While experiencing an uplifting and beautiful Shavuos, I came across an insightful idea brought forth by Rabbi Ahron Leib Shteinman o.b.m. which captures the great capability of man which we were endowed with by G-d.
Twice, before G-d’s Revelation at Mount Sinai, G-d instructed Moshe to warn the Jewish people and their animals that they are forbidden to trespass on the Mountain while G-d’s holy presence was there. “Only once the Shofar blasts, would it indicate that they are allowed to set out upon Mount Sinai.”
There is debate among the commentaries when this Shofar blast was that signaled their permission to go upon the mountain. Some say it was immediately after G-d’s Revelation, some say it was 120 days later on Yom Kippur when Moshe returned with the second set of Tablets, and some say it was nine months later when the Tabernacle was erected and G-d’s presence rested there.
Regardless of when the blast was blown, Mount Sinai did not retain holiness forever and even the flock was allowed to graze on the Mountain. The question is, why didn’t the mountain which was host to G-d’s public Revelation, not retain its holiness?
Rabbi Shteinman explains a fundamental rule. G-d created the world to be inhabited by man and He did not instill Kedusha – holiness – into any specific place on earth. Yes, the angels are holy, but they are based in the Heavenly spheres. The only way physical things become holy on earth is if man declares or designates them as holy.
We can now understand that Mount Sinai did not become intrinsically holy because it was G-d who sanctified the mountain and not man. The Jews sanctified themselves and accepted what G-d commanded them, but they did not declare the area holy. Therefore, only during the event did the mountain remain holy. However, after that time, the Torah states it did not retain any holiness.
However, when the Temple mount in Jerusalem was purchased by King David and then the Temple was built by his son Shlomo, that area became intrinsically and forever holy since it was declared holy by man.
I was thinking, what about the holy day of Shabbos? Wasn’t it only sanctified by G-d? Yes, of course each seventh day of the week, the Shabbos is sanctified by G-d, however, the holiness of Shabbos is not something physical, it is the time of the Seventh day, that has Kedusha – holiness.
Additionally, the Talmud tells us that before the Jews heard the Shabbos command at Mount Sinai, G-d told Moshe about the holy day of Shabbos and instructed Moshe to tell the Jewish people that Shabbos is a special gift that rests in His treasury. Rabbi Gedalia Schorr o.b.m. points out that we do not find that G-d ever took Shabbos out of His treasury, He just instructed Moshe to tell the Jews about it. “What emerges is that when Shabbos descends and a Jew accepts the holiness of Shabbos upon himself, he enters into the Heavenly treasury of G-d – an outer world experience.” Thus the Kedusha – holiness – of Shabbos which G-d infuses into the day, is on a Heavenly realm.
We get a sense of this when we sing Shalom Alaichem before the Kiddush when we welcome the angels. We see that on Shabbos we have a connection with the angelic realm.
When we think about it, G-d calls us an Am and Goiy Kodosh – a holy nation. When we accept to become G-d’s nation and fulfill His commands – G-d infuses us with Kedusha – holiness.
So here we are – the Jewish people are sanctified by G-d as holy. Over the holiday we affirmed this when we recited the holiday blessing at Kiddush and in our prayers, “…Who sanctifies Israel and its holidays.”
If G-d does not sanctify something physical on the world, how then are we the Jewish people designated as holy?
When we accepted the Torah and said, “We will do and we will listen.” The angels said, “Who are these people who are tapping into angelic territory, saying as we do, that they will do without first hearing their instruction?”
We see that the Jews raised themselves to an angelic level and thus G-d sanctified them as He sanctifies those in the Heavenly realm.
A Jew has dual citizenship; he’s part of an angelic existence where he is sanctified by G-d to perform His Mitzvos and live by His Torah, and with this investment a Jew is able to sanctify things on this world. He can recite a blessing over food and transform it into something holy; he can study Torah and perform the Mitzvos. And a Jew must control his negative speech concerning his fellow for we are all sanctified beings.
This intrinsic sanctification of the Jew is what causes people to hate us, because of our special relationship with G-d.
A Jew has been endowed with the capacity, through his actions or demeanor, to either to sanctify G-d or disgrace G-d, for we are His representatives. When we as a people will sanctify G-d – our sacred mission will be accomplished and G-d will bring an end to our struggles and bring peace in the world by heralding the Moshiach who will bring us salvation from all our woes!
