Questions tagged [har-sinai]

Mount Sinai, on which the Torah was given to the Jews

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1 answer
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What happened on the first and third stay of Moshe on Har Sinai?

I understand that Moshe ascended Har Sinai 3 times. The 1st time was on 6th of Sivan The 2nd time seems to have occurred after the sin of the Golden Calf, starting on 18 Tamuz and he spent 40 days ...
1 vote
0 answers
49 views

Martzeia in the eye?

The Torah describes how a slave who doesn't want to leave his master (by Shmitah) has to get pierced through his ear: Exodus 21:6 וְהִגִּישׁ֤וֹ אֲדֹנָיו֙ אֶל־הָ֣אֱלֹהִ֔ים וְהִגִּישׁוֹ֙ אֶל־הַדֶּ֔לֶת ...
3 votes
0 answers
112 views

Which Textual Sources Discuss Proto-Judaism?

Abraham lived before Sinai. He initiated the 2000 years of Torah (see Avoda Zara 9a). But per the Parshat Derachim, the Mizrachi posits that Abraham adopted/ushered in a mode of Judaism that is ...
3 votes
0 answers
82 views

Some Rabbis today are able to trace their lineage back to Sinai, without omitting a single generation. Has any published a lineage that I can share?

The atheist claim is that there is no evidence for a [personal] god, of which the Jewish retort is the mass revelation at Mount Sinai. When I assert this fact, I am asked Where are their accounts ...
2 votes
1 answer
209 views

We will do, then hear

The gemara in shabbath 88a relates: אָמַר רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר: בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁהִקְדִּימוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל ״נַעֲשֶׂה״ לְ״נִשְׁמָע״ יָצְתָה בַּת קוֹל וְאָמְרָה לָהֶן: מִי גִּלָּה לְבָנַי רָז זֶה שֶׁמַּלְאֲכֵי ...
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48 views

Was there a lack of unity at Har Sinai?

Rabbi Lord Sacks mentions in his book here "What Moses had to do after the Golden Calf was Vayakhel – turn the Israelites into a kehillah, a community." Question: What happened and where ...
1 vote
0 answers
51 views

What was Plan A for the Luchos?

In Devarim we see that the Aron was made for the purpose of storing the Luchos, but those were for the 2nd Luchos (after Moshe broke the first ones). My question is what was Plan A? Meaning when Moshe ...
2 votes
2 answers
113 views

Why wasn't the Torah given earlier?

The world existed for over 2000 years before the Torah was given en masse. If the Torah and our fulfilling of it, is the point of creation, why was it given after so long? If people could please ...
3 votes
2 answers
384 views

Was the Hebrew Alphabet also given with the Tablets and Law?

My research for my answer to Which alphabet were the original Torah scrolls in? gave me an idea--Since the Early Alphabetic alphabet is also called Sinaitic, and the timing seems about right, maybe ...
2 votes
1 answer
120 views

How did Moshe carry the Luchot down Mount Sinai?

I'm trying to understand how Moshe positioned his hands in carrying the Luchot down Mount Sinai (both the first set before he broke them and the second set). Were they under them or grasping the sides?...
0 votes
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45 views

Why was God's voice terrible to hear?

How fear-inspiring was God's voice on Sinai to the people who would rather have Moses speak to them than to God? Is there an explanation as to why they thought they would die if God spoke directly to ...
-4 votes
2 answers
762 views

Why is it believed that Angels spoke with Moses at Sinai, when he spoke with God 'face to face'?

Why is it believed that the angels or angel spoke to Moses, as God's mediator, when Exodus 33:11 says Moses saw God face to face and directly spoke with him? Is this communication through the angels ...
6 votes
3 answers
299 views

Matan Torah: Coercion or out of love?

There is a Midrashic approach to "and they stood at the foot of the mountain" (Shemos 19:17), namely that G-d literally held the mountain over the heads of B'nei Yisrael, coercing them to ...
5 votes
5 answers
743 views

603,550 Jews at Sinai and 603,550 Jews Entering Promised Land?

Why in Exodus 38:26 does it say there were 603,550 men over age 20, and then in Numbers 1:46 the exact same number (603,550) is again listed? Didn’t all the Jews of the generation in Exodus all die ...
5 votes
5 answers
417 views

If Moshe received ALL future Torah at Har Sinai, why didn't he understand R' Akiva's shiur (Menachos 29b)?

(inspired by this question) The Talmud Yerushalmi Peah 2:4 - (daf 13a) states: ריב"ל אמר... אפי' מה שתלמיד ותיק עתיד להורות לפני רבו כבר נאמר למשה בסיני מה טעם (קוהלת א) יש דבר שיאמר אדם ראה זה ...
3 votes
3 answers
269 views

We already had the Torah?

According to the Gemoro in Yuma (28B) the forefathers already observed the Torah in it's entirety (according to the understanding of Ramban and the Shaloh in Toldot Adam, Beit HaBechira 4), ...
2 votes
0 answers
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Why did both Nadav and Avihu go up?

This question asks why didn't Elazar and Itamar go up Har Sinai like Nadav and Avihu. I'm wondering why both Nadav and Avihu went up. There's a disagreement who were the kohanim that went up the ...
14 votes
5 answers
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Native American Traditions and Mass Revelations

In Deuteronomy(4:32-34), two points are made in reassuring Israel that God has not abandoned them. The reader is tasked with searching from one end of the heavens to the other to see if a God ever ...
6 votes
4 answers
508 views

Why is the location of Mount Sinai not traditionally known?

Why don’t we know the exact location of Mount Sinai, after all if millions of people were there, surely they would have handed down the tradition of the location just like Kivrey Avos or Har Hamoriyah ...
0 votes
0 answers
107 views

Is there a significance to the number of witnesses at Har Sinai?

It is said there were 2-3 million present at Matan Torah. (Not sure what the consensus on the exact number is.) Numbers are important in Judaism. 613 mitzvot. Seven days of creation, gematria, ...
4 votes
2 answers
146 views

Why is God not mentioned in the opening line of Pirkei Avot?

Why is God not mentioned in the opening line of Pirkei Avot? Moses received the Torah from Sinai and transmitted it to Joshua; Joshua to the Elders; the Elders to the Prophets; and the Prophets ...
1 vote
1 answer
462 views

Where did the Bnei Israel go to the Mikveh in the desert?

Our Sages in Yevamot 46b and Keritot 9a in the Bavli say that the requirements for a proper conversion are bringing a sacrifice, Mila, Kabalat Hatorah and immersing in a Mikvah. The Gemara in ...
3 votes
1 answer
83 views

Until when was Har Sinai on fire?

We learn in Parshat Eikev: וָאֵ֗פֶן וָֽאֵרֵד֙ מִן־הָהָ֔ר וְהָהָ֖ר בֹּעֵ֣ר בָּאֵ֑שׁ וּשְׁנֵי֙ לֻחֹ֣ת הַבְּרִ֔ית עַ֖ל שְׁתֵּ֥י יָדָֽי׃ I turned and went down the mountain, a mountain ablaze with fire, ...
6 votes
4 answers
423 views

Why do we refer to Shavuot as the "time of receiving the Torah" when all that occured was hearing the 10 Commandments?

During Shavu'ot, during Shmoneh Esreh and bentching we refer to the holiday as Z'man Matan Torateinu - "The time of the giving of our Torah" Discounting the discussions of the exact calendar date of ...
3 votes
0 answers
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Sources that all future souls were at Mount Sinai?

What are the sources for the common understanding that all future souls were at Mount Sinai? I saw the Chasam Sofer bring the gemarra in Shevuos (39a), but that's talking about parshas Nitzavim. A ...
3 votes
1 answer
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Three things being handed over Tablets, Torah and the Mitzvah?

HaShem tells Moshe (Shemot 24:12): וְאֶתְּנָה לְךָ אֶת־לֻחֹת הָאֶבֶן וְהַתּוֹרָה וְהַמִּצְוָה אֲשֶׁר כָּתַבְתִּי לְהוֹרֹתָם - And I will give thee the tables of stone, and the Torah and the ...
6 votes
0 answers
60 views

Why do we specifically recall the greenery of Har Sinai on Shavuos?

While there are several reasons why there is a custom to spread greenery in shul, one which is brought by the Mishnah Berurah (494:10) is that Har Sinai was covered with greenery. Why is it ...
5 votes
4 answers
126 views

Why was Shmitta specifically chosen to teach that the intricacies of all mitzvot were given at Har Sinai?

(related to "Ma Inyan Shmitta Eitzel Har Sinai" but not the same) Parshas B'Har starts off saying Hashem spoke to Moshe on Har Sinai and instructed Moshe about the mitzvah of Shmitta. Rashi ...
3 votes
1 answer
128 views

Who blew the shofar during Matan Torah?

During Matan Torah, the shofar was heard by the entire nation but who blew it? Was it Moshe? Angels? The text does not specify. Is there midrash to address this?
1 vote
0 answers
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Did God give Moses on Mount Sinai all future rabbinical decisions?

Which of these two is the correct Jewish teaching: (1) God gave the Written and Oral Law to Moses on Mount Sinai. On this basis, rabbis past, present and future derive what Jews must do. These ...
-4 votes
1 answer
132 views

Should we consider messianic Jews to be Erev Rav? [closed]

Many Jews have fallen victim to the deception of the messianic movement (Jews for j-sus, Hebrew xtians, etc.) Are those that perpetrate this deception tantamount to the Erev Rav in the Wilderness over ...
12 votes
1 answer
125 views

Why did only Nadav and Avihu and not their brothers go up with the 70 elders?

In Shemos 24:1, God tells Moshe to go up to Him with Aharon, Nadav, Avihu and the 70 elders. They do, and they catch a glimpse of God from afar. It seems strange that of the 4 sons of Aharon, only ...
3 votes
1 answer
71 views

Whats Up With Ascending Sinai: Kohanim

What is the role of the Kohanim in the ascent of Sinai? They are listed second in Exodus (19:22) as being prohibited from ascending, but are listed first in v. 24. Why single them out? why switch the ...
4 votes
1 answer
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Whats up with Ascending Har Sinai: prohibition

What is the significance of the ascent onto Har Sinai and its prohibition? Why is the prohibition introduced in Exodus (19:12) not with the more traditional expression of "don't" but with the less ...
5 votes
1 answer
176 views

Death of all Jews at Har Sinai

According to the Midrash (quoted in Rashi on the Parsha), when Hashem spoke at Sinai, the effect was so powerful that פרחו נשמתם - the souls of the Jewish nation left their bodies. Hashem resurrected ...
4 votes
2 answers
757 views

The Torah offered to other nations

We are taught that Hashem offered the Torah to other nations but they declined because there were prohibitions within they could not agree to. My question is, how could the Torah, which is ...
4 votes
1 answer
200 views

Sinai vs. Horev

As every word used in Torah is specific, when is the word Sinai vs Horeb used. What is the significance/meaning for when one vs the other is used? Could the gematria for each word provide some ...
6 votes
1 answer
141 views

Proof from Arvos Moav to Har Sinai regarding who was there

גמרא שבת קמו עמוד א ישראל שעמדו על הר סיני פסקה זוהמתן גוים שלא עמדו על הר סיני לא פסקה זוהמתן אמר ליה רב אחא בריה דרבא לרב אשי גרים מאי אמר ליה אף על גב דאינהו לא הוו מזלייהו הוו דכתיב (דברים ...
0 votes
1 answer
190 views

Sinai and hatred

What is the exact meaning of this Gemara [Shabbat 89a]: דרב חסדא ורבה ברי' דרב הונא דאמרי תרווייהו מאי הר סיני הר שירדה שנאה לעכו"ם עליו It is usually translated as: Rav Ḥisda and Rabba, son of ...
3 votes
1 answer
268 views

Why was Har Sinai considered humble?

We know the medrash as to why the Torah was given on Har Sinai. My question is, how is the fact that Har Sinai had no reasons to give as to why the Torah should be given on it considered humility? ...
12 votes
4 answers
370 views

Why did Moshe need to go up Har Sinai to be told to go down?

Exodus 19:20-21 וַיֵּ֧רֶד יְהוָ֛ה עַל־ הַ֥ר סִינַ֖י אֶל־ רֹ֣אשׁ הָהָ֑ר וַיִּקְרָ֨א יְהוָ֧ה לְמֹשֶׁ֛ה אֶל־ רֹ֥אשׁ הָהָ֖ר וַיַּ֥עַל מֹשֶֽׁה׃ וַיֹּ֤אמֶר יְהוָה֙ אֶל־ מֹשֶׁ֔ה ...
3 votes
0 answers
67 views

crowd arrangement at Mt. Sinai

I was making an artistic recreation of the scene of Mt. Sinai on the 6th of Sivan, and I want it to be as accurate as possible. When I got up to making the crowd of people, I was wondering -- were ...
2 votes
1 answer
124 views

Around what was the boundary set at Har Sinai?

Shemos 19:12 והגבלת את העם סביב לאמר השמרו לכם עלות בהר ונגע בקצהו כל הנגע בהר מות יומת And you shall set boundaries around the nation saying, "be careful not to go up the mountain..." ...
28 votes
9 answers
4k views

Archeological proof of Exodus?

Is there empirical proof that the exodus from Egypt and related happenings (like Har Sinai etc) did in fact occur (i.e: Archeological proof)? I believe in the Torah, but how would you prove to someone ...
3 votes
1 answer
165 views

One People, One Heart vs. One Heart, One People?

When the Egyptians were chasing the Israelites, Rashi says they did so "with one heart as one man" (Shemot 14:10): נסע אחריהם: בלב אחד כאיש אחד When the Israelites stood at the foot of Har Sinai, ...
4 votes
2 answers
593 views

Why believe in the revelation at Sinai other than the "Kuzari mesora" argument? [duplicate]

I was reading this post the other day, and came across a comment by user DoubleAA who stated in the comments something to the effect of "if the only reason you believe is because of the Kuzari ...
2 votes
0 answers
47 views

Is Mt. Horeb the same as Mt Sinai? [duplicate]

It says in the Torah that G-d spoke to the Jews on Mt. Sinai then later on in the Torah it says G-d spoke to the Jews on Mt. Horeb, so which Mt. did G-d really speak to the Jews on. Moses called all ...
16 votes
5 answers
1k views

Why wasn't the Torah given in Israel?

One might naturally expect that the Jewish people would enter the land and then receive the Torah there. It seems logical to me that the Torah should come from a holy place characterized by the ...
5 votes
1 answer
125 views

In Devarim 5:5 why does Moshe connect the people's fear with not going up Mt. Sinai?

In Devarim 5:5 Moshe says: "Because you were afraid of the fire and you didn't go up the mountain..." It seems that Moshe is saying that the fear of the fire coming from the mountain was why B'nai ...
7 votes
1 answer
336 views

From where do the maps of Kriyas Yam Suf come?

I have seen many maps showing where the Jews crossed "Yam Suf" (Usually translated as the Red Sea). Then they show where the Jews traveled, where is Mt. Sinai, where did the Jews encamp, etc. Where ...