Summary

In the blessings of the Torah we thank G'd for choosing the Jewish people from all the nations. The other nations all declined to accept the Torah, as they felt that they could not live up to the expectations of the Torah. The Torah was made available to all the nations of the world, and not just to the Jewish people. G'd actually raised the mountain like a big barrel over the Jewish people. The giving of the Torah was the most important event in the history of the world from the time of creation. When it came to the detailed laws of the Oral Torah, as elaborated in the Talmud, the Jewish people got nervous. The Rambam gives us a detailed history who was the Torah leader in every generation to transmit the Oral Torah and guarantee the accuracy of the transmission. G'd will say to the other nations, "How could I expect you to keep the Torah with 613 commandments?" The Jewish people were chosen with the privilege and sacred mission as the nation that has been intrusted with the Torah.

G'd chose us

Every morning we recite several blessings at the beginning of Shacharis. One group of blessings is known as the blessings of the Torah. Just like we are obligated to say a blessing prior to eating and drinking, so too we have to make these blessings before we recite or study any part of the written or oral Torah. The last of these blessings we also recite when we are called up to the Torah. In this blessing, we thank G'd for giving us the Torah, as it says: "Blessed are You, HASHEM, our G'd, King of the universe, Who chose us from all the nations and gave us His Torah …" The Tur Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chaim 47) writes that when we recite this blessing we shall remember how G'd chose us from all the nations, and brought us to Mount Sinai, and allowed us to hear His voice from amidst the fire, when He gave us His Torah that is so dear to Him.

What does "G'd chose us" mean?

An obvious question arises from what it says that G'd chose us. In this week's parasha, the Torah relates in great detail how the Jewish people arrived at Mount Sinai fifty days after the exodus from Egypt. We do not find any description of G'd choosing us from the other nations. However, the Talmud (Avodah Zorah 2b) describes that each of the ancient nations were somehow offered the Torah prior to the revelation at Mount Sinai. But this only magnifies the question. For unlike the Jewish people, who eagerly responded "all that G'd has said we will do and we will accept (see Shemos 24:7), the Talmud teaches that the other nations all declined the offer, as they felt that they could not live up to the expectations of the Torah. So if no other nation was ready to accept the Torah, what does it mean that G'd chose us?

The most translated work

There is another general question that we need to clarify in connection with G'd choosing the Jewish people to give us the Torah? In Parashas Ki Savo (Devarim 27:1-8), Moses and the elders instruct the Jewish people to inscribe the entire Torah "well clarified" on twelve huge stones. Rashi quotes the Talmud (Sotah 32a) that explains that the Torah should be "well clarified" means that it should be inscribed in the seventy basic languages, so that every nation could read and understand it. So we see that the Torah was made available to all the nations of the world, and not just to the Jewish people. And till today, the Torah is the most translated work available to all of mankind.

Mountain over their heads

In order to answer these questions we must clarify another problem with the revelation at Mount Sinai. We have already mentioned that the Jewish people were eager and ready to accept the Torah, as is evident from their statement "we will do and we will accept." However, it says in this week's parasha (Shemos 19:17): "And Moses brought the people out from the camp toward G'd, and they stood under the mountain." Rashi quotes from the Talmud (Shabbos 88a) that G'd actually raised the mountain like a big barrel over the Jewish people. The Talmud explains that G'd threatened the Jewish people and said to them "if you accept the Torah everything will be fine; but if you will not accept it, this will be your burial place." This seems very harsh. The Jewish people had already said that they were willing to accept the Torah, so why was there a need to use force and coercion with such a serious threat?

Most important historical event

First of all, we must understand that the revelation at Mount Sinai with the giving of the Torah was the most important event in the history of the world from the time of creation. Rashi (Bereishis 1:31) quotes from the Midrash Tanchuma (1) and explains that the whole universe was created on condition that the Torah was going to be accepted when G'd was ready to give it. Therefore, when G'd threatened the Jewish people that if they would not accept the Torah they would be buried under Mount Sinai, it really meant that the whole world would cease to exist. For, as Rashi (Bereishis 1:1) teaches in the name of Rabbi Yitzchak, the purpose of the world was to create a forum where it is possible to observe and practice the commandments of the Torah.

Nervous about accepting Oral Torah

However, we still need to understand why did G'd need to force the Jewish people to accept the Torah when they had already said that they wanted it? The Midrash Tanchuma (Parashas Noach 3) answers that when the Jewish people said "we will do and we will accept", they only referred to the written Torah. They were very happy to accept the general laws and concepts outlined in the Five Books of Moses, as well as the moral and ethical instructions mentioned in the Prophets and Scriptures. But when it came to the detailed laws of the Oral Torah, as elaborated in the Talmud, they got nervous. It seemed overwhelming to have to study so many volumes with so many subjects, and to observe it all. G'd knew that deep down they really wanted it, and therefore helped them to accept even the Oral Torah by explaining to them that He had chosen them to be the ones to bring the world to its raison d'ętre. He raised the mountain above them to indicate that if they would not accept the Oral Torah, there was no purpose in creation, and they, together with the rest of the world, would be buried and cease to exist.

Verbal transmission

The written Torah was made available to the entire world. As a result, the ethical and moral values of civilization are clearly based on the teachings and lessons that the Torah teaches. However, the Oral Torah, that contains the code how to turn the Written Torah into a practical way of life, which affects every detail of our daily life, from when we get up in the morning till we lie down at night, every day of the year, was only given to the Jewish people. When the Jewish people were instructed to inscribe the entire Torah in the seventy languages, it obviously only referred to the Written Torah. The Oral Torah was transmitted verbally from mentor to disciple, from generation to generation, till it was written down at the time of the Mishnah and the Talmud. The Rambam, in his introduction to his magnus opus, gives us a detailed history who was the Torah leader in every generation to transmit the Oral Torah and guarantee the accuracy of the transmission.

G'd's answers to the other nations

Rabbi Chanoch Zundel, in his commentary Eitz Yosef on the Siddur, explains that G'd chose to raise Mount Sinai over the Jewish people who had shown a readiness to accept the Torah, rather than to force the other nations of the world to accept the Torah that they had already declined. The Talmud (Avodah Zorah 2b) teaches that the time will come when all the nations will complain to G'd why He did not coerce them to accept the Torah, as He did to the Jewish people. However, says the Talmud, G'd is prepared with His answer. G'd has given the seven Noachide laws to all of mankind, but at the time when G'd was ready to give the Torah to man only the Jewish people were still careful to observe those seven commandments. "If you did not observe seven commandments", G'd will say, "How could I expect you to keep the Torah with 613 commandments?"

Privilege and sacred mission

G'd had the choice to force any nation, and He chose to force the Jewish people who had proven themselves with the observance of the seven Noachide laws. In pleasant times, as in difficult times, we recite the blessing over the Torah and express our gratitude that we were chosen as the nation that has been intrusted with the Torah. We understand that this is a privilege and sacred mission, as G'd said prior to the revelation (Shemos 19:5-6): "And now, if you constantly listen to My voice, and observe My covenant, and you shall be a treasure to me of all nations … And you shall be to Me a kingdom of princes and a holy nation."

These words were based on a talk given by Rabbi Avraham Kahn, the Rosh Yeshiva and Founder of Yeshivas Keser Torah in Toronto.

These words were based on a talk given by Rabbi Avraham Kahn, the Rosh Yeshiva and Founder of Yeshivas Keser Torah in Toronto.

Shalom. Michael Deverett