SAN DIEGO — In our Torah portion this week, parashat Yitro, we tell the story of Revelation on Mount Sinai. Amidst a majestical display of thunder and lighting, through the fog of a cloud, the Israelites are given the Torah, by God. Right before most of the action takes place, the Torah tells us when the revelation was going to take place. It says that the Israelites arrived at Sinai on “this” day. Rashi points out that this is an unusual word choice. By telling us a story of events that took place in the past, the Torah should have said “that” day. But, by switching the tense, the Torah is teaching us a very important lesson. It is teaching us that, despite some of us believing that the revelation on Mount Sinai was one moment in time, a thing of the past, Revelation can and does take place in the present, today, and whenever else we choose to experience it.
I think the way in which we understand this phrase can have a significant effect on our relationship with Judaism and God. It can be easy for some to dismiss the revelation at Sinai, of the Torah, of Jewish tradition, and Judaism, as something from our past, something from a different era that might not have significant meaning or relevance in our time or in our lives. But like Rashi, I see the Revelation at Sinai and of Torah, not as something for the history books, but rather as something that takes place in the present.
I believe that each and every day, including today, God is revealing the Torah to us, and it up to us to embrace it, engage with it, and connect with. While our ancestors accepted the Torah from God many years ago, so to, we make the choice to accept it today, and every day, letting Judaism, Jewish traditions, and Jewish values in our lives.
Doing so will enable all of us to live a more meaningful and fulfilling lives, supporting each other on our Jewish journeys, as they continue to reveal themselves, each and every day.
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Rabbi Joshua Dorsch is spiritual leader of Tifereth Israel Synagogue in San Diego. He may be contacted via joshua.dorsch@sdjewishworld.com
