"Moses led the people out of the camp toward God and they took their places beneath the mountain," (Exodus 19:17). When the Torah describes the scene at Mount Sinai with that verse, it says that the Israelites stood "b'tachtit ha-har" usually translated, "at the foot (or the base) of the mountain." The Talmud, however, translates it as "beneath" and imagines something radical:
'...they took their places b'tachit ha-har (beneath the mountain).' Rabbi Avdimi b. Hama b. Hasa said: this teaches that the Holy One held the mountain over them like an overturned tub and told them: 'If you accept the Torah - well and good; otherwise, you will be buried here.' (BT Shabbat 88a)
It's a radical understanding of the covenant in that talmudic rabbis understood that any contract made under duress was invalid. Reading the verse in the same way, we can imagine a different implication of why we were beneath the mountain. The Torah says we stood there (vayityatzvu), consciously and purposefully "taking our places." We positioned ourselves beneath the mountain for one reason: to lift it up. There is no such thing as "cheap grace" in Judaism. Like Nachson entering the waters of the Sea of Reeds, we must take the first steps and we must work to bring about the covenant and the world we envision. We stood beneath Sinai because somebody needed to lift it up. The call hasn't changed since then. We need to take our positions beneath Sinai - literally and metaphorically - because somebody needs to lift it up.
This blog will feature stories from and about Sinai, starting with our congregational family trip to Israel. Please share it with your friends and anyone who may be interested in helping out with the heavy lifting. Your comments, feedback and guest posts are welcome!
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