Riddle #1: Why Were Klal Yisroel Tired When They Arrived at Har Sinai, they Were Brought by the Clouds of Glory?
Question: The pasuk in Parshas Yisro says: ואשא אתכם על כנפי נשרים ואביא אתכם אלי – “I will carry you on the wings of eagles and bring you to Me” (19:4). The Targum Yonosan explains this pasuk to mean, that the Clouds of Glory (Ananay HaKavod) brought Klal Yisroel to Har Sinai to receive the Torah.
If so, how are we to understand the Gemara in Shabbos (86b). The Gemara in Shabbos teaches, that on the first day that Klal Yisroel arrived at Har Sinai nothing was said to them, because of חולשא דאורחא – they were weak from travel. If they were brought to Har Sinai by the Clouds of Glory, why were they tired? (Panim Yofois, Vayechi d.h. yehi don, Beis HaLevi, Beshalach, and others asks this question.)
Answers:
The Imrei Emes explains that the reason they were tired was not because of the journey, but because they accepted upon themselves the yoke of Torah. The Gemara in Bava Metzia (84a) relates how Reish Lokish use to be able to jump over rivers, however, once he accepted upon himself the yoke of Torah, he was no longer able to. Rashi explains: דמשקבל עול תורה תשש כוחו – “Once he accepted upon himself the yoke of Torah, he became weak”. The Imrei Emes explains that the same thing happened to Klal Yisroel, once they accepted upon themselves the Torah, they became weak.
With this he explains a pasuk in Rus. The pasuk says, ותרא כי מתאמצת היא ותחדל לדבר , the Imrei Emes explains, that when Naomi saw that Rus accepted upon herself the yoke of Torah to the extent that it made her weak, she saw that it was a real kabbolah [acceptance], and she then started speaking to her.
