More Torah Thoughts for Our Parsha

When the ram's horn sounds long, they shall come up to the mountain (Ex. 19:13)

When the Torah was given, all vestiges of idolatry had to be removed from the Jewish people, including the idea that any creation can have its own inherent holiness; only G-d can impart sanctity. Thus, in order to make sure that no one thought that the reason the Torah was given on Mount Sinai was that the mountain itself was holy, G-d commanded that immediately afterward it revert to being a "regular" mountain, with animals grazing on it, etc. The "sanctity" of Mount Sinai lasted only as long as the Divine Presence rested upon it. (Meshech Chochma)

Reprinted from the Parshat Yitro 5761/2001 edition of L’Chaim Weekly.