Musar su Esodo 19:18

Man's diminution after his seduction by the serpent ended only when the Jewish people received the Torah. At that time the Jewish people finally excreted any residue of the pollutant absorbed by him by way of the original serpent. Man (Jews) was then fit to resume his original stature. We find an allusion to this in the words: והר סיני עשן (Exodus 19,18). The word עשן is an acronym for the three "perfections" עולם, שנה, נפש, which we described as having been possessed by Adam prior to his sin.

The other five miracles mentioned in our Mishnah, are the ones we have termed "positive" miracles. We again find reminders of three kinds of awareness respectively as in the Mishnah of Rabbi Akavyah, and two illustrations of תקונים, measures designed to repair damage caused by previously committed sins. Between them they represent the יד ימין, right hand. The wind never prevailed over the column of smoke that rose from the altar." The column of smoke alludes to the reminder of "where you came from" in Rabbi Akavyah's statement. The souls within the body are reminded of their original holy origin. Their root is with the One of whom it is said: עושה מלאכיו רוחות, "He makes the winds His messengers" (Psalms 104,4). The smoke which connects the meat of the offerings to the Higher Regions is viewed as a ladder of souls. All the souls stood at the foot of Mount Sinai at the time G–d gave the Torah and the Ten Commandments to spiritualized man and when the Mountain was enveloped in smoke. This was the moment, when, according to our tradition, the angels, i.e. the רוחות, protested that G–d would hand over His glory to Moses, to mortal man who had risen to take the Torah from Heaven. G–d then instructed Moses to engage in debate with the angels. At the end of the debate the angels said to G–d: "Give Your glory upon him" (Shabbat 88). This is the meaning of the statement in the Mishnah that the רוח, "wind," (messenger sent by G–d) did not prevail over the column of smoke.