This week, Shavuot is celebrated. It is a two day holiday. In conjunction with the festival commemorating the giving of the Ten Commandments and the Law, the famous Torah from Exodus is read. It contains the Ten Commandments. Beyond the Torah reading, the holiday is also celebrated with Torah study.
While the Decalogue’s content, in and of itself, is worthy of detailed conversation, the events surrounding the laws’ transmittal offer compelling insight into the relationship between the Israelite God and his nation.
In the Book of Exodus, there is preparation leading up to the receipt of the Decalogue. The Children of Israel receive explicit instructions concerning their positioning with respect to the event: “and you shall set boundaries for the people around.” The instruction’s reason was that either touching the edge of the mountain or ascending the mountain would result in death. Exodus 19:12.
In essence, the Deity-Nation relationship included a boundary. Why?
Prior to these instructions, an earlier passage described nation’s relationship to their Deity. The Israelite God indicated that the Children of Israel would be his treasured people on the condition that they obeyed him and the covenant. Exodus 19:5. In making this statement, the Deity presented himself as the God of the entire world, Exodus 19:5.
Taking these two passages together, one can concludes from these segments of scripture that a people’s special status did not translate entry into the Deity’s realm of composition. It would only be Moses, the laws’ recipient who would have the close encounter.
This notion was further illustrated Exodus 24, in which even the Children of Israel’s leaders were limited with respect to access to the Lord. “And to Moses He said, “Come up to the Lord, you and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and prostrate yourselves from afar. And Moses alone shall approach the Lord but they shall not approach, and the people shall not ascend with him.” Exodus 24:1-2.
It was then reported that “And the Lord said to Moses, “Come up to Me to the mountain and remain there, and I will give you the stone tablets, the Law and the commandments, which I have written to instruct them.” So Moses and Joshua, his servant, arose, and Moses ascended to the mount of God.” Exodus 24
The reading of the scripture suggests that there is a covenant that includes a division. Does the fact that a physical boundary exists, also suggest there is also a mental boundary? In essense, Humanity should not enter the Deity’s mind.
This assertion is to appreciate that Humans are limited to reading, studying and interpreting scripture. They are not to deliver words from the Deity. It was only Moses was played a role in the transmission.
In sum, Shavuot, and the physical boundary presented, is arguably a reminder that the Torah is something intended for study, application and interpretation. Arguably, the boundary is a reminder of need to maintain the purity of the transmittal. This is in accord with the notion that the text is not to be altered.
Be well!!
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