(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) In the __third______ month after the children of Israel went out of the land of Egypt, the same day they came into the wilderness of Sinai. (2) And when they left from _Refidim_____, and came to the wilderness of Sinai, they camped in the wilderness; and there Israel camped before the _mountain_________.
(ג) וּמֹשֶׁ֥ה עָלָ֖ה אֶל־הָאֱלֹהִ֑ים וַיִּקְרָ֨א אֵלָ֤יו ה' מִן־הָהָ֣ר לֵאמֹ֔ר כֹּ֤ה תֹאמַר֙ לְבֵ֣ית יַעֲקֹ֔ב וְתַגֵּ֖יד לִבְנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃ (ד) אַתֶּ֣ם רְאִיתֶ֔ם אֲשֶׁ֥ר עָשִׂ֖יתִי לְמִצְרָ֑יִם וָאֶשָּׂ֤א אֶתְכֶם֙ עַל־כַּנְפֵ֣י נְשָׁרִ֔ים וָאָבִ֥א אֶתְכֶ֖ם אֵלָֽי׃ (ה) וְעַתָּ֗ה אִם־שָׁמ֤וֹעַ תִּשְׁמְעוּ֙ בְּקֹלִ֔י וּשְׁמַרְתֶּ֖ם אֶת־בְּרִיתִ֑י וִהְיִ֨יתֶם לִ֤י סְגֻלָּה֙ מִכָּל־הָ֣עַמִּ֔ים כִּי־לִ֖י כָּל־הָאָֽרֶץ׃ (ו) וְאַתֶּ֧ם תִּהְיוּ־לִ֛י מַמְלֶ֥כֶת כֹּהֲנִ֖ים וְג֣וֹי קָד֑וֹשׁ אֵ֚לֶּה הַדְּבָרִ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֥ר תְּדַבֵּ֖ר אֶל־בְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃
(3) And Moses went up to God, and the LORD _called out______ to him from the mountain, saying: ‘Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel: (4) You have seen what I did to the Egyptians______, and how I bore you on eagles (griffin vultures’) wings, and brought you to Myself. (5) Now therefore, if you will __listen_____ to My voice indeed, and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own __treasure_______ from among all peoples; for all the _land________ is Mine; (6) and you shall be to Me a kingdom of __princes__________, and a holy _nation_________. These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel.’
Usually people understand a Nesher to mean an Eagle. But in actuality this bird is the Griffon Vulture.
2. What is important about Hashem saying that He carried Bnei Yisrael on the wings of נשרים (based on Rashi)? We have this idea that all the other birds carry their children in their claws so that they won't have some other bird swoop down and take the children off their back. The NESHER (which is what Hashem is comparing Himself to) carries its children on its back because no other bird flies higher than it.
3. What exactly do בני ישראל need to do in order to be chosen by God?
They have to follow God's commands and the Brit (two way promise)
4. כהנים does not only have to mean the people who work in the Mishkan and are priests. It can also mean __princes____________.
5. What does סגולה translate to?
Treasure
(ה) סגלה. אוֹצָר חָבִיב, כְּמוֹ "וּסְגֻלַּת מְלָכִים" (קהלת ב') – כְּלֵי יָקָר וַאֲבָנִים טוֹבוֹת שֶׁהַמְּלָכִים גּוֹנְזִים אוֹתָם, כַּךְ אַתֶּם תִּהְיוּ לִי סְגֻלָּה מִשְּׁאָר אֻמּוֹת; וְלֹא תֹאמְרוּ אַתֶּם לְבַדְּכֶם שֶׁלִּי וְאֵין לִי אֲחֵרִים עִמָּכֶם וּמַה יֵּשׁ לִי עוֹד שֶׁתְּהֵא חִבַּתְכֶם נִכֶּרֶת:
(5) סגלה means a beloved treasure, the same as (Ecclesiastes 2:8) “and treasures (וסגלת) of kings” — expensive vessels and ___precious_______ stones which kings store up. In the same manner you will be to Me a treasure more than other nations. Now do not say that you alone belong to Me and that I have no other nations together with (besides) you, and what else, therefore, do I have in comparison to which the special love I bear you can be made obvious; this is not so.
Beloved treasure
2. What is בני ישראל's relation to the other nations of the world based on this Rashi?
The same way that a king has a lot of treasure in his chest and then one really special jewel that's the most impressive, so too all the nations of the world are like Hashem's treasures and then Bnei Yisrael is like the really special jewel
(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'
(7) And Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and told them all these words which the LORD commanded him. (8) And all the people answered together, and said: ‘All that the LORD has spoken we will do.’ And Moses reported the words of the people to the LORD.
(9) And the LORD said to Moses: ‘Behold, I come to you in a thick_____ __cloud___, that the people may hear when I speak with you, and may also believe you forever.’ And Moses told the words of the people to the LORD. (10) And the LORD said to Moses: ‘Go to the people, and _sanctify (make holy)________ them today and tomorrow, and let them _wash_____ their __clothes________, (11) and be ready for the _________ day; for the third day the LORD will come down in the sight of all the people upon mount Sinai. (12) And you shall set __boundaries_______ for the people around it (the mountain), saying: Be _watchful_____ to yourselves, that you don't go up the __mountain_______, or touch the border of it; whoever __touches_______ the mountain shall be surely put to death; (13) no hand will touch him, but he shall surely be stoned, or shot through; whether it be beast or man, it shall not live; when the Shofar sounds for a long blast, they shall come up to the ___mountain_______’
2. How many days do Bnei Yisrael have to prepare themselves? 3 days and on the third day it will be Har Sinai
3. Why is it that no animal or human who touches the mountain can live? They're not allowed to touch the mountain while the Shechina is on it. Also it's important that nothing should be on the mountain when God is speaking because otherwise people could get confused and think that that animal or person is actually God.
4. What changes after the Shofar sounds for a long blast (how come the people are allowed to come partially up the mountain then?)
After the long shofar blast, Hashem's presence (the Shechina) left the mountain (kind of as if the electricity gets turned off) so now people are allowed to go up the mountain
(14) And Moses went down from the mount unto the people, and _sanctified_______ the people; and they _washed________ their garments. (15) And he said to the people: ‘Be ready for the _third______ day; come not near a woman.’
Being Tamei and Tahor could be compared to a flow of water through pipes. If you're Tahor then the water can flow through and reach you but if you're Tamei it's like there's a stone or a block in the way. You become Tamei through contact with a dead body or when you lose life force.
2. Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch's understanding of טומאה and טהרה is below.
"Tahara affirms that even on Earth the soul is not bound by the forces of nature, and is completely free.” In contrast tumah comes when one is bound by and subject to the forces of nature.
Based on this, the men are told to separate from their wives for three days so that they will not be in a state of tumah (given over to their natural state of physicality/ desire) and instead will be in a state of tahara and ready to accept the Torah.
(16) And it came to pass on the third______ day, when it was _morning_______, that there were thunders and lightnings and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of a Shofar extremely loud; and all the people that were in the camp _trembled________. (17) And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to _meet______ God; and they stood at the _bottom________ part of the mount.
The morning
2. What do the people hear?
Shofar and thunder
3. What do the people see? lightning and a thick cloud
4. Where exactly are the people standing? at the bottom of the mountain
(יז) לקראת האלהים. מַגִּיד שֶׁהַשְּׁכִינָה יֹצְאָה לִקְרָאתָם כְּחָתָן הַיּוֹצֵא לִקְרַאת כַּלָּה, וְזֶהוּ שֶׁאָמַר ה' מִסִּינַי בָּא (דברים ל"ג), וְלֹא נֶאֱמַר לְסִינַי בָּא (מכילתא):
(17) לקראת האלהים [AND MOSES BROUGHT FORTH THE PEOPLE …] TO MEET GOD — This (the word לקראת, “to meet”, which is used when two persons are approaching one another) tells us that the Shechina was going forth to meet them, as a bridegroom who goes forth to meet his bride. This is what Scripture means when it says, (Deuteronomy 33:2) “The Lord came from Sinai”, and it is not said, “[The Lord came to Sinai” (Mekhilta).
The bridegroom meeting the bride for the first time
Which means Har Sinai is like a wedding
(יח) וְהַ֤ר סִינַי֙ עָשַׁ֣ן כֻּלּ֔וֹ מִ֠פְּנֵי אֲשֶׁ֨ר יָרַ֥ד עָלָ֛יו ה' בָּאֵ֑שׁ וַיַּ֤עַל עֲשָׁנוֹ֙ כְּעֶ֣שֶׁן הַכִּבְשָׁ֔ן וַיֶּחֱרַ֥ד כָּל־הָהָ֖ר מְאֹֽד׃ (יט) וַיְהִי֙ ק֣וֹל הַשּׁוֹפָ֔ר הוֹלֵ֖ךְ וְחָזֵ֣ק מְאֹ֑ד מֹשֶׁ֣ה יְדַבֵּ֔ר וְהָאֱלֹהִ֖ים יַעֲנֶ֥נּוּ בְקֽוֹל׃
(18) Now mount Sinai was completely smoky, because the LORD descended upon it in fire; and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain shook (quaked) greatly. (19) And when the voice of the horn got louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him by a voice.
Smoky, Hashem was there with fire, and the mountain was shaking
2. What was the mountain doing?
Shaking
3. Why is it unusual that the sound of the Shofar got louder and louder?
It usually gets quieter and quieter so this is the opposite