Tóraadás és Teremtés

Rabbi Yoḥanan then explained to them: Why are gentiles ethically contaminated? It is because they did not stand on Mount Sinai. As when

the snake came upon Eve, i.e., when it seduced her to eat from the Tree of Knowledge, it infected her with moral contamination, and this contamination remained in all human beings. When the Jewish people stood at Mount Sinai, their contamination ceased, whereas gentiles did not stand at Mount Sinai, and their contamination never ceased. Rav Aḥa, the son of Rava, said to Rav Ashi: What about converts? How do you explain the cessation of their moral contamination? Rav Ashi said to him: Even though they themselves were not at Mount Sinai, their guardian angels were present, as it is written: “It is not with you alone that I make this covenant and this oath, but with he that stands here with us today before the Lord our God, and with he that is not here with us today” (Deuteronomy 29:13–14), and this includes converts.

I will be ever present in your midst: I will be your God, and you shall be My people.

והתהלכתי בתוככם AND I WILL WALK AMONG YOU — I will, as it were, walk with you in the Garden of Eden as though I were one of yourselves and you will not be frightened of Me. One might think that this implies: you will not fear (reverence) Me! Scripture however states, “but I will be your God” (Sifra, Bechukotai, Chapter 3 3-4).

The fitting state for Adam and his offspring and what happened to them: The first man (Adam) before his sin was in a much more elevated state than man now, and we already explained this matter (Part 1, On Mankind 6). And in that state, mankind was on a very respectable level, a level fit for perpetual elevation, as we mentioned. And if he had not sinned, he would have perfected himself and further raised himself, one elevation after another. And in that good state, he would have surely had a number of offspring determined by His Wisdom, may He be blessed, according to the truth of what is appropriate for the perfection of those benefiting from His goodness, may He be blessed; and they would have all benefited from that good with him. However these offspring that were appropriate to come from him were decreed and determined by Him to be at various levels. The explanation of this is that there would be central ones and ancillary ones, roots and branches, these following those in a specific order - like trees with their branches, with the number of trees and the number of branches all determined with total precision. But see that with his sin, he descended greatly from his level and internalized a large amount from the darkness and the murkiness, as we mentioned above. And the whole human specie descended from its level and stood on a very lowly level which was not fit for the perpetually lofty status for which it was first destined. So he only remained ready and prepared for a much lower level. And in this respect, he produced offspring in the world that were all on this lowly level that we mentioned. However from the angle of his true root, the existence of the higher aspect, that was the aspect that had been in this specie at the time of his corruption, was nevertheless not extinct from the category of the human specie. So Adam was not completely pushed off, so that he could not return to the high level. Rather, he was found on the lower level in actuality, but on the higher level in potential. And behold the Master, may He be blessed, placed the choice in front of these generations that were found at that time, to strengthen themselves and make efforts to elevate themselves from the lowly level and to place themselves on the higher level. And He left them time for this thing, according to what the Supreme Wisdom determined to be appropriate for this effort - in the same way It allows us now to be achieving perfection, and a position among the group of people that will be in the world to come, as we he have written above. For note that anything that has any [allotment for] effort must have a limit to it.

יהוה spoke those words—those and no more—to your whole congregation at the mountain, with a mighty voice out of the fire and the dense clouds. [God] inscribed them on two tablets of stone and gave them to me.

Another matter: “God spoke all these matters, saying” – Rabbi Yitzḥak said: What the prophets are destined to prophesy in each and every generation, they received at Mount Sinai, as Moses says to Israel: “Rather, with him who is here with us standing today [before the Lord our God], and with him who is not here with us today” (Deuteronomy 29:14). It is not written here, “standing with us today,” but rather, “with us today.” These are the souls [of people] who are destined to be created, which lack substance, in whose regard standing is not stated. Even though they were not there at that moment, each and every one received his due.
Likewise it says: “The prophecy of the word of the Lord to Israel through Malachi” (Malachi 1:1). It is not stated, “in the days of Malachi,” but rather, “through Malachi,” as the prophecy was with him since Mount Sinai, but he had not been given permission to prophesy until that time. Likewise, Isaiah said: “From the time that it was, I was there” (Isaiah 48:16). Isaiah said: From the day that the Torah was given at Sinai, I was there and I received this prophecy; however, “now the Lord God has sent me with His spirit” (Isaiah 48:16). Until then, permission had not been given to him to prophesy.
Not only did all the prophets receive their prophecy from Sinai, but all the Sages who arise in each and every generation, each and every one received their [wisdom] from Sinai. Likewise it says: “These words the Lord spoke to your entire assembly (Deuteronomy 5:19).
“A great voice that did not cease” (Deuteronomy 5:19) – Rabbi Yoḥanan said: One voice that was divided into seven voices, and they were divided into seventy languages. Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish said: From it, all the prophets who prophesied stood. The Rabbis say: It had no echo.
Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥmani said that Rabbi Yonatan said: What is: “The voice of the Lord is with might” (Psalms 29:4)? Is it possible to say so? Is it not so, that even an angel, there is no creature that can withstand its voice, as it is stated: “His body was like beryl…and the sound of his speech, like the noise of a multitude” (Daniel 10:6)? The Holy One blessed be He in whose regard it is written: “Do I not fill the heavens and the earth” (Jeremiah 23:24), does He need to speak mightily? Rather, “the voice of the Lord is with might [bakoaḥ],” with the might appropriate for each of the voices. In the opinion of Rabbi Yoḥanan, this verse supports him, as it is stated: “My Lord gives the word, and the heralds are great armies” (Psalms 68:12).

Rabbi Joshua ben Levi said: every day a bat kol (a heavenly voice) goes forth from Mount Horeb and makes proclamation and says: “Woe unto humankind for their contempt towards the Torah”, for whoever does not occupy himself with the study of Torah is called, nazuf (the rebuked. As it is said, “Like a gold ring in the snout of a pig is a beautiful woman bereft of sense” (Proverbs 11:22). And it says, “And the tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, graven upon the tablets” (Exodus 32:16). Read not haruth [‘graven’] but heruth [‘freedom’]. For there is no free man but one that occupies himself with the study of the Torah. And whoever regularly occupies himself with the study of the Torah he is surely exalted, as it is said, “And from Mattanah to Nahaliel; and Nahaliel to Bamoth” (Numbers 21:19).

They heard the sound of God יהוה moving about in the garden at the breezy time of day; and the Human and his wife hid from God יהוה among the trees of the garden.

Since your God יהוה moves about in your camp to protect you and to deliver your enemies to you, let your camp be holy; let [God] not find anything unseemly among you and turn away from you.

Having journeyed from Rephidim, they entered the wilderness of Sinai and encamped in the wilderness. Israel encamped there in front of the mountain,

ויחן שם ישראל AND THERE ISRAEL ENCAMPED as one man and with one mind — but all their other encampments were made in a murmuring spirit and in a spirit of dissension (Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 19:2:10).