“[Remember] the day you stood before Hashem, your G-d, at Horeb...” (Devarim 4:10)
Moshe commanded the Jewish People to be very careful not to forget what they had experienced at Sinai. This day was a turning point in Creation, as well as in the existence of the entire Jewish People from the beginning of time until the end of time. He said it was a matter of life and death, and should be remembered every single day.
On that day, continues verse 10, it was a fulfillment of Hashem’s command to gather all the Jews together, that they might hear Hashem’s words and learn to fear Him all the days of their lives, and teach their children the same. The question is, why must we remember the “day” of Sinai, and what we saw, instead of just remembering the Torah we heard there?
What was it about the experience of being there which is so important that we must not only remember it, as forgetting would imperil our lives, but pass this on to our children? Again, we should be concerned about the words Hashem spoke; the Ten Commandments and the 613 mitzvos encapsulated therein. Why is the fact we stood at Horeb so crucial?
On that day, say Chazal, we experienced a revelation unmatched by any other nation. Hashem did not appear to a single prophet, or even a small group of select individuals. Rather, He revealed His glory to millions of people at one time and place, something unparalleled in history. More than that, we experienced it in a most unusual way. We were able to SEE the sounds, and our senses were used in ways they had never been before.
What we learned on that day was that at any moment, we can be surprised by a new concept, a new approach, and a new reality. The world as we know it can be completely upended in an instant, not by a bomb or destruction, but by a new revelation or recognition. That is the part which is so critical to our existence.
We are supposed to learn to fear Hashem “all the days we are alive on earth,” and also, to “teach our children the same.” The word for fear, yirah, also means to see. The lesson of Har Sinai was that each day we can be, and likely are, spoken to by Hashem in some way, shape, or form. The idea of remembering that day, when we perceived the world in a way we never had before, is to empower us to continue to see messages and lessons from Hashem each day we’re alive.
When we think we’ve seen it all, and we think we know it all, we are to go back to Sinai where our world was turned upside down and we gained a perspective and awareness no one else ever had. The messages we encounter are as unique as we are. Just as Hashem’s booming voice in the Mishkan went just to Moshe’s ears, so are the experiences we have directing Hashem’s messages to our ears and hearts. Never forget that.
R’ Saadya Gaon of Sura once visited a town far from his home and when he came to the inn for a room, it was late at night. Unaware of his illustrious guest’s identity, the innkeeper tossed him a key and unceremoniously pointed down the hall to a door.
The next morning, the innkeeper heard that the famous R’ Saadya Gaon was in town and realized that the guest to whom he was so rude was none other than the tzaddik himself. He ran to the Shul where R’ Saadya was meeting with the leaders of the town and threw himself on the ground, begging forgiveness. “If I had known who you were,” he said, “I would have served you much differently!”
Years later, R’ Saadya was once seen crying. R’ Saadya explained, “Through my learning and tefilla, I realize today more of Hashem’s greatness than I did yesterday, and I must repent for not having served Him properly yesterday.”
©2025 – J. Gewirtz
