How Moses Received the Torah

On Rosh Chodesh Sivan, the first day of the third month after the exodus from Egypt, the children of Israel reached the desert of Sinai and camped near the mountain. During the few weeks of traveling in the desert under Divine protection, with daily miracles, such as the manna and the birds, the miraculous sweetening of the water, the defeat of Amalek, and the crossing of the Red Sea, the Jewish people had become more and more conscious of G-d. Their faith grew more intense daily, until they attained a standard of holiness, solidarity, and unity, never achieved before or after by any other nation.

Moses ascended Mount Sinai, and G-d spoke to him the following words (Exodus 3-6): "So shall you say to the house of Jacob and tell the sons of Israel. You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and [how] I bore you on eagles' wings, and I brought you to Me. And now, if you obey Me and keep My covenant, you shall be to Me a treasure out of all peoples, for Mine is the entire earth. And you shall be to Me a kingdom of princes and a holy nation."

Moses came down from the mountain and asked the people if they wanted to obey G-d’s laws they all shouted yes. When G-d heard the people accepting his law G-d told Moses to prepare his people to receive the law by washing their garments and G-d would descend and give them His law after three days.

The dawn of the third day broke amid thunder and lightning that filled the air. Heavy clouds hung over the mountain, and steadily growing sound of the Shofar horn made the people shake and tremble with fear. Moses led the children of Israel out of the camp and placed them at the foot of Mount Sinai, which was all covered by smoke and was quaking, for G-d had descended upon it in fire.

The entire people heard the words of G-d, and they became frightened. They begged Moses to be the intermediary between G-d and them, for if G-d Himself would continue to give them the entire Torah, they would surely die. Moses told them not to be afraid, for G-d had revealed Himself to them so that they would fear Him and not sin.

Then G-d asked Moses to ascend the mountain; for he alone was able to stand in the presence of G-d. There Moses was to receive the two tablets containing the Ten Commandments, and the entire Torah, to teach it to the children of Israel. Moses went up the mountain and stayed there forty days and forty nights, without food or sleep, for he had become like an angel. During this time, G-d revealed to Moses the entire Torah, with all its laws and the interpretations thereof. Finally, G-d gave Moses the two stone Tables of Testimony, containing the Ten Commandments, written by G-d Himself.

Moses had promised the children of Israel that he would return after forty days. The fortieth day had arrived and the people became anxious and nervous. During Moses' long absence, the Egyptian riff-raff that had accompanied the children of Israel since their exodus from Egypt spread the word around that Moses would never return and that they had better choose another leader to be the intermediary between them and G-d. So they convince the people to make an idol to worship of a golden calf. Aaron, Moses brother, tries to stop them but they will not listen.

Exactly forty days had passed since he had gone up, and in his hands he carried the Tables of Testimony, written by G-d Himself. When they came within hearing distance of the camp, shouts of jubilation and joy reached their ears. Moses soon saw what was going on. In despair, he threw the Tables of Testimony to the ground, shattering them into small pieces. A people who could worship a golden calf so soon after they faced G-d and heard His voice say, "Thou shalt not make thee a graven image," did not deserve this treasure, Moses thought. Then he took the golden idol, ground it to dust and spread the dust over the water, which he made the people drink. Thus he showed them the impotence of their idol, and the foolishness of their action.

Taking up a position near the entrance of the camp, Moses said: "Whoever is with G-d, come to me!" The entire tribe of Levi gathered about him, and Moses ordered them to slay every one guilty of worshipping the Golden Calf, regardless of his position and relationship to them. That day, the seventeenth day of Tammuz, three thousand men of the children of Israel lost their lives, in punishment for their idolatry.

The next day Moses again told the people that they had gravely sinned against G-d, and that he would now go to pray for atonement. Moses went up to Mount Sinai, and prayed to G-d for forty days and forty nights, while the people mourned their dead, and made atonement for their sin.

After Moses had descended from: Mount Sinai, G-d told him to hew another pair of tables, similar to the one he had received the first

time. Moses was then to ascend Mount Sinai for the third time, when G-d would inscribe upon them the Ten Commandments, as He had done before.

On the first day of Elul, Moses went up to Mount Sinai and stayed with G-d for the third time, for forty days and forty nights, neither eating nor sleeping. G-d inscribed the Ten Commandments on the tables and told Moses He forgave the children of Israel.Holding the newly made tablets in his hands, Moses stood on Mount Sinai andG-d taught him how the children of Israel could make atonement for their sins through real repentance and prayer

The Torah contains 613 commandments. Of these, 248 are "positive" commands (do's), and 365 are "negative" commands (don'ts).The precepts form the code of the Jew's daily behavior and his way of life. They help him lead an honest, clean, and healthful life, both in body and in spirit.The precepts are generally divided into two groups:The Jew's duties toward his fellow man, and his duties toward his Creator, G-d.The former, that is the duties of the Jew towards his fellow man, include all those laws of honesty, uprightness, truthfulness, kindness, and charitableness, which he is to practice in all his dealings. By observing these precepts, the Jew attains the highest perfection as a human being and as a member of a most perfect state of family and social life. These laws form the bulk of the precepts of the Torah.The other group, that is the laws concerning the Jew's duties toward his Maker, include the laws of worship, festivals, diet (Kosher), and many other laws designed to enable him to attain the highest form of spiritual life.

The majority of Jewish scholars believe that Moses received the entire Torah (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy) when he was on Mount Sinai and the Torah is what was written on the stone tablets he brought down from the mountain.

Building the Arc of the Covenant

The construction of the Ark is commanded by God to Moses while the Jews were still camped at Sinai (Ex. 25:10-22; 37:1-9). The Ark was a box with the dimensions of two-and-a-half cubits in length, by one-and-a-half cubits in height, by one-and-a-half cubits in width (a cubit is about 18 inches). It was constructed of acacia wood, and was plated with pure gold, inside and out. On the bottom of the box, four gold rings were attached, through which two poles, also made of acacia and coated in gold, were put. The family of Kehath, of the tribe of Levi, would carry the ark on their shoulders using these poles.

Covering the box was the kapporet, a pure gold covering that was two-and-a-half by one-and-a-half cubits. Attached to the kapporet were two sculpted Cherubs, also made of pure gold. The two Cherubs faced one another, and their wings, which wrapped around their bodies, touched between them.

The contents of the Ark has been debated through the centuries. The general consensus is that the first tablets containing the Ten Commandments, which were broken by Moses, and the second tablets, which remained intact, were contained in the Ark.

The Ark was used in the desert and in Israel proper for a number of spiritual and pragmatic purposes. Practically, God used the Ark as an indicator of when he wanted the nation to travel, and when to stop. In the traveling formation in the desert, the Ark was carried 2000 cubits ahead of the nation. According to one midrash, it would clear the path for the nation by burning snakes, scorpions, and thorns with two jets of flame that shot from its underside; another midrash says that rather than being carried by its bearers, the Ark in fact carried its bearers inches above the ground. When the Israelites went to war in the desert and during the conquering of Canaan, the Ark accompanied them; whether its presence was symbolic, to provide motivation for the Jews, or whether it actually aided them in fighting, is debated by commentators.

Spiritually, the Ark was the manifestation of God's physical presence on earth. Once the Ark was moved into the Holy of Holies in the Tabernacle,

and later in the Temple, it was accessible only once a year, and then, only by one person. On Yom Kippur, the High Priest could enter the Holy of Holies to ask forgiveness for himself and for all the nation of Israel. The holiness of the Ark also made it dangerous to those who came in contact with it. There are many stories in the Torah about people who were hurt or killed because they touched or looked at the arch when they weren’t supposed to.

The Ark was used by the Israelites as part of their worshiping in their temple and accompanied them to many battles. But when they were conquered by Babylon the Ark was lost. Today many people, religions and places claim they have the original Ark of the Covenant but that has never been confirmed by Historians.

Moses receiving the Jewish Law and the Arc of the Covenant.

Name:_____________________________

1. Where did Moses receive the Jewish Law? ________________________

2. What did the people say when Moses asked them if they wanted to received God’s law? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. What happened around the mountain after three days?_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4. Who did Moses go up into the mountain with?___________________________

5. What was the law written on and who wrote it?_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

6. How long was Moses on the mountain?___________________________________

7. What did the people do while Moses was on the mountain?________________________________________________________________________________________________

8. What did Moses do when he saw his people sinning?_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

9. How many commandments does the Torah contain?____________________

10. What 2 kinds of commandments are in the Torah?________________________________________________________________________________________________________

11. How big was the Ark and what was it made out of?___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

12. What was kept inside the Ark?_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

13. What does the Ark represent?____________________________________________

14. Where is the Ark of the Covenant today?___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________