waters, the Jews had been treated to an unparalleled display of G-d’s majestic might. Their spectacular rescue from the clutches of Pharaoh was, even as miracles go, quite amazing. Indeed, Yisro at the beginning of this week’s reading proclaims, “Now I know that G-d is greater than all others!” Why? Because His unique intervention at the Sea revealed G-d’s extraordinary judiciousness: the very same mechanism Pharaoh used to destroy the Jews, was now employed in punishing the Egyptians. They drowned Jewish sons in the Nile, so too G-d drowned their sons. Measure for measure! Such poetic justice executed through nature was absolute proof of a discriminating G-d. According to many of the commentaries, it was this display of Divine Providence at the Sea that motivated Yisro to convert.

In comparing the grandeur of the Splitting Sea to the Decalogue at Mount Sinai, the latter seems far less spectacular and impacting. In the aftermath of the first episode the Israelites burst forth in song. After Sinai, they cried out in fear and begged G-d to discontinue any direct communication. Instead, they asked Moses to act as a go-between. So how can the Giving of the Torah be considered the “Greatest Event of all Time” when the immediate effects were so different?

Maimonides in the laws of the “Torah’s Fundamental Principles” discusses that the Mitzvah of Loving G-d is a prerequisite for the Mitzvah of Fear (being in awe) of G-d. Parting the waters helped the Jews first achieve Love of Hashem, while the subsequent Revelation provided them with Fear and Awe of Him. Furthermore, after the Sea the Jews sang because they had ascended to the level of angels who exist in a perpetual state of Loving G-d. However at Sinai the Jews remained 100% human, realizing with trepidation that a great responsibility had just been thrust upon them.

Angels recognize G-d’s constant benevolence, and by definition, have no real choice but to love Him back. But for man, loving Hashen is not enough. Endowed with freewill, he must decide for himself whether or not to repay G-d’s love with his own love and kindness by freely giving it to others. And when judging their own generosity against what they have already received from Heaven, they must be found to be lacking. The result is fear of G-d.

The Divine display at the Sea was more spectacular than the giving of the Torah. But dramatics does not always mean greater. Here is a simple proof of that. The constant movements of the cosmos are considered natural. Conversely, miracles are the momentary suspension of nature. We take nature for granted, while miracles make for great spectacles. But which one truly reveals the constant and unfailing power of G-d?

The Parting of the Sea changed the rules of nature and was therefore spectacular. Torah however, imposed G-d into the limitations of a natural world. The Splitting Sea did not mandate emulation of G-d, only angelic song. After all, who could possibly emulate the spectacle of Divine mastery over nature? Torah however demanded emulation of G-d through doing His commandments. At Revelation, nothing was changed. The world was as it always had been, with one exception. G-d had spoken, and now the Jews had to change.

On a deeper level we can add this insight. After the Sea, the actuality of G-d’s manifest power forced the Jews to realize that G-d’s love was given to them, even though they may have been undeserving. (Talmud: Indeed, this was a complaint lodged against the Jews at the time.) Consequently, they could only sing like angels who are aware of G-d’s benevolence of which they are the undeserving beneficiaries (since angels, who have no choice, can never repay G-d). However, the Jews could not sustain that momentary angelic experience. As soon as their bellies began to grumble and their throats became dry, they returned to the status of human beings.

At Sinai the Jews were not re-elevated to the level of angels. In fact, the Torah they were about to receive had been written exclusively for humans, and not angels! As such, the Jews were forced to evaluate themselves and ask, “Can we do this mission? Can we be one of His ambassadors? A member of His kingdom of priests?” This evaluation elicited the following response, “We will do and then we will attempt to understand. However, we cannot emulate You! By comparison our giving will always pale into insignificance when measured against Your gifts.”

Simply put, we are determined to serve You, but we are in awe of You. So please let us learn from Moses. Let us hear Your intentions from the mouth of a human with whom we can relate. Yes, we love you, but we are also afraid of not living up to Your expectations.

An amazing observation: Mitzvos relating to G-d begin with intellectual concepts and progress to concrete actions, while Mitzvos between man and his neighbor flow in the opposite direction. Why?