Parshat Yitro: The 4 Stages of Ma’amad Har Sinai A PowerPoint Review, to be viewed with the corresponding shiur. Shiur by Menachem Leibtag Presentation by Tammy Weisz

The Four Stages I.Proposition (19:1-9) II.Preparation (19:9-15) III.Revelation (19:16-19) IV.Limitation (19:20-25)

Chapter 19: Proposition (19:1-9) "If: You will obey Me faithfully and keep My covenant... Then: You shall be for Me a 'mamlechet Kohanim v'goy kadosh' [a kingdom of priests and a holy nation]..." (19:4-6) "And the people answered together and said, 'Everything that God has spoken we shall keep,' and Moshe brought the people's answer back to God." (19:7-8)

Chapter 19: Preparation (19:9-15) How will Bnei Yisrael receive these laws?  "And God said to Moshe, 'I will come to you in the thickness of a cloud, in order that the people hear when I speak with you, and in order that they believe in you [i.e. that you are My messenger] forever..." (19:9) Plan A: Moshe will act as an intermediary between God and Bnei Yisrael  Rashi: "Et divrei ha'am" The people responded: 'We want to hear from You [God], for one cannot compare hearing from a "shliach" (a messenger) to hearing from the King himself, [or they said,] 'We want to see our King!'” Plan B: God will speak directly to Bnei Yisrael Change of Plan= Necessary 3 days preparation

Chapter 19: Revelation (19:16-19) "The sound of the shofar grew louder and louder; as Moshe would speak, God would answer him with a kol." (19:19) Who is saying what? Is it Plan A or Plan B? Rashi (Based on Mechilta): Moshe delivers last 8 dibrot (Plan A), God delivers first 2 dibrot (Plan B). Therefor, the above pasuk refers only to the last 8 dibrot. Ramban: The above pasuk isn’t talking about 10 dibrot at all.

Chapter 19: Limitation (19:20-25) "God descended upon Mount Sinai to the top of the mountain and summoned Moshe to the top of the mountain, and Moshe ascended... Then God told Moshe: Go down and warn the people lest they break through toward God to see, and many of them will perish. And even the kohanim who are permitted to come closer must prepare themselves..." (19:20-22) These psukim reflect Plan A! Has God gone back to His original plan? If so, why?

Chapter 20 "And the people all saw the kolot, the torches, the sound of the shofar and the mountain smoking; the people saw and moved back and stood at a distance. And they told Moshe: 'Why don't you speak to us, and we will listen to you, but God should not speak to us, lest we die.' "Moshe responded saying: 'Do not be fearful, for God is coming to 'test' you and instill fear within you so that you will not sin.' "But the people stood at a distance, and Moshe [alone] entered the cloud where God was.” (20:14-17) The nation grew fearful & request Moshe act as an intermediary. This explains why God reverts from Plan B to Plan A. But why is this story mentioned here? Ramban: Chronologically, this happened before the dibrot. Rashi & Chizkuni: This story happens after the first 2 dibrot.

First or Third Person? Rashi’s answer: explains the shift from 1st to 3rd person after the second commandment. First 2 Dirbrot1st Person Narrative Spoken directly to people: Plan B Last 8 Dibrot3rd Person Narrative Spoken via intermediary: Plan A Plus- since this story took place during the dibrot, the torah could best record it immediately afterwards.

Summary  Chapter 19: Unclear whether Bnei Yisrael would hear the Dibrot via Plan A or B.  Chapter 20: Bnei Yisrael were frightened and reverted to Plan A.  Rashi: First two dibrot were delivered though Plan B, remainder like Plan A.  Ramban: Bnei Yisrael heard all Dibrot through Moshe (Plan A).  Ibn Ezra: Bnei Yisrael heard all the Dibrot directly from God! (Plan B)

Proof from Sefer Devarim "Face to face God spoke to you on the mountain out of the fire [Plan B]. I stood between God and you at that time to convey God's words to you [Plan A], for you were afraid of the fire and did not go up the mountain..." (Devarim 5:4-5) Both plans were used in Matan Torah!

Summary of Events 20:1-13: The 10 Commandments Plan A 20:6-13: The last 8 Commandments Plan A 20:1-5: The first 2 Commandments 20:14-17: Bnei Yisrael Fear the Shchina & return to Plan A 19:20-25: Limitation Plan A 19:19: “Moshe y’daber v’Ha’Elokim ye’Anenu b’kol” Plan A 20:14-17: Bnei Yisrael Fear the Shchina & return to Plan A 19:16-18: Beginning of Revelation Plans A&B 19:10-15: Preparation necessary because of Plan B 19:9: Request for Plan B 19:1-8: Proposition: Plan A According to RambanAccording to Rashi 19:19: “Moshe y’daber v’Ha’Elokim ye’Anenu b’kol” Plan A

Ahava & Yirah Q. But why can’t the Torah be more precise? Why do wehave to guess how the Dibrot were delivered? A. Perhaps the ambiguity is intentional.  Man must strive to come close to God. (Ahava)  But he must be aware of God’s greatness, he is essentially unworthy of closeness. (Yirah) Plan A: The Reality Plan B: The Ideal Man must find balance between realism and idealism

God Knows Best Q: Why does God concede to Bnei Yisrael’s request for Plan B? A: Parent Child Relationship: A wise parent allows child to try, even if child will fail. This way the child has ambitions, learns his limitations. Responsible parent also knows when to tell child to stop.  Similarly, Bnei Yisrael sruggle to maintain balance between their Ahava and Yirah.  God must guide & we must strive!