public revelation
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Of Parts and Pieces: The Instructions and Assembly of the Mishkan (Audio)
Rabbi Chanoch Waxman | 16 minutesThe lack of symmetry between the text's portrayal of God's commands pertaining to the Mishkan and Moshe's fulfilment of those commands hints to a message that the Torah seeks to convey about the Mishkan and its relationship to the people and the priests. This shiur explores the symbolism, significance and purpose of the representation of the Mishkan—the Tent of Meeting as a portable Sinai, as portrayed at the end of the book of Exodus.
To Whom Did God Speak at Sinai?
Rabbi Yaakov MedanThe Torah is ambiguous about the question of whether the Revelation at Mount Sinai was only to Moshe – "Lo, I come to you in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with you and believe you forever" (Shemot 19:9) – or to the entire people – "For on the third day the Lord will come down in the sight of all the people upon Mount Sinai" (Shemot 19:11).
Another question arises as well: Did the glory of God reach the foot of the mountain, down to the Israelite camp – "And Mount Sinai smoked in every part, because the Lord descended upon it in fire, and the smoke of it ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked greatly" (Shemot 19:18) – or did God's glory rest only on the top of the mountain – "And the Lord came down upon Mount Sinai, on the top of the mountain, and the Lord called Moshe up to the top of the mount; and Moshe went up" (Shemot 19:20)? Furthermore, if all the people stood at the foot of the mountain, to where did the priests ascend after the sweeping warning not to go up the mountain or even touch its perimeter?
Translated by David Strauss
And All the People Saw the Sounds
Rabbi Itamar EldarWhat does the Torah mean by the paradoxical statement that “all the people saw the sounds” at Sinai? We shall explore the writings of the Sefat Emet, Degel Machane Ephraim, R Yosef Gikatilla and the Nazir to understand the interplay between seeing and hearing, objective and subjective, humility and infinity.
Translated by David Strauss