Beneath the Mountain: a poetic midrash for Shavuot

The Israelites did not accept the Torah until the Blessed Holy One held the mountain over them like a vessel, as it is said: And they stood beneath the mountain (Exod. 19:17). R. 

Dimi the son of Hama stated that the Blessed Holy One told Israel: “If you accept the Torah, well and good; but if not, your grave will be there….As soon as God [finally] asked them, “Will you accept the Torah?” they all responded, “We will do and hear,” - Midrash Tanhuma

In this midrash the rabbis implied that the people’s response to God “we will do and we will hear” (Exodus 24:7) was not so simple, as the mountain was being held over their head at the time. Still they could have decided that death was better than becoming slaves to a new master, even though this master would be God and not Pharaoh. 

This midrash reminds us that, even when the right choice may seem clear, sometimes the situation in which we find ourselves can cloud our ability to see clearly. That is the essence of this midrashic poem which I share with you today as we celebrate Shavuot (the Feast of Weeks) on which, according to rabbinic tradition, the Ten Commandments and the entire Torah were given by God on Mt. Sinai.

Hag Shavuot Sameah - a joyous Shavuot,

Rabbi Steve

beneath the mountain

three months

I have led the people

out of egypt   through the sea

into the desert      into freedom

three months

they thank and praise

complain and threaten

are human

three months

it is as if I have been mother and father

wetnurse and protector

to this people

three months

and here we are

standing at the foot of the mountain

ready to receive God’s word

the ultimate gift

or are they      am I

three days now    i have told them

prepare   to encounter  the divine

to hear God’s voice

now they stand afraid     unprepared       human

now     instead of God      I begin to hear

mumbling

ever so slightly

questioning       what they are doing there

should we have stayed in egypts

      has this all been my doing

 the sorcerer of sorcerers

turning rods into snakes

rivers into blood

splitting the sea

they know it was not me

and yet they doubt

how could they not

even i do

after all I have seen and heard

as the mumblings continues

the mountain begins to smoke and quake

with divine fire

it begins to rumble

the people quake    they cannot move

       though they try

suddenly the mountain rises from the ground

no longer rooted to the earth

      it floats above them

a heavy cloud of earth and iron

it stays above their heads

for minutes    maybe hours

not a word is heard     not any sound

Even the thunder cannot be seen or heard

suddenly a blast comes forth from the heavens

piercing sound of the shofar 

unlike any heard before

as if the entire universe were calling

listen     pay attention

     as if they really had any choice

with a mountain over our their

I wait to hear the voice

but nothing comes

again it is silent

then suddenly I hear   the voice coming from within me

as before in the desert   it is the voice us one of comfort

the voice of my father

gently calling my name     moses

I look around    see the faces of the people

each one is   hearing the same   but different      voice

the voice of god   emanating in a voice   each can hear

mother   father   comforter

speaking clearly  simply   without fanfare or menace

the voice proclaims the simple truth of the moment

listen to and obey     the words I am about to speak

accept the gift I am about to give

and all will be well

reject this gift and what is above  shall fall

and this shall be 

not the place of your birth as a community

but the place of its death 

I hear the voice    the words

and wonder

what will the people do

what would i do     if really given the choice

does freedom mean enough 

that they are willing to live with rules

as servants to God     not slaves to pharoah

or do they value independence so much

that they are willing to die

rather than lose a drop of 

what they see as their liberty

I no longer hear God’s voice

nor do they    i am sure

I do not hear a word from any of them

no cry of assent or rejections

just stunned silence

the mountain dangling above them

then rumbling  thunder lightening

are heard again

the piercing blast of the shofar 

even louder than before

I fear the worst     ego has defeated spirit

that the people have responded   heard only by God

that death is better than serving anyone    even God

that choice will be their one and only

exercise of their freedom

I prepare to watch my children die beneath the mountain

wanting to tell them how foolish they are

wanting to tell them what a gift it has been to lead them    

in spite of all      and for such a brief time

then the mountain begins to move

no longer over the people’s heads

it descends to its rightful place

and the voice of the people is heard    as one

we shall obey    we will hear    all that god will say

we are your people     you are our god

we accept your gift freely   and with joy

the laws that allow liberty to exist

I feel a sense of elation

they have chosen right      they understand

I feel a sense of dread

knowing that they are not quite ready yet

and I am prepared to face the difficult journey

from freedom    to covenant    to peoplehood     to home

I only hope they are

I am also ashamed

for doubting that they would give the right answer

perhaps because

I didn’t know if I would have    if I were one of them

yet   I am   one of them

as I begin to climb the mountain

to receive the words of God

I am moses who heard the voice of his father 

just as each of them has heard their father or mother

I hope that I can remember during the difficult times

that this is the one truth

we are all one    we all are on this journey together

perhaps they were a little coerced

but sometimes people need a little help

to accept    to embrace

the difficult things that are  best for them

the things that will help them become

the nation they are meant to be