(א) בַּחֹ֙דֶשׁ֙ הַשְּׁלִישִׁ֔י לְצֵ֥את בְּנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל מֵאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרָ֑יִם בַּיּ֣וֹם הַזֶּ֔ה בָּ֖אוּ מִדְבַּ֥ר סִינָֽי׃(ב) וַיִּסְע֣וּ מֵרְפִידִ֗ים וַיָּבֹ֙אוּ֙ מִדְבַּ֣ר סִינַ֔י וַֽיַּחֲנ֖וּ בַּמִּדְבָּ֑ר וַיִּֽחַן־שָׁ֥ם יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל נֶ֥גֶד הָהָֽר׃
(1) On the third new moon after the Israelites had gone forth from the land of Egypt, on that very day, they entered the wilderness of Sinai.(2) Having journeyed from Rephidim, they entered the wilderness of Sinai and encamped in the wilderness. Israel encamped there in front of the mountain,
(ז) וַיָּבֹ֣א מֹשֶׁ֔ה וַיִּקְרָ֖א לְזִקְנֵ֣י הָעָ֑ם וַיָּ֣שֶׂם לִפְנֵיהֶ֗ם אֵ֚ת כָּל־הַדְּבָרִ֣ים הָאֵ֔לֶּה אֲשֶׁ֥ר צִוָּ֖הוּ ה׳׃(ח) וַיַּעֲנ֨וּ כָל־הָעָ֤ם יַחְדָּו֙ וַיֹּ֣אמְר֔וּ כֹּ֛ל אֲשֶׁר־דִּבֶּ֥ר ה׳ נַעֲשֶׂ֑ה וַיָּ֧שֶׁב מֹשֶׁ֛ה אֶת־דִּבְרֵ֥י הָעָ֖ם אֶל־ה׳׃(ט) וַיֹּ֨אמֶר ה׳ אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֗ה הִנֵּ֨ה אָנֹכִ֜י בָּ֣א אֵלֶיךָ֮ בְּעַ֣ב הֶֽעָנָן֒ בַּעֲב֞וּר יִשְׁמַ֤ע הָעָם֙ בְּדַבְּרִ֣י עִמָּ֔ךְ וְגַם־בְּךָ֖ יַאֲמִ֣ינוּ לְעוֹלָ֑ם וַיַּגֵּ֥ד מֹשֶׁ֛ה אֶת־דִּבְרֵ֥י הָעָ֖ם אֶל־ה׳׃
(7) Moses came and summoned the elders of the people and put before them all that Hashem had commanded him.(8) All the people answered as one, saying, “All that the Hashem has spoken we will do!” And Moses brought back the people’s words to Hashem.(9) And Hashem said to Moses, “I will come to you in a thick cloud, in order that the people may hear when I speak with you and so trust you ever after.” Then Moses reported the people’s words to Hashem,
(טו) וְכָל־הָעָם֩ רֹאִ֨ים אֶת־הַקּוֹלֹ֜ת וְאֶת־הַלַּפִּידִ֗ם וְאֵת֙ ק֣וֹל הַשֹּׁפָ֔ר וְאֶת־הָהָ֖ר עָשֵׁ֑ן וַיַּ֤רְא הָעָם֙ וַיָּנֻ֔עוּ וַיַּֽעַמְד֖וּ מֵֽרָחֹֽק׃(טז) וַיֹּֽאמְרוּ֙ אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֔ה דַּבֵּר־אַתָּ֥ה עִמָּ֖נוּ וְנִשְׁמָ֑עָה וְאַל־יְדַבֵּ֥ר עִמָּ֛נוּ אֱלֹקִ֖ים פֶּן־נָמֽוּת׃
(15) All the people witnessed the thunder and lightning, the blare of the horn and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it, they fell back and stood at a distance.(16) “You speak to us,” they said to Moses, “and we will obey; but let not God speak to us, lest we die.”
... אָמַר רַב אַבְדִּימִי בַּר חָמָא בַּר חַסָּא: מְלַמֵּד שֶׁכָּפָה הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא עֲלֵיהֶם אֶת הָהָר כְּגִיגִית, וְאָמַר לָהֶם: אִם אַתֶּם מְקַבְּלִים הַתּוֹרָה מוּטָב, וְאִם לָאו — שָׁם תְּהֵא קְבוּרַתְכֶם. אָמַר רַב אַחָא בַּר יַעֲקֹב: מִכָּאן מוֹדָעָא רַבָּה לְאוֹרָיְיתָא. אָמַר רָבָא: אַף עַל פִּי כֵן הֲדוּר קַבְּלוּהָ בִּימֵי אֲחַשְׁוֵרוֹשׁ, דִּכְתִיב: ״קִיְּמוּ וְקִבְּלוּ הַיְּהוּדִים״ — קִיְּימוּ מַה שֶּׁקִּיבְּלוּ כְּבָר.
...Rabbi Avdimi bar Ḥama bar Ḥasa said: the Jewish people actually stood beneath the mountain, and the verse teaches that the Holy One, Blessed be God, overturned the mountain above the Jews like a tub, and said to them: If you accept the Torah, excellent, and if not, there will be your burial. Rav Aḥa bar Ya’akov said: From here there is a substantial caveat to the obligation to fulfill the Torah. The Jewish people can claim that they were coerced into accepting the Torah, and it is therefore not binding. Rava said: Even so, they again accepted it willingly in the time of Ahasuerus, as it is written: “The Jews ordained, and took upon them, and upon their seed, and upon all such as joined themselves unto them” (Esther 9:27), and he taught: The Jews ordained what they had already taken upon themselves through coercion at Sinai.
(יז) וַיֹּ֨אמֶר מֹשֶׁ֣ה אֶל־הָעָם֮ אַל־תִּירָאוּ֒ כִּ֗י לְבַֽעֲבוּר֙ נַסּ֣וֹת אֶתְכֶ֔ם בָּ֖א הָאֱלֹקִ֑ים וּבַעֲב֗וּר תִּהְיֶ֧ה יִרְאָת֛וֹ עַל־פְּנֵיכֶ֖ם לְבִלְתִּ֥י תֶחֱטָֽאוּ׃(יח) וַיַּעֲמֹ֥ד הָעָ֖ם מֵרָחֹ֑ק וּמֹשֶׁה֙ נִגַּ֣שׁ אֶל־הָֽעֲרָפֶ֔ל אֲשֶׁר־שָׁ֖ם הָאֱלֹקִֽים׃ (פ)(יט) וַיֹּ֤אמֶר ה׳ אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֔ה כֹּ֥ה תֹאמַ֖ר אֶל־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל אַתֶּ֣ם רְאִיתֶ֔ם כִּ֚י מִן־הַשָּׁמַ֔יִם דִּבַּ֖רְתִּי עִמָּכֶֽם׃(כ) לֹ֥א תַעֲשׂ֖וּן אִתִּ֑י אֱלֹ֤קֵי כֶ֙סֶף֙ וֵאלֹקֵ֣י זָהָ֔ב לֹ֥א תַעֲשׂ֖וּ לָכֶֽם׃
(17) Moses answered the people, “Be not afraid; for HaShem has come only in order to test you, and in order that the fear of God may be ever with you, so that you do not go astray.”(18) So the people remained at a distance, while Moses approached the thick cloud where God was.(19) Hashem said to Moses: Thus shall you say to the Israelites: You yourselves saw that I spoke to you from the very heavens:(20) With Me, therefore, you shall not make any gods of silver, nor shall you make for yourselves any gods of gold.
(ד) פָּנִ֣ים ׀ בְּפָנִ֗ים דִּבֶּ֨ר ה׳ עִמָּכֶ֛ם בָּהָ֖ר מִתּ֥וֹךְ הָאֵֽשׁ׃(ה) אָ֠נֹכִי עֹמֵ֨ד בֵּין־ה׳ וּבֵֽינֵיכֶם֙ בָּעֵ֣ת הַהִ֔וא לְהַגִּ֥יד לָכֶ֖ם אֶת־דְּבַ֣ר ה׳ כִּ֤י יְרֵאתֶם֙ מִפְּנֵ֣י הָאֵ֔שׁ וְלֹֽא־עֲלִיתֶ֥ם בָּהָ֖ר לֵאמֹֽר׃ (ס)
(4) Face to face the LORD spoke to you on the mountain out of the fire—(5) I stood between the LORD and you at that time to convey the LORD’s words to you, for you were afraid of the fire and did not go up the mountain—saying:
(כ) וַיִּשְׁלַ֥ח אַחְאָ֖ב בְּכָל־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל וַיִּקְבֹּ֥ץ אֶת־הַנְּבִיאִ֖ים אֶל־הַ֥ר הַכַּרְמֶֽל׃(כא) וַיִּגַּ֨שׁ אֵלִיָּ֜הוּ אֶל־כָּל־הָעָ֗ם וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ עַד־מָתַ֞י אַתֶּ֣ם פֹּסְחִים֮ עַל־שְׁתֵּ֣י הַסְּעִפִּים֒ אִם־ה׳ הָֽאֱלֹקִים֙ לְכ֣וּ אַחֲרָ֔יו וְאִם־הַבַּ֖עַל לְכ֣וּ אַחֲרָ֑יו וְלֹֽא־עָנ֥וּ הָעָ֛ם אֹת֖וֹ דָּבָֽר׃(כב) וַיֹּ֤אמֶר אֵלִיָּ֙הוּ֙ אֶל־הָעָ֔ם אֲנִ֞י נוֹתַ֧רְתִּי נָבִ֛יא לַה׳ לְבַדִּ֑י וּנְבִיאֵ֣י הַבַּ֔עַל אַרְבַּע־מֵא֥וֹת וַחֲמִשִּׁ֖ים אִֽישׁ׃(כג) וְיִתְּנוּ־לָ֜נוּ שְׁנַ֣יִם פָּרִ֗ים וְיִבְחֲר֣וּ לָהֶם֩ הַפָּ֨ר הָאֶחָ֜ד וִֽינַתְּחֻ֗הוּ וְיָשִׂ֙ימוּ֙ עַל־הָ֣עֵצִ֔ים וְאֵ֖שׁ לֹ֣א יָשִׂ֑ימוּ וַאֲנִ֞י אֶעֱשֶׂ֣ה ׀ אֶת־הַפָּ֣ר הָאֶחָ֗ד וְנָֽתַתִּי֙ עַל־הָ֣עֵצִ֔ים וְאֵ֖שׁ לֹ֥א אָשִֽׂים׃(כד) וּקְרָאתֶ֞ם בְּשֵׁ֣ם אֱלֹֽקֵיכֶ֗ם וַֽאֲנִי֙ אֶקְרָ֣א בְשֵׁם־ה׳ וְהָיָ֧ה הָאֱלֹקִ֛ים אֲשֶׁר־יַעֲנֶ֥ה בָאֵ֖שׁ ה֣וּא הָאֱלֹקִ֑ים וַיַּ֧עַן כָּל־הָעָ֛ם וַיֹּאמְר֖וּ ט֥וֹב הַדָּבָֽר׃
(20) Ahab sent orders to all the Israelites and gathered the prophets at Mount Carmel.(21) Elijah approached all the people and said, “How long will you keep hopping between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him; and if Baal, follow him!” But the people answered him not a word.(22) Then Elijah said to the people, “I am the only prophet of the LORD left, while the prophets of Baal are four hundred and fifty men.(23) Let two young bulls be given to us. Let them choose one bull, cut it up, and lay it on the wood, but let them not apply fire; I will prepare the other bull, and lay it on the wood, and will not apply fire.(24) You will then invoke your god by name, and I will invoke the LORD by name; and let us agree: the god who responds with fire, that one is God.” And all the people answered, “Very good!”
(לא) וַיִּקַּ֣ח אֵלִיָּ֗הוּ שְׁתֵּ֤ים עֶשְׂרֵה֙ אֲבָנִ֔ים כְּמִסְפַּ֖ר שִׁבְטֵ֣י בְנֵֽי־יַעֲקֹ֑ב אֲשֶׁר֩ הָיָ֨ה דְבַר־ה׳ אֵלָיו֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל יִהְיֶ֥ה שְׁמֶֽךָ׃(לב) וַיִּבְנֶ֧ה אֶת־הָאֲבָנִ֛ים מִזְבֵּ֖חַ בְּשֵׁ֣ם ה׳ וַיַּ֣עַשׂ תְּעָלָ֗ה כְּבֵית֙ סָאתַ֣יִם זֶ֔רַע סָבִ֖יב לַמִּזְבֵּֽחַ׃(לג) וַֽיַּעֲרֹ֖ךְ אֶת־הָֽעֵצִ֑ים וַיְנַתַּח֙ אֶת־הַפָּ֔ר וַיָּ֖שֶׂם עַל־הָעֵצִֽים׃(לד) וַיֹּ֗אמֶר מִלְא֨וּ אַרְבָּעָ֤ה כַדִּים֙ מַ֔יִם וְיִֽצְק֥וּ עַל־הָעֹלָ֖ה וְעַל־הָעֵצִ֑ים וַיֹּ֤אמֶר שְׁנוּ֙ וַיִּשְׁנ֔וּ וַיֹּ֥אמֶר שַׁלֵּ֖שׁוּ וַיְשַׁלֵּֽשׁוּ׃(לה) וַיֵּלְכ֣וּ הַמַּ֔יִם סָבִ֖יב לַמִּזְבֵּ֑חַ וְגַ֥ם אֶת־הַתְּעָלָ֖ה מִלֵּא־מָֽיִם׃(לו) וַיְהִ֣י ׀ בַּעֲל֣וֹת הַמִּנְחָ֗ה וַיִּגַּ֞שׁ אֵלִיָּ֣הוּ הַנָּבִיא֮ וַיֹּאמַר֒ ה׳ אֱלֹקֵי֙ אַבְרָהָם֙ יִצְחָ֣ק וְיִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל הַיּ֣וֹם יִוָּדַ֗ע כִּֽי־אַתָּ֧ה אֱלֹקִ֛ים בְּיִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל וַאֲנִ֣י עַבְדֶּ֑ךָ ובדבריך [וּבִדְבָרְךָ֣] עָשִׂ֔יתִי אֵ֥ת כָּל־הַדְּבָרִ֖ים הָאֵֽלֶּה׃(לז) עֲנֵ֤נִי ה׳ עֲנֵ֔נִי וְיֵֽדְעוּ֙ הָעָ֣ם הַזֶּ֔ה כִּֽי־אַתָּ֥ה ה׳ הָאֱלֹקִ֑ים וְאַתָּ֛ה הֲסִבֹּ֥תָ אֶת־לִבָּ֖ם אֲחֹרַנִּֽית׃(לח) וַתִּפֹּ֣ל אֵשׁ־ה׳ וַתֹּ֤אכַל אֶת־הָֽעֹלָה֙ וְאֶת־הָ֣עֵצִ֔ים וְאֶת־הָאֲבָנִ֖ים וְאֶת־הֶעָפָ֑ר וְאֶת־הַמַּ֥יִם אֲשֶׁר־בַּתְּעָלָ֖ה לִחֵֽכָה׃(לט) וַיַּרְא֙ כָּל־הָעָ֔ם וַֽיִּפְּל֖וּ עַל־פְּנֵיהֶ֑ם וַיֹּ֣אמְר֔וּ ה׳ ה֣וּא הָאֱלֹקִ֔ים ה׳ ה֥וּא הָאֱלֹקִֽים׃
(31) Then Elijah took twelve stones, corresponding to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob—to whom the word of the LORD had come: “Israel shall be your name”—(32) and with the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD. Around the altar he made a trench large enough for two seahs of seed.(33) He laid out the wood, and he cut up the bull and laid it on the wood.(34) And he said, “Fill four jars with water and pour it over the burnt offering and the wood.” Then he said, “Do it a second time”; and they did it a second time. “Do it a third time,” he said; and they did it a third time.(35) The water ran down around the altar, and even the trench was filled with water.(36) When it was time to present the meal offering, the prophet Elijah came forward and said, “O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel! Let it be known today that You are God in Israel and that I am Your servant, and that I have done all these things at Your bidding.(37) Answer me, O LORD, answer me, that this people may know that You, O LORD, are God; for You have turned their hearts backward.”(38) Then fire from the LORD descended and consumed the burnt offering, the wood, the stones, and the earth; and it licked up the water that was in the trench.(39) When they saw this, all the people flung themselves on their faces and cried out: “The LORD alone is God, The LORD alone is God!”
(ז) וַיָּשָׁב֩ מַלְאַ֨ךְ ה׳ ׀ שֵׁנִית֙ וַיִּגַּע־בּ֔וֹ וַיֹּ֖אמֶר ק֣וּם אֱכֹ֑ל כִּ֛י רַ֥ב מִמְּךָ֖ הַדָּֽרֶךְ׃(ח) וַיָּ֖קָם וַיֹּ֣אכַל וַיִּשְׁתֶּ֑ה וַיֵּ֜לֶךְ בְּכֹ֣חַ ׀ הָאֲכִילָ֣ה הַהִ֗יא אַרְבָּעִ֥ים יוֹם֙ וְאַרְבָּעִ֣ים לַ֔יְלָה עַ֛ד הַ֥ר הָאֱלֹקִ֖ים חֹרֵֽב׃(ט) וַיָּבֹא־שָׁ֥ם אֶל־הַמְּעָרָ֖ה וַיָּ֣לֶן שָׁ֑ם וְהִנֵּ֤ה דְבַר־ה׳ אֵלָ֔יו וַיֹּ֣אמֶר ל֔וֹ מַה־לְּךָ֥ פֹ֖ה אֵלִיָּֽהוּ׃
(7) The angel of the LORD came a second time and touched him (Elijah) and said, “Arise and eat, or the journey will be too much for you.”(8) He arose and ate and drank; and with the strength from that meal he walked forty days and forty nights as far as the mountain of God at Horeb.(9) There he went into a cave, and there he spent the night. Then the word of Hashem came to him. He said to him, “Why are you here, Elijah?”
אֶל הַמְּעָרָה. הִיא נִקְרַת צוּר שֶׁעָמַד בָּהּ משֶׁה.
To the cave. That is the cleft of the rock where Moshe stood.
(כב) וְהָיָה֙ בַּעֲבֹ֣ר כְּבֹדִ֔י וְשַׂמְתִּ֖יךָ בְּנִקְרַ֣ת הַצּ֑וּר וְשַׂכֹּתִ֥י כַפִּ֛י עָלֶ֖יךָ עַד־עָבְרִֽי׃
(22) and, as My Presence passes by, I will put you in a cleft of the rock and shield you with My hand until I have passed by.
(י) וַיֹּאמֶר֩ קַנֹּ֨א קִנֵּ֜אתִי לַה׳ ׀ אֱלֹקֵ֣י צְבָא֗וֹת כִּֽי־עָזְב֤וּ בְרִֽיתְךָ֙ בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל אֶת־מִזְבְּחֹתֶ֣יךָ הָרָ֔סוּ וְאֶת־נְבִיאֶ֖יךָ הָרְג֣וּ בֶחָ֑רֶב וָֽאִוָּתֵ֤ר אֲנִי֙ לְבַדִּ֔י וַיְבַקְשׁ֥וּ אֶת־נַפְשִׁ֖י לְקַחְתָּֽהּ׃(יא) וַיֹּ֗אמֶר צֵ֣א וְעָמַדְתָּ֣ בָהָר֮ לִפְנֵ֣י ה׳ וְהִנֵּ֧ה ה׳ עֹבֵ֗ר וְר֣וּחַ גְּדוֹלָ֡ה וְחָזָ֞ק מְפָרֵק֩ הָרִ֨ים וּמְשַׁבֵּ֤ר סְלָעִים֙ לִפְנֵ֣י ה׳ לֹ֥א בָר֖וּחַ ה׳ וְאַחַ֤ר הָר֨וּחַ רַ֔עַשׁ לֹ֥א בָרַ֖עַשׁ ה׳׃(יב) וְאַחַ֤ר הָרַ֙עַשׁ֙ אֵ֔שׁ לֹ֥א בָאֵ֖שׁ ה׳ וְאַחַ֣ר הָאֵ֔שׁ ק֖וֹל דְּמָמָ֥ה דַקָּֽה׃(יג) וַיְהִ֣י ׀ כִּשְׁמֹ֣עַ אֵלִיָּ֗הוּ וַיָּ֤לֶט פָּנָיו֙ בְּאַדַּרְתּ֔וֹ וַיֵּצֵ֕א וַֽיַּעֲמֹ֖ד פֶּ֣תַח הַמְּעָרָ֑ה וְהִנֵּ֤ה אֵלָיו֙ ק֔וֹל וַיֹּ֕אמֶר מַה־לְּךָ֥ פֹ֖ה אֵלִיָּֽהוּ׃
(10) He replied, “I am moved by zeal for the LORD, the God of Hosts, for the Israelites have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and put Your prophets to the sword. I alone am left, and they are out to take my life.”(11) “Come out,” God called, “and stand on the mountain before Hashem.”
And lo, Hashem passed by. There was a great and mighty wind, splitting mountains and shattering rocks by the power of God; but God was not in the wind. After the wind—an earthquake; but God was not in the earthquake.(12) After the earthquake—fire; but God was not in the fire. And after the fire—a kol d'mama dakah (still small voice).(13) When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his mantle about his face and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Then a voice addressed him: “Why are you here, Elijah?”
(יד) וַיֹּאמֶר֩ קַנֹּ֨א קִנֵּ֜אתִי לַה׳ ׀ אֱלֹקֵ֣י צְבָא֗וֹת כִּֽי־עָזְב֤וּ בְרִֽיתְךָ֙ בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל אֶת־מִזְבְּחֹתֶ֣יךָ הָרָ֔סוּ וְאֶת־נְבִיאֶ֖יךָ הָרְג֣וּ בֶחָ֑רֶב וָאִוָּתֵ֤ר אֲנִי֙ לְבַדִּ֔י וַיְבַקְשׁ֥וּ אֶת־נַפְשִׁ֖י לְקַחְתָּֽהּ׃ (ס)(טו) וַיֹּ֤אמֶר ה׳ אֵלָ֔יו לֵ֛ךְ שׁ֥וּב לְדַרְכְּךָ֖ מִדְבַּ֣רָה דַמָּ֑שֶׂק וּבָ֗אתָ וּמָשַׁחְתָּ֧ אֶת־חֲזָאֵ֛ל לְמֶ֖לֶךְ עַל־אֲרָֽם׃(טז) וְאֵת֙ יֵה֣וּא בֶן־נִמְשִׁ֔י תִּמְשַׁ֥ח לְמֶ֖לֶךְ עַל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל וְאֶת־אֱלִישָׁ֤ע בֶּן־שָׁפָט֙ מֵאָבֵ֣ל מְחוֹלָ֔ה תִּמְשַׁ֥ח לְנָבִ֖יא תַּחְתֶּֽיךָ׃
(14)He answered, “I am moved by zeal for the LORD, the God of Hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and have put Your prophets to the sword. I alone am left, and they are out to take my life.”(15) The LORD said to him, “Go back by the way you came, [and] on to the wilderness of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael as king of Aram.(16) Also anoint Jehu son of Nimshi as king of Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah to succeed you as prophet.
Daniel Kahneman: Thinking, Fast and Slow (pp. 378-384). Farrar, Straus and Giroux. Kindle Edition.
The experiencing self is the one that answers the question: “Does it hurt now?” The remembering self is the one that answers the question: “How was it, on the whole?” Memories are all we get to keep from our experience of living, and the only perspective that we can adopt as we think about our lives is therefore that of the remembering self. A comment I heard from a member of the audience after a lecture illustrates the difficulty of distinguishing memories from experiences. He told of listening raptly to a long symphony on a disc that was scratched near the end, producing a shocking sound, and he reported that the bad ending “ruined the whole experience.” But the experience was not actually ruined, only the memory of it. The experiencing self had had an experience that was almost entirely good, and the bad end could not undo it, because it had already happened. My questioner had assigned the entire episode a failing grade because it had ended very badly, but that grade effectively ignored 40 minutes of musical bliss. Does the actual experience count for nothing?
...דע, כי הנסים אשד עשה לנו הבורא ברוך הוא מתחלקים על שלשה אופנים. כי הנה יש נסים נסתרים ויש נסים נגלים. הנסים הנגלים, כמו שנעשו לאבותינו במצרים כמו דצ"ך עד"ש באח"ב וקריעת ים סוף שהם שנוי טבעיים והכל ראו באלו הנסים. ויש נסים נסתרים, כמו בימי מרדכי ואסתר שהיה כמדומה שהוא טבעיית שבתחלה גדל את המן ואחר כך אהב את אשתו והרג אוהבו בשביל אשתו, וגם הנס הנזכר בעל הנסים שמסר רבים ביד מעטים וטמאים ביד טהורים כו'. והנה נס נסתר, שהמה בדרך מלחמה וגם מעשה יהודית היה קצת בטבעים. אמנם באמת מעשה נסים ולא טבעיית אבל נס נסתר היה ולא נס נגלה... אבל בחנוכה, עשו תחתונים איזה פעולה, כי חשמונאי ובניו נלחמו מלחמות ה׳ ועשו פעולה, רק שהשם יתברך עשה שלא כדרך הטבע ומסר גבורים ביד חלשים כו', אבל היה באיזה סיוע תחתונים. נמצא הם שלשה מדריגות. נס דיציאת מצרים, היה שינוי טבעיית והוא נקרא יום והוא נס גדול. וקטן ממצרים הוא פורים, שהיה בטבעיית קצת נס נסתר והוא נקרא לילה כאשר כתבתי בשם אדומ"ו ז"ל אבל לא היו בסיוע התחתונים. וקטן מפורים נרות חנוכה, שהיה נס נסתר וגם סיוע מתחתונים...
...Know, that the miracles that the Blessed Creator did for us have three types, because there are hidden miracles and there are revealed miracles.
Revealed miracles, like the ones done for our ancestors in Egypt, like the ten plagues, and the splitting of the Reed sea, that are breaks with nature and all see as miracles.
And there are hidden miracles, like in the days of Esther and Mordechai, as it is in nature that in the beginning [the king] raised Haman and then loved his wife and killed his friend because of his wife, and also the miracle mentioned in the prayer Al HaNisim, of delivering the many into the hands of the few etc. And behold the hidden miracle, that they were in the way for war, and also the deed of Yehudit had a little aspect of nature, even though in truth they were miracles, and not natural occurrences but they were hidden miracles, not revealed ones.
...But in Chanukah the lower ones took a few actions, because the Hashmonai and his sons waged the war of Hashem and were active, yet that the Holy One did not do just the ways of nature and "delivered the strong in the hands of the weak, etc" but with some help of the lower ones. There you have the three levels.
The miracle of the exodus from Egypt was a modification of nature, and is called day and a great miracle.
And smaller than Egypt is Purim, that was in its essence a little hidden miracle, and it is called night as I have written in the name of the admor"r z"l but there was no help from the lower ones.
And smaller than Purim is the lights of Chanukah, which was a hidden miracle and also had help from the lower ones....
(ט) וַיֹּ֨אמֶר ה׳ אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֗ה הִנֵּ֨ה אָנֹכִ֜י בָּ֣א אֵלֶיךָ֮ בְּעַ֣ב הֶֽעָנָן֒ בַּעֲב֞וּר יִשְׁמַ֤ע הָעָם֙ בְּדַבְּרִ֣י עִמָּ֔ךְ וְגַם־בְּךָ֖ יַאֲמִ֣ינוּ לְעוֹלָ֑ם וַיַּגֵּ֥ד מֹשֶׁ֛ה אֶת־דִּבְרֵ֥י הָעָ֖ם אֶל־ה׳׃
(9) And the LORD said to Moses, “I will come to you in a thick cloud, in order that the people may hear when I speak with you and so trust you ever after.” Then Moses reported the people’s words to the LORD,
Or Ha-Me’ir ; Ze’ev Wolf
Translation by Rabbi Arthur Green
Moses our teacher had so purified and clarified his own bodily self that God could have shown him the power of Torah with full clarity, without any garbbing or diminution of intensity… but if that is the case, why did the blessed Holy one dress up the brilliant light of Torah in stories, until it became something like tales on person would tell another?
Elsewhere I have commented on the verse “God spoke to Moses face to face, like one would speak to another (Ex:33:11). This means that God garbed the powerful light of Torah in ‘face’ after ‘face’...in it’s original state it was just clear light, comprising holy names, all of them none other than the single blessed name Y-H-W-H...but God dressed them up in face after face, so that they now appear to be the sort of tales one person would tell another. But in truth the opening of her (the Torah’s) words would shine a brilliant light…
Sometimes a marvelous bit of wisdom falls into an intelligent persons mind, something that contains a real insight into understand God. But when you try to share that thought with another person, you are unable to reveal the wisdom that lies buried deepp within your own heart. It would be too subtle for them to understand. You therefore have to dress it up as a comment on a biblical verse or some saying of the sages. For this purpose on can employ any of the four ways of reading scripture: the obvious (pshat), the allegorical (remez), the homiletical (drash) or the esoteric (sod). Those people in any case will not be able to grasp the depth of your thoughts, however they are garbed. They therefore pay attention only the garments themselves. “How well this one preaches! How nicely this one speaks!” they are just too unaware to pay attention to that wonderful inner wisdom and the good counsel for serving God that they could be finding in the multiple levels of the darshan (preacher).
Our holy Torah herself is in the same situation. Her words as open in their own setting indeed shine a high and lofty light, but one so subtle that “thought cannot grasp it at all.” But when the time came for the ten commandments to be revealed in the holy event at Sinai, they had to be garbed in the outer meanings and narrative tales of Torah…
This is true even of prophets, of whom we are told that ‘They had the great merit of depicting the human form to be likes its maker” (Bereshit Rabbah 27:1). They still did not have the power to see Torah clearly, without it being dressed up in visuals forms and images. Moses alone, “most faithful of my house.” was greater than the rest and could looking directly into the shining light… he ‘heard the voice speaking to him’ (Number 7:89) in a spiritual manner that need no covering up in… in stories.
But this was to be “the Torah that Moses placed before the children of Israel” and the whole people did not have the strength to perceive in their learning the light of Torah in its own intensely spiritual core. God nevertheless sought their good and wanted to give this precious vessel to the entire people. That is why scripture tells us “Behold I will come to you in a thick cloud!” The whole Torah, with it’s point of deaprte of the anokhi (I am) will come to you… clothed and with reduced intensity, all for the sake of this holy people in its entirety, since they are not prepared to receive Torah in its clear state. So that people will listen when I speak to you. They will hear and understand the Ten Commandments, each in accord with their own levels of personal purity and the ability of each soul to hold fast to the letters of Torah.