Matan Torah, the Giving of the Torah on Mt. Sinai, is the most seminal event in Jewish history. It is when G‑d revealed Himself to His nation and personally instructed them with the Ten Commandments and the entire Torah, designating them as a unique people tasked with fulfilling a Divine mission. Read on for 12 facts about this foundational occurrence that continues to shape every part of our lives.
1. It’s When We Received G‑d’s Most Prized Possession
The Torah is described as G‑d’s hidden treasure1 and a constant source of Divine delight.2 Matan Torah is when G‑d took His most cherished possession, the Torah, and bequeathed it to His nation, making it the full inheritance of every Jew.3
Read: What Is the Torah?
2. It Followed the Exodus by 50 Days
The Jews left Egypt on the first day of Passover, 15 Nissan, 2448 (1313 BCE). Fifty days later, on Shabbat,4 6 Sivan,5 they received the Torah at Mt. Sinai. When the Jews were still enslaved in Egypt, G‑d foretold that they would receive the Torah upon their release,6 indicating that Matan Torah was the ultimate objective of the Exodus.7
3. Mt. Sinai Was the Winning Candidate
A beloved rabbinic tradition relates that when the time came for G‑d to reveal Himself upon a mountain, the various mountains began jostling for the position, each one claiming it was superior. Only Sinai, which was not remarkable in any way, remained silent. For this reason, humble Sinai was chosen, giving us the eternal lesson that humility is key to accepting G‑d’s wisdom.8
Read: Humble Har Sinai
4. It Was Preceded by Intense Preparation
As soon as the Jews left Egypt, they began preparing for the event of a lifetime. The fifty days from the Exodus until Matan Torah were marked by intense efforts to rid themselves of the Egyptian impurity deeply ingrained in their psyches by decades of slavery and prepare their minds and hearts for a new Divine reality.9 After arriving at the Sinai Desert on 1 Sivan, additional preparatory measures were taken,10 culminating with the Jews’ selfless declaration on 5 Sivan, “We will do and [only then] will we understand!”11
Read: Doing and Hearing
5. Every Jew Heard G‑d
On the morning of 6 Sivan, the Jews awoke to thunder and lightning and a powerful shofar blast. As they approached Mount Sinai, they saw it ablaze, a thick cloud of smoke at its peak. Trembling in awe and fear, they gathered at the foot of the mountain as Moses ascended alone to the top.12
Against this incredible backdrop, G‑d proceeded to utter the first two of the Ten Commandments, heard by every single Jew in attendance. With each one, the entire Jewish people died from the intensity of the Divine revelation, and G‑d brought them back to life. Realizing that perceiving G‑d was too much for them to handle, the people asked Moses to transmit the remaining eight commandments.13
6. You Were There Too
A Midrashic tradition teaches that present at Mt. Sinai was not only every Jew alive at the time, but also every Jewish soul (including every convert) ever to be born. You and I witnessed the Divine revelation and committed our lives to carrying out G‑d’s plan.14
7. It Was Accompanied by Miracles
Midrashic sources describe several miracles that occurred at Matan Torah, among them: G‑d lifted Mt. Sinai and held it over the Israelites’ heads;15 the Jews saw the thunder and heard the lightning;16 and G‑d’s voice had no echo.17 Far from being mere displays of supernatural prowess, each of these miracles is replete with meaning and sheds insight into a deeper dimension of the Giving of the Torah (see the links below).
Read: Underneath the Mountain; Seeing the Sounds at Sinai; Echo! Echo!
8. The Ten Commandments Were the Nucleus
At this momentous occasion, G‑d transmitted Ten Commandments—merely a sampling, it would seem—of the 613 commandments to be presented over the next 40 years. In truth, however, the Ten Commandments are the nucleus of the entire Oral and Written Torah, all of which was communicated to us in concentrated form on that day.18
9. It’s When Heaven Met Earth
In addition to transmitting the Torah, Matan Torah instigated a spiritual overhaul of dramatic proportions. Before Matan Torah, a restriction was in place preventing the intertwining of Heaven and earth. Spirituality and holiness belonged in G‑d’s domain, remaining divorced from physicality. But all that changed when G‑d gave the Torah. Today, when you do a mitzvah with a tangible object (such as donning tefillin fashioned from the hide of a cow), you imbue the mitzvah object with sanctity. Matan Torah is thus the moment when Heaven met earth, empowering us to transform this world into a home for the Divine.19
10. It’s When G‑d Married Us
The Mishnah describes Matan Torah as the wedding day of G‑d, the groom, and Israel, His bride.20 Since that day, the Jewish nation is wed to G‑d: we devote our lives to Him, and He accepts the responsibility of providing for all our needs.21
Read: Marriage at Mount Sinai
11. We Commemorate It on Shavuot
The festival of Shavuot, celebrated annually on 6–7 Sivan, commemorates the Giving of the Torah over 3,000 years ago. Jewish thought teaches that dates commemorating historical events are not just times to recall and reflect, but opportunities to relive: we actually re-experience the Giving of the Torah each year on Shavuot.22 When we listen to the Ten Commandments being read in the synagogue, it is as if we are hearing them from G‑d Himself!23
Read: What Is Shavuot?
12. It Transformed Reality Forever
Matan Torah was a watershed event that changed reality forever, transforming the Creator-human relationship and how we live our lives. It announced the purpose of our existence and imparted clear instructions on how to achieve it, charting the path of each individual and of the world at large until the end of time.
Join the Discussion