וַיִּתֵּ֨ן יְהוָ֜ה אֵלַ֗י אֶת־שְׁנֵי֙ לוּחֹ֣ת הָֽאֲבָנִ֔ים כְּתֻבִ֖ים בְּאֶצְבַּ֣ע אֱלֹהִ֑ים וַעֲלֵיהֶ֗ם כְּֽכָל־הַדְּבָרִ֡ים אֲשֶׁ֣ר דִּבֶּר֩ יְהוָ֨ה עִמָּכֶ֥ם בָּהָ֛ר מִתּ֥וֹךְ הָאֵ֖שׁ בְּי֥וֹם הַקָּהָֽל׃
און גאָט האָט מיר געגעבן די צװײ שטײנערנע לוחות געשריבן מיט גאָטס פֿינגער, און אױף זײ איז געװען אַזױ װי אַלע װערטער װאָס גאָט האָט מיט אײַך גערעדט אױפֿן באַרג פֿון מיטן פֿײַער אין טאָג פֿון דער אײַנזאַמלונג.
Ikar Tosafot Yom Tov
When [the Torah] was revealed at Sinai, he received it with its general principles, its particulars and its inferences and there was no law that was to be innovated [later]. And it is as it is found in Torat Cohanim which is cited by Rashi on Leviticus 25:1 at the beginning of Parshat Behar. And to teach this, [the mishna] states "from Sinai." And 'it is not an empty thing,' since, behold, it is a sign of the religion: it is one for its nation, the congregation of Israel that received it. It is complete to its Creator - the students, they are the children of God; what an experienced student is to innovate in the future, all of it was received by Moshe. As it is stated (Deuteronomy 9:10), "and upon them, as all of the words," and as we expound it in Megillah. And see the Tosafot Yom Tov.
Tosafot Yom Tov
MOSES RECEIVED THE TORAH AT SINAI. Rav explains “at Sinai” as really meaning “from the one who was revealed at Sinai,” i.e., G-d. And when G-d revealed Himself there, Moses received the Torah, down to its particulars and subtleties, and he did not bring forth any new laws himself, as per the Sifri that Rashi quotes in his Torah commentary to parashat Behar (Leviticus 25:1). To make this point, the mishna says “at Sinai.” This is not without purpose, as it points to the truth of the religion. “It is unique unto its mother”—that being the nation of Israel, who received it, “and it is the choicest of the one who birthed it”—the students, who are children of G-d.3Based on Song of Songs, 6:9. Moses received everything, even the novel interpretations of a seasoned scholar, at Sinai, as per the verse (Deuteronomy 9:10), “And G-d gave me the two stone tablets, inscribed by the finger of the Lord, and (what was written) upon them was as all the things God had said to you on the mountain out of the fire on the day of assembly,” which the Sages expounded in Megillah 19b as follows: This teaches that G-d showed Moses even the most subtle points of the Torah [Heb. dikdukei Torah] and of the Sofrim [Heb. dikdukei Sofrim].
I explain in my introduction to the Mishna that the dikdukei Sofrim were indeed only “shown” to Moshe.4And not “given” or “taught” to him, which TYT understands to mean that Moses did not acquire that knowledge the same way he acquired the main body of the Torah but was given some kind of lesser familiarity with it. As such, the word “received” here must refer only to the greater part of the material. In the introduction to his commentary on the Torah, Ramban similarly explains the word “created” in the phrase “fifty levels of understanding were created in the word” as referring to most but not all of those levels, as the fiftieth was not created.
I explain in my introduction to the Mishna that the dikdukei Sofrim were indeed only “shown” to Moshe.4And not “given” or “taught” to him, which TYT understands to mean that Moses did not acquire that knowledge the same way he acquired the main body of the Torah but was given some kind of lesser familiarity with it. As such, the word “received” here must refer only to the greater part of the material. In the introduction to his commentary on the Torah, Ramban similarly explains the word “created” in the phrase “fifty levels of understanding were created in the word” as referring to most but not all of those levels, as the fiftieth was not created.