Revelation at Sinai

| Shavuot | Holidays

Both of the images below reflect the awe and wonder at Sinai, reflecting two types of revelation: both the perception of God’s presence and the manifestation of God’s will through the laws of the Torah. These 19th Century prints from Special Collections of the JTS Library highlight the overwhelming presence of this moment.

Mount Sinai. Print Collection
This was the frontispiece to a mahzor for Shavuot printed in Sulzbach in 1827 by S. Arnstein and Sons. Artist was Joseph Herz 1776 – 1828. Print Collection.

Text

Who Wrote the Ten Commandments (Benjamin Sommer): A participatory model of revelation

Why We Eat Dairy on Shavu’ot (Ismar Schorsch): Getting outside of our normal routine in order to engage the divine

The Revelation in Sci-Fi (Ryan Dulkin): A vision of transcendence in 2001: A Space Odyssey

Counting Ourselves As Israel (Leonard A. Sharzer): The importance of each individual Israelite in the giving of the Torah

Creation and Revelation (Matthew Berkowitz): “At the moment of revelation, the Israelites become active partners in creating a moral universe.”

Music

The Still, Small Voice (song by Sam Blustin and Eliana Light)

Making Torah Our Own (piyyut performed by Galeet Dardashti)

Video

Shavuot Webinar: The Ten Commandments in 20/20
with Eliezer Diamond

What Exactly Did God Say at Mount Sinai?
with Burton Visotzky

Coercive Consent? Understanding the Moment of Revelation at Sinai
with Matt Berkowitz

Turning Wheat into Bread: A Tale of Two Torahs
with Julia Andelman

Shavuot
with David Kraemer

RETURN TO SHAVUOT LEARNING

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