It was necessary for all of us to enter into the event that Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch has called “the spiritual birth of the Jewish people” with pure minds and pristine character. Had we approached the mountain with dulled spiritual sensitivities, the singular greatness of that seminal moment would certainly have been lost on us.
This idea may also explain the unusual wording used in the above-quoted passage. How are we to understand the idea of bnei Yisrael “seeing” the thunder and the sounds of the shofar? How can one see things that are relegated exclusively to the aural sense?
As we know, “a picture is worth a thousand words.” One cannot compare the clarity and knowledge one receives from hearing a description of an item or event to that which comes from viewing something directly. When one actually beholds an experience, it translates directly in one’s mind into a deep understanding, and one does not to rely on one’s imagination to create the picture and fill in the gaps.
At Har Sinai, Hashem’s revelation was so complete that it reached their deepest senses, to the point where their knowledge of the event was akin to the level of having seen every aspect of it.
This has been a trying period in Nepal, as tens of thousands have been forced to withstand a host of nature-generated challenges. Our hearts go out to all who have suffered pain and loss. Let us hope we can use the tragedy as an inspiration for personal and communal teshuvah, so that we can enter this year’s Z’man Matan Toraseinu with a renewed sense of purpose and commitment to Hashem and His precious Torah.
