What's your definition of revelation?
(טז) וַיְהִי֩ בַיּ֨וֹם הַשְּׁלִישִׁ֜י בִּֽהְיֹ֣ת הַבֹּ֗קֶר וַיְהִי֩ קֹלֹ֨ת וּבְרָקִ֜ים וְעָנָ֤ן כָּבֵד֙ עַל־הָהָ֔ר וְקֹ֥ל שֹׁפָ֖ר חָזָ֣ק מְאֹ֑ד וַיֶּחֱרַ֥ד כָּל־הָעָ֖ם אֲשֶׁ֥ר בַּֽמַּחֲנֶֽה׃ (יז) וַיּוֹצֵ֨א מֹשֶׁ֧ה אֶת־הָעָ֛ם לִקְרַ֥את הָֽאֱלֹהִ֖ים מִן־הַֽמַּחֲנֶ֑ה וַיִּֽתְיַצְּב֖וּ בְּתַחְתִּ֥ית הָהָֽר׃
(16) On the third day, as morning dawned, there was thunder, and lightning, and a dense cloud upon the mountain, and a very loud blast of the horn; and all the people who were in the camp trembled. (17) Moses led the people out of the camp toward God, and they took their places at the bottom (בְּתַחְתִּית) of the mountain.
*How would you describe the events depicted above?
*What do you think text 1 and its interpretation is really teaching us?
*Translate this interpretation of text 2 into your own words.
(שמות יט, יז) "ויתיצבו בתחתית ההר." א"ר אבדימי בר חמא בר חסא: מלמד שכפה הקב"ה עליהם את ההר כגיגית ואמר להם, אם אתם מקבלים התורה מוטב. ואם לאו, שם תהא קבורתכם.
(Shemot 19:17) "They took their places at the bottom of the mountain." Rav Avdimi bar Chama bar Chasa said: This teaches that the Holy One, Blessed be He, covered them with the mountain like an [overturned] vat. And He said to them, "If you accept the Torah, good. And if not, there will be your burial." Rav Acha bar Yaakov said, from here is a strong signal [of coercion] regarding [acceptance of] the Torah.
*What is our revelation?
(ו) דבר אחר: וידבר אלהים את כל הדברים האלה לאמר אמר רבי יצחק: מה שהנביאים עתידים להתנבאות בכל דור ודור, קבלו מהר סיני, שכן משה אומר להם לישראל (דברים כט): כי את אשר ישנו פה עמנו עומד היום ואת אשר איננו פה עמנו היום. עמנו עומד היום אין כתיב כאן, אלא עמנו היום, אלו הנשמות העתידות להבראות, שאין בהם ממש, שלא נאמרה בהם עמידה, שאע"פ שלא היו באותה שעה, כל אחד ואחד קבל את שלו.
(6) As Moshe said to Israel (Deuteronomy 29:14), 'But with those here with us standing today and with those not here with us today.' It is not written [in the end of the verse], 'with us standing today,' but rather, 'with us today:' these are the souls that will be created in the future, that do not have substance, about which standing is not said. As even if they were not [existing] at that time, each and every one of them received that which was his."
Menachem Mendl of Kotzk, in L. Kushner and K. Olitzky; Sparks Beneath The Surface
There are so many wise men, scholars, and philosophers in the world all of them pondering, investigation and delving into the mystery of God. And why do they misuse their wisdom? They only misuse it because they are limited by their intellectual level and perceptual capacity. But the people of Israel are a holy people. They possess special instruments that elevate their perceptual capacity and enable them to transcend the level of their intellect and attain the level of ministering angels themselves. And these are the instruments: the performance of mitzvot. This is just what Israel said when they stood at Mount Sinai, "We will do and we will hear". Through the power of the mitzvot we perform, we are able to understand.
Shemot Rabbah 5:9
Rabbi Yochanan said the voice of God went forth and was split into 70 voices, 70 languages, so that all the nations would hear, and each nation would hear the voice in its own tongue...The voice of God spoke to each Israelites, that means to each and every person. God's voice was heard and understood because the voice spoke to each individual according to that person's particular ability to hear and understand...to the elderly in keeping with their ability, to the young in keeping with their ability, to the little ones in keeping with their ability, and so on.
(ז) וַיִּקַּח֙ סֵ֣פֶר הַבְּרִ֔ית וַיִּקְרָ֖א בְּאָזְנֵ֣י הָעָ֑ם וַיֹּ֣אמְר֔וּ כֹּ֛ל אֲשֶׁר־דִּבֶּ֥ר יְהוָ֖ה נַעֲשֶׂ֥ה וְנִשְׁמָֽע׃
(7) Then he took the record of the covenant and read it aloud to the people. And they said, “All that the Lord has spoken we will faithfully do (נַעֲשֶׂה וְנִשְׁמָֽע)!”
(ט) אַתֶּ֨ם נִצָּבִ֤ים הַיּוֹם֙ כֻּלְּכֶ֔ם לִפְנֵ֖י יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֵיכֶ֑ם רָאשֵׁיכֶ֣ם שִׁבְטֵיכֶ֗ם זִקְנֵיכֶם֙ וְשֹׁ֣טְרֵיכֶ֔ם כֹּ֖ל אִ֥ישׁ יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃ (י) טַפְּכֶ֣ם נְשֵׁיכֶ֔ם וְגֵ֣רְךָ֔ אֲשֶׁ֖ר בְּקֶ֣רֶב מַחֲנֶ֑יךָ מֵחֹטֵ֣ב עֵצֶ֔יךָ עַ֖ד שֹׁאֵ֥ב מֵימֶֽיךָ׃ (יא) לְעָבְרְךָ֗ בִּבְרִ֛ית יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ וּבְאָלָת֑וֹ אֲשֶׁר֙ יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ כֹּרֵ֥ת עִמְּךָ֖ הַיּֽוֹם׃ (יב) לְמַ֣עַן הָקִֽים־אֹתְךָ֩ הַיּ֨וֹם ׀ ל֜וֹ לְעָ֗ם וְה֤וּא יִֽהְיֶה־לְּךָ֙ לֵֽאלֹהִ֔ים כַּאֲשֶׁ֖ר דִּבֶּר־לָ֑ךְ וְכַאֲשֶׁ֤ר נִשְׁבַּע֙ לַאֲבֹתֶ֔יךָ לְאַבְרָהָ֥ם לְיִצְחָ֖ק וּֽלְיַעֲקֹֽב׃ (יג) וְלֹ֥א אִתְּכֶ֖ם לְבַדְּכֶ֑ם אָנֹכִ֗י כֹּרֵת֙ אֶת־הַבְּרִ֣ית הַזֹּ֔את וְאֶת־הָאָלָ֖ה הַזֹּֽאת׃ (יד) כִּי֩ אֶת־אֲשֶׁ֨ר יֶשְׁנ֜וֹ פֹּ֗ה עִמָּ֙נוּ֙ עֹמֵ֣ד הַיּ֔וֹם לִפְנֵ֖י יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֵ֑ינוּ וְאֵ֨ת אֲשֶׁ֥ר אֵינֶ֛נּוּ פֹּ֖ה עִמָּ֥נוּ הַיּֽוֹם׃
(9)You stand this day, all of you, before the Lord your God—your tribal heads, your elders and your officials, all the men of Israel, (10)your children, your wives, even the stranger within your camp, from woodchopper to waterdrawer— (11)to enter into the covenant of the Lord your God, which the Lord your God is concluding with you this day, with its sanctions; (12)to the end that He may establish you this day as His people and be your God, as He promised you and as He swore to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.(13)I make this covenant, with its sanctions, not with you alone, (14)but both with those who are standing here with us this day before the Lord our God and with those who are not with us here this day.