In order for there to have been a ‘Hamshocho’ of Hashem’s very ‘Atzmus’ at ‘Matan Torah’, even though there cannot be a literal vessel to receive and contain Hashem’s ‘Atzmus’, nevertheless, there needs to be a form of preparation and a container for the revelation of Hashem’s ‘Atzmus’, and this is achieved through removing concealments, obscurities and confusions.
This trembling from the word וַיָנֻעוּ literally means they were shaken up, like something shook them into shape, shaking away all the unnecessary attachments of concealments and obscurities and confusion. According to Rashi they were shaken back by eleven and a half kilometers, some even say that they were shaken out of their bodies completely and their souls departed. This shaking up, this traumatic experience the fear and the awe changed them. This experience bettered them (as every experience does) and made them worthy of receiving Hashem’s holy presence. Without this preparation they would not have been able to experience the awesomeness of the experience, nor would we be able to have Hashem’s ‘Atzmus’ within us.
Obviously Hashem’s ‘Atzmus’ is not some sort of stuff that we can bottle or store in jars, we are talking about a more spiritual vessel, but even then we are discussing the ‘Atzmus’ of Hashem which cannot even be contained in spiritual vessels, so we are talking of something similar to a spiritual vessel, even if not a containment but at least a preparation for that potential containment. At least from the recipient’s end there needs to be a preparation, He must prepare himself to be worthy of this incredible presence. Perhaps it is good to mention how in life if one makes a preparation for an event than that event will be so much more meaningful to him, in the times of the early Chassidim they would prepare for months before they were to go and see the Rebbe, and were rewarded with a very poignant experience to the extent that they would refer the day at which they first went into the Rebbe as their birthday, and would celebrate its anniversary every year. This is true today as well, with things like going to the holy sites, if one is to prepare himself one will be rewarded in a much bigger way.
Chassidic Mashpiim would use this example and say that a cup that was full of water cannot receive anything further, to make yourself into a ‘Keili’ to receive, one needs to empty his receptacle of haughtiness of ego and of self-worth, and with the ‘Bittul’ of an empty cup one is now ready to receive blessings and influence from above. This is an ‘Avodah’ it is not just a decision, it is a struggle and requires work, one needs to actively remove his obstacles and hindrances that are obstructing him from being a suitable vessel to receive and contain Hashem’s ‘Atzmus’.
This world is called ‘Olam’ from the Hebrew word ‘He-ehlam’ meaning to conceal, the purpose of this lowly world is to conceal G-dliness, to obscure our vision and confuse us with worldly matters in order that we may have free will and that there should be an even-keel between that which is spiritual and holy and that which is mundane and worldly, so that we shall be able to ‘choose’ Hashem and His holiness in studying Torah and in performing Mitzvahs in spite of the apparent concealments obscurities and confusions, to the extent that it is our ‘Avodah’ to completely remove from our minds and our hearts all obstacles that may in anyway come between us and Hashem.
