(15) When Moses had ascended the mountain, the cloud covered the mountain.
English
Ein Yaakov (Glick Edition), Yoma 1:3
(Fol. 4) We are taught (in a Baraitha) : Moses ascended in the cloud, was covered by the cloud, and was sanctified in the cloud, in order that he should receive the Torah for Israel in a state of sanctification, as it is said (Ex. 24, 16) And the glory of the Lord abode upon Mount Sinai. This occurred on the day after the ten commandments were given, which was the first of the following forty days. This is the opinion of R. Jose, the Galilean. R. Akiba, however, says: And the glory of the Lord abode upon Mount Sinai, occurred on the first day (Ib. b) of the month [Sivan] ; The cloud covered the mountain [not Moses] ; And He called unto Moses, occurred on the seventh day [of Sivan] : And although Moses and all Israel were standing there, it intends to do honor to Moses [by mentioning specifically his name]." R. Nathan says: "The provisions and precautions [in the] entire verse above were made that he might be cleansed of all the food and drink in his bowels, so that he be pure as the ministering angels." R. Mathiah b. Kheresh, however, says: "The [precautions in the] entire verse [regarding his seclusion] were made for the purpose of impressing him with the feeling that the Torah should be received with awe, fear, shivering, trembling and agitation, as it is said (Ps. 2, 11), Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling." What is meant by Rejoice with trembling? R. Adda b. Mathna said in the name of Rab : "Where there is rejoicing, there should be trembling." In what respect do R. Jose, the Galilean, and R. Achiba differ? They differ exactly as do the Tanaim of the following Baraitha, where we are taught: "On the sixth day of Sivan the Torah was given to Israel"; R. Jose, however, says: "On the seventh." According to him who says that the Torah was given on the sixth day, [it appears that] the Torah was given on the sixth and Moses ascended on the seventh ; as it is written (Ex. 24, 16) And he called unto Moses on the seventh day; but according to him who says on the seventh, [it appears that] the Torah was given on the seventh day and Moses ascended on the seventh. R. Jose, the Galilean, agrees with the Tana, who maintains that the Torah was given unto Israel on the sixth of the month; and therefore, he says, The glory of the Lord abode upon Mount Sinai, came after the day on which the commandments had been given. The clouds covered Moses six days, and on the seventh he called him from amidst the clouds to receive the entire Torah. But R. Akiba agrees with the opinion of R. Jose, that the Torah was given unto Israel on the seventh day of the month. According to R. Akiba, the tradition is clearly, comprehended that the tablets were broken on the seventeenth day of Tammuz; as there remain twenty-four days of Sivan and sixteen of Tammuz, to make a total of forty days during which Moses remained on the mount. He descended the seventeenth of Tammuz when he broke the tablets. But as to R. Jose, the Galilean, who claims that the six days were spent in seclusion, add to them the forty days which Moses spent on the mount, and it will appear that the tablets were not broken until the twenty-third of Tammuz! R. Jose, the Galilean, would explain that the six days of seclusion were included in the forty days spent by Moses on the mount.