Echo-Less
The Unique Sound of Sinai
Shavuos is the anniversary of the most momentous occasion ever. On this day, over 3300 years ago, G-d revealed Himself to the entire Jewish people on Mount Sinai and gave them the Torah.
When the A-mighty uttered the Ten Commandments our sages inform us that the sound of the Ten Commandments reverberated throughout the entire world and did not produce any echo.
In the preceding essay we explained in detail why it was necessary for the sound of Sinai to reverberate throughout the world. In this essay we will explain what is the significance the sound of the Ten Commandments having no echo and what possible lesson can we glean from this miracle for our own lives. We know that we cannot emulate G-d’s feat in not having an echo when we speak, so what usefulness is there for us to be informed of a miracle that appears to have no ethical or moral lesson.
No Needless Miracles
Furthermore, not producing an echo in a desolate area would go contrary to the laws of nature. Obviously, G-d has the power to do whatever He chooses, even to subvert the laws of nature that He Himself put into place.
The question that begs itself, however, is:
We know that G-d does not perform needles miracles. Miracles are performed with a clear goal and purpose. Whether it is to save someone or to demonstrate G-d’s power to a G-dless society, there must be a utilitarian function for the miracle. Nature is also G-d’s handiwork, so why would He want to subvert nature for no real objective? What was the possible benefit in G-d causing the sound not to produce an echo? Isn’t this a rather unnecessary abrogation of the laws of nature, which G-d cherishes as His handiwork?
Torah’s Unique Power
The Rebbe, in his classic work, Likkutei Sichos, provides a beautiful and powerful answer to this question that sheds light on the very purpose of the Sinai experience.
There are two ways one could approach the relationship Torah has with our world:
Torah can be compared with other approaches to life, which informs us how yto live our lives. Adopting this approach to Torah, one can still be impressed with the depth of Torah that may outshine all other approaches secular and religious. However, in this approach we view Torah as a discipline among other similar disciplines.
There is however a second and totally different way of characterizing Torah. And it is this novel approach to the unparalleled wisdom of Torah and its relationship to the world that is reflected in the Torah not having an echo.
G-d’s Sound did not Bounce Off
An echo is produced when there are barriers to the sound forcing them to bounce off. The sound of G-d, when He said the Ten Commandments, did not have an echo because G-d’s sound penetrated and permeated every aspect of existence within the universe. The Divine words were absorbed by every being.
Not only did the sound of Sinai reverberate throughout the Universe; it actually entered into and became one with it. Torah’s reach was not only in terms of its breadth; it was unique also in its depth.
In fact Torah is unique in that it cannot ever change. It is immutable.
We see how Torah is unique in terms of its breadth, depth and length.
Torah is not just a book that informs us of how we can live a good and exalted way of life. It is a Divine force that can and must be internalized within each and every one of us.
All other systems, which may on occasion resemble some of the Torah’s teachings, cannot permeate the world because the world predates all man-made ethical systems and in which the opposite dynamic is operative. The world with its demands forces us to make accommodations in our ethical practices. Ethics is needed to serve the world of nature. It cannot totally alter the course of nature.
Torah is the very opposite. It preceded Creation and its goal is for it to assume its rightful position of supremacy; where the entire world absorbs and is dictated by Torah..
For Judaism to survive it is crucial that the words of Torah do not “bounce off” us and our children. When we impart the teachings of Judaism, especially during the Shavuos Holiday when the Revelation of Sinai is reenacted, we must see to recapture the spirit of Sinai so that the Torah and Jewish way of life is absorbed and internalized within each and every one of us.
How to Combat Galus Deception
The obstructive and deceptive nature of Galus-exile places a smokescreen even over Torah. This is particularly true in the modern era where secular values and attitudes have been so powerful and have negatively influenced the lives of so many.
That is why it is crucial to learn the inner light of Torah revealed in the teachings of Chassidus. These teachings not only shed light on the world around us to see nature in a different light; it also illuminates the Torah itself. It places Torah in its rightful place of ultimate truth and ultimate reality.
In the imminent Messianic Era, the entire world will see Torah as the force that dominates nature and has ultimately penetrated and absorbed by the world.
From the book Light from the Future: Shavuos by Rabbi Heschel Greenberg, published by the Jewish Discovery Center.
