הֶֽ֭הָרִים תִּרְקְד֣וּ כְאֵילִ֑ים גְּ֝בָע֗וֹת כִּבְנֵי־צֹֽאן׃
איר בערג, װאָס איר שפּרינגט װי װידערס?איר הײכן – װי יונגע שאָף?
Ramban
AND ALL THE PEOPLE PERCEIVED THE THUNDERINGS… 16. AND THEY SAID UNTO MOSES. In the opinion of the commentators,499Ibn Ezra in Verse 16. this happened after the Giving of the Torah. It is with reference to this that Scripture says, And ye came near unto me, even all the heads of your tribes, and your elders, and ye said: Behold, the Eternal our G-d hath shown us His Glory, etc. If we hear the Voice of the Eternal our G-d any more, then we shall die.500Deuteronomy 5:20-22.
But such is not my opinion, for it says here, but let not G-d speak with us,501Verse 16. and it does not say “any more.” Besides, Moses said here to the people, Fear not,502Verse 17. and there it is said, They have well said all that they have spoken.503Deuteronomy 5:25. Moreover, here it is told that they feared only the thunderings, the lightnings, and the smoking mountain, and there it is said that they feared the speaking of the Divine Presence, for they said, For who is there of all flesh, that hath heard the Voice of the living G-d, speaking out of the midst of the fire, as we have, and lived?504Ibid., Verse 23. Again, here it is said, And Moses drew near unto the thick darkness,505Verse 18. but it does not say that “he entered into it.” [If the events narrated in this section of the Torah happened after the Revelation, it should have said that he came “into the midst of the cloud,” as it says further on in 24:18.]
The correct interpretation regarding this section of the Torah and the [entire] order of events pertaining to the Revelation appears to me to be as follows: And all the people perceived… And they said unto Moses — all this happened before the Revelation. Now at first, [in Chapter 19], Scripture mentioned in sequence all the words of G-d that were commanded to Moses regarding the setting of a boundary to Mount Sinai and the admonition given to the people.506Above, 19:24. This is followed [at the beginning of Chapter 20] by the Ten Commandments, and now Scripture refers back and mentions the words of the people to Moses, relating that from the moment they had perceived the thunderings and the lightnings, they moved backwards and stood afar off, further away from the boundary of the mountain that Moses had set for them.
The order of events [on the day of the Revelation] was thus as follows: In the morning, there were thunderings and lightnings and the loud voice of the horn,507Ibid., Verse 16. but the Divine Presence had not yet come down on the mountain, something like it is written, And a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and broke in pieces the rocks before the Eternal; but the Eternal was not in the wind.508I Kings 19:11. And the people that were in the camp — i.e., in their place of encampment — trembled.507Ibid., Verse 16. But Moses encouraged them and brought them forth towards G-d… and they stood at the nether part of the mount.509Above, 19:17. While they were standing there at the nether part of the mount in anticipation, the Eternal descended upon the mount in fire and the smoke thereof ascended510Ibid., Verse 18. unto the heart of heaven, with darkness, cloud, and thick darkness.511Deuteronomy 4:11. The mountain itself trembled510Ibid., Verse 18. and quivered as mountains do in an earthquake called zalzalah,512An Arabic word meaning earthquake. In another Ramban manuscript, the reading is chalchalah. or even more than that. And so it is written, What aileth thee… ye mountains, that ye skip like rams; ye hills, like young sheep?513Psalms 114:6. See Pesachim 118 a that this verse refers to the time of the Giving of the Torah. This is not a figure of speech, just as the preceding verse — The sea saw it, and fled; the Jordan turned backwards514Ibid., Verse 3. — is not a mere figure of speech. Meanwhile, the voice of the horn waxed louder and louder.515Above 19:19. Then the people saw what was happening, and they moved backwards and stood further away from the boundary [that Moses had set for them]. They all said to Moses that G-d should not speak with them at all lest they die, for by reason of the vision, their pains came upon them and they retained no strength,516See Daniel 10:16. and if they would hear the Divine utterance, they would die. Moses, however, encouraged them, and he said to them, Fear not.502Verse 17. And they heard him, and the people stood from afar off505Verse 18. at their positions, for in spite of all his words, they did not want to come near the boundary [he had set for them]. And Moses drew near unto the thick darkness505Verse 18. but did not come into it, and then G-d uttered the Ten Commandments. Now following the Ten Commandments, Scripture did not mention here what the elders said to Moses, for it wanted to explain the commandments and the ordinances in succession. But in the Book of Deuteronomy, Moses mentioned that after the Ten Commandments [were given], all the heads of the tribes and their elders approached him and said to him, “If we hear the Voice of the Eternal our G-d any more, then we shall die,517Deuteronomy 5:22. for we have estimated our powers [and found] that we could not stand any more the burden of the word of the Eternal G-d.” They had thought that G-d wanted to relate to them all the commandments [of the Torah], and therefore they said, Go thou near, and hear all that the Eternal our G-d may say; and thou shalt speak unto us all that the Eternal our G-d may speak unto thee; and we will hear it, and do it.518Ibid., Verse 24. And the Holy One, blessed be He, agreed to their words, and He said, They have well said all that they have spoken,519Ibid., Verse 25. for such was His desire to proclaim to them only the Ten Commandments, and their fear appeared correct to Him.
But such is not my opinion, for it says here, but let not G-d speak with us,501Verse 16. and it does not say “any more.” Besides, Moses said here to the people, Fear not,502Verse 17. and there it is said, They have well said all that they have spoken.503Deuteronomy 5:25. Moreover, here it is told that they feared only the thunderings, the lightnings, and the smoking mountain, and there it is said that they feared the speaking of the Divine Presence, for they said, For who is there of all flesh, that hath heard the Voice of the living G-d, speaking out of the midst of the fire, as we have, and lived?504Ibid., Verse 23. Again, here it is said, And Moses drew near unto the thick darkness,505Verse 18. but it does not say that “he entered into it.” [If the events narrated in this section of the Torah happened after the Revelation, it should have said that he came “into the midst of the cloud,” as it says further on in 24:18.]
The correct interpretation regarding this section of the Torah and the [entire] order of events pertaining to the Revelation appears to me to be as follows: And all the people perceived… And they said unto Moses — all this happened before the Revelation. Now at first, [in Chapter 19], Scripture mentioned in sequence all the words of G-d that were commanded to Moses regarding the setting of a boundary to Mount Sinai and the admonition given to the people.506Above, 19:24. This is followed [at the beginning of Chapter 20] by the Ten Commandments, and now Scripture refers back and mentions the words of the people to Moses, relating that from the moment they had perceived the thunderings and the lightnings, they moved backwards and stood afar off, further away from the boundary of the mountain that Moses had set for them.
The order of events [on the day of the Revelation] was thus as follows: In the morning, there were thunderings and lightnings and the loud voice of the horn,507Ibid., Verse 16. but the Divine Presence had not yet come down on the mountain, something like it is written, And a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and broke in pieces the rocks before the Eternal; but the Eternal was not in the wind.508I Kings 19:11. And the people that were in the camp — i.e., in their place of encampment — trembled.507Ibid., Verse 16. But Moses encouraged them and brought them forth towards G-d… and they stood at the nether part of the mount.509Above, 19:17. While they were standing there at the nether part of the mount in anticipation, the Eternal descended upon the mount in fire and the smoke thereof ascended510Ibid., Verse 18. unto the heart of heaven, with darkness, cloud, and thick darkness.511Deuteronomy 4:11. The mountain itself trembled510Ibid., Verse 18. and quivered as mountains do in an earthquake called zalzalah,512An Arabic word meaning earthquake. In another Ramban manuscript, the reading is chalchalah. or even more than that. And so it is written, What aileth thee… ye mountains, that ye skip like rams; ye hills, like young sheep?513Psalms 114:6. See Pesachim 118 a that this verse refers to the time of the Giving of the Torah. This is not a figure of speech, just as the preceding verse — The sea saw it, and fled; the Jordan turned backwards514Ibid., Verse 3. — is not a mere figure of speech. Meanwhile, the voice of the horn waxed louder and louder.515Above 19:19. Then the people saw what was happening, and they moved backwards and stood further away from the boundary [that Moses had set for them]. They all said to Moses that G-d should not speak with them at all lest they die, for by reason of the vision, their pains came upon them and they retained no strength,516See Daniel 10:16. and if they would hear the Divine utterance, they would die. Moses, however, encouraged them, and he said to them, Fear not.502Verse 17. And they heard him, and the people stood from afar off505Verse 18. at their positions, for in spite of all his words, they did not want to come near the boundary [he had set for them]. And Moses drew near unto the thick darkness505Verse 18. but did not come into it, and then G-d uttered the Ten Commandments. Now following the Ten Commandments, Scripture did not mention here what the elders said to Moses, for it wanted to explain the commandments and the ordinances in succession. But in the Book of Deuteronomy, Moses mentioned that after the Ten Commandments [were given], all the heads of the tribes and their elders approached him and said to him, “If we hear the Voice of the Eternal our G-d any more, then we shall die,517Deuteronomy 5:22. for we have estimated our powers [and found] that we could not stand any more the burden of the word of the Eternal G-d.” They had thought that G-d wanted to relate to them all the commandments [of the Torah], and therefore they said, Go thou near, and hear all that the Eternal our G-d may say; and thou shalt speak unto us all that the Eternal our G-d may speak unto thee; and we will hear it, and do it.518Ibid., Verse 24. And the Holy One, blessed be He, agreed to their words, and He said, They have well said all that they have spoken,519Ibid., Verse 25. for such was His desire to proclaim to them only the Ten Commandments, and their fear appeared correct to Him.
Rabbeinu Bahya
והכהנים והעם, “and the priests and the people, etc.” The order of things preceding the giving of the Torah (Ten Commandments) was as follows: First G’d commanded Moses “to fence off the people,” i.e. to establish visible boundaries around the mountain which the people were not to breach. This is what Moses referred to in verse 23 when he said to G’d: “the people cannot ascend the mountain for You have warned us “bound the mountain and sanctify it.” What was meant by “bound the people” was the boundary of the mountain. After that G’d told Moses that the people should sanctify themselves and abstain from everything impure for three days including their immersion in a ritual bath and the washing of their garments. Following this procedure, on the morning of the third day, the sixth of Sivan, there was thunder and lightning, a heavy cloud enveloping the mountain, and the blast of the shofar emanating from that direction. At this point G’d’s Shechinah had not yet descended on to the top of the mountain. This is something we learned from Kings I 19,11: when G’d taught Elijah that His manifestation does not occur amidst thunder and lightning, etc. The prophet writes describing that scene: “there was a great and mighty wind splitting mountain and shattering the rocks by the power of the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind, etc.”
At that point the Israelites were in the grip of tremors due to the overpowering sound of the thunder (and the chorus of the angels we have described earlier). This is the meaning of verse 16. Moses reassured the people in order to lead them out of the camp toward the manifestation of the Shechinah. Once the people were lined up at the base of the mountain G’d descended on the mountain within the fire, and the smoke rose to the heart of the heaven, dark impenetrable cloud. The mountain itself trembled. This trembling of the mountain intensified causing David to say in Psalms 68,9: “the earth trembled, the sky rained because of G’d, yon Sinai, because of G’d, the G’d of Israel.” The meaning of this verse is that the sky rained fire. The word זה in that verse refers to Mount Sinai burning (the word זה in its aramaic meaning). The prophetic words of Devorah (Judges 5,4) contain similar phraseology i.e. ”the earth trembled, the heavens dripped; Yea the clouds dripped water; the mountains quaked before the Lord, Him of Sinai, before the Lord G’d of Israel.” Another verse describing the mountains as “dancing” like rams is found in Psalms 114,6 These various verses are not to be understood allegorically, just as the line “the sea saw and fled” in the same Psalm is not to be understood as a simile but describes an actual event.
Our sages (Megillah 29) state that at the time G’d gave the Ten Commandments these mountains were transferred to the land of Israel and Mount Carmel crossed the sea. When that had happened the blast of the shofar became very strong. When the people observed all this (20,15-18) “the people saw the sounds and the lightning and the sound of the shofar blast.....the people saw and trembled...and stood from afar.”
At that point the Israelites were in the grip of tremors due to the overpowering sound of the thunder (and the chorus of the angels we have described earlier). This is the meaning of verse 16. Moses reassured the people in order to lead them out of the camp toward the manifestation of the Shechinah. Once the people were lined up at the base of the mountain G’d descended on the mountain within the fire, and the smoke rose to the heart of the heaven, dark impenetrable cloud. The mountain itself trembled. This trembling of the mountain intensified causing David to say in Psalms 68,9: “the earth trembled, the sky rained because of G’d, yon Sinai, because of G’d, the G’d of Israel.” The meaning of this verse is that the sky rained fire. The word זה in that verse refers to Mount Sinai burning (the word זה in its aramaic meaning). The prophetic words of Devorah (Judges 5,4) contain similar phraseology i.e. ”the earth trembled, the heavens dripped; Yea the clouds dripped water; the mountains quaked before the Lord, Him of Sinai, before the Lord G’d of Israel.” Another verse describing the mountains as “dancing” like rams is found in Psalms 114,6 These various verses are not to be understood allegorically, just as the line “the sea saw and fled” in the same Psalm is not to be understood as a simile but describes an actual event.
Our sages (Megillah 29) state that at the time G’d gave the Ten Commandments these mountains were transferred to the land of Israel and Mount Carmel crossed the sea. When that had happened the blast of the shofar became very strong. When the people observed all this (20,15-18) “the people saw the sounds and the lightning and the sound of the shofar blast.....the people saw and trembled...and stood from afar.”