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5760
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This week's section tells of 'Matan Torah' the giving of the Torah.
I hate to say it, but it's probably one of the most anti-climactic chapters to be found in the Torah, or in any other book, for that matter. |
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5761
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This week we are reading the most important section in the entire Torah; the very foundation of existence; G-d gave the Torah to the Jews.
There was no event even vaguely comparable to it in the history of mankind; several million people, (an entire nation!) actually saw and heard the Creator of the Universe say what He wants. |
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5762
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This weeks Torah portion tells us about the giving of the Torah; a story which has no comparison in history, and which defies even human imagination.
But what does it mean today? |
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5763
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This week we again read of the undoubtedly most important and earthshaking event in the history of the entire world: the giving of the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai.
The Talmud tells us (Shabat 88b) that the revelation of G-d there was so intense that no one, save Moses, was able to bear more than the first two commands: |
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5764
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It is written in the Talmud (Shabbat 88b) that with each Divine utterance G-d spoke to the Jews at Mount Sinai they all died and G-d had to repeatedly revive them.
The Torah even tells us (Deut. 5:22-24) that the experience was so traumatic that after the first two commandments they begged Moses to make it stop and go receive the rest of the Torah on his own. |
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5765
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The Torah is not just a religious book. In fact when the Torah was given the entire universe, including all of mankind, changed:
The Jews became a unique, holy and priestly nation (Exodus 19:4,5) and the rest of mankind became their pupils. |
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5766
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This week we read about the giving of the Torah. Besides being the basis of the Jewish faith it is an event unequaled in history.
In fact no one ever so much as dared to invent such a story … not even religions that claim to ‘replace’ Judaism.. |
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5767
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This week's section is named after a convert to Judaism who had been the master priest of all idolatry until he heard about the splitting of the sea and the victory of the Jews over the nation of Amalek (at the end of last week's Torah portion).
But the Torah seems to be violating a very basic principle of decency here. |
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5768
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This week’s portion is named after one of the most active idolaters ever (see Rashi on 18:11) and in it we learn about the most important and fantastic event of all time; the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai. |
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5759
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In this week's Torah portion we learn why gentiles throughout the generations have hated Jews.
There is a saying "Why was the mountain upon which the Torah was given called 'SINAI'? Because there began SINA (hatred) to the Jews from the gentiles". |
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5770
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This week we learn about the high point of world history; the Giving of the Torah and ultimate founding of Judaism.
Never before has there been such an event and never will there be anything like it again. |
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