Many are familiar with the parallels between Purim and Yom Kippur, which have long been noted by both ancient sages and contemporary scholars alike. Lesser known, perhaps, is the connection between Purim and Shavuot, and the links between Matan Torah — the giving of the Torah over 3,500 years ago — and the Jews of Persia, in the fourth century BCE.
In Parashat Yitro, the Torah describes Bnei Yisrael standing at Har Sinai:
“Vayityatzvu b’tachtit hahar –- they stood at the foot of the mountain.” (Shmot 19:17).
Rashi, noting the unusual phrasing, connects tachtit with “tachat” (meaning under, or beneath), suggesting that the nation quite literally stood beneath the mountain.
How was this possible?
The Gemara (Tractate Shabbat 88a) explains in the name of Rav Avidimi, that Hashem overturned the mountain and held it over Bnei Yisrael like a barrel (or coffin), and said, “If you accept the Torah, all will be good. Conversely, if you do not, this will be your burial site.”
Rabbi Yehuda Amital, zt”l, the founding rosh yeshiva of Yeshivat Har Etzion, asks why it was necessary for Hashem to coerce Bnei Yisrael to accept the Torah; after all, they themselves had declared, “Naaseh, V’Nishma —We shall do and we shall obey!”
Tosfot on Shabbat 88a explains that although Bnei Yisrael had already affirmed their commitment to following the Torah (Shmot 19:8), the actual experience of Matan Torah, and everything it entailed — including thunder, lightning, smoke, and shofar blasts — was so overwhelming, that it literally caused people’s neshamot (souls) to leave their bodies. Accordingly, people may have been so shaken by the experience that they may have been tempted to renege. Therefore, Hashem literally raised Har Sinai above them in order to ensure there would be no backpedaling.
The Midrash Tanchuma (Noach 3) posits that the nation’s declaration of “Naaseh V’Nishma”, can be divided into two separate concepts: “Naaseh — We will do”, refers to the Torah Shebichtav, (the Written Law) whereas “V’Nishma — And We Will Obey”, refers to the Torah Shebaal Peh (the Oral Law). At Har Sinai, while Bnei Yisrael agreed to abide by the Torah Shebichtav, they were concerned about their ability to follow the Torah Shebaal Peh’s intricate and complex halachot (laws), and therefore requested to learn more about what it entailed. As such, Hashem coerced them to accept it by raising the mountain above their heads.
The Gemara (Shabbat 88a) cites Rava, who observes that it was only in the days of Achashverosh that Bnei Yisrael voluntarily reaffirmed their commitment to the Torah. As it says in Megillat Esther (9:27), “Kimu V’Kiblu HaYehudim — the Jews upheld and accepted”, indicating that they embraced the Torah and its mitzvot willingly, solidifying their earlier acceptance at Har Sinai.
Whether or not the mountain was literally suspended above them, Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks zt”l opines in Covenant and Conversation Family Edition that the nation really had no choice but to accept the Torah at Har Sinai, after having lived through the miracles of Yetziat Mitzrayim (The Exodus from Egypt) receiving manna from the sky, and extracting water from a rock. Conversely, their greatest test of emunah (faith) occurred during the time of Megillah Esther, when Hashem’s presence was hidden.
“That Jews remained Jews under such conditions was proof positive that they did indeed reaffirm the covenant,” writes Rabbi Sacks. “Obstinate in their disbelief during much of the biblical era, they became obstinate in their belief ever afterwards.”