Where in the World is Mount Sinai? - יתרו

Where in the World is Mount Sinai? 

The Jewish people are very good at preserving their history. We know where and when all the significant events of our past occurred. There is, however, one exception. The location of the most important event of our history, the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai, is unknown.  

Immediately after G-d descended on Mount Sinai and imparted the Ten Commandments, G-d conveyed to Moses a grammatically problematic statement:

An altar of earth you shall make for Me, and you shall slaughter beside it your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, your sheep and your cattle. Wherever I will mention My name, I will come to you and bless you. (Exodus 20:21)

Rashi explains that “I will mention my name” actually means that the Jewish people will mention G-d’s explicit name. Nevertheless, the verse says, “I will mention”, because the verse is referring to the place at which G-d will give us permission to use His explicit name: 

Hebrew אַזְכִּיר, lit., I will mention. [This should apparently read תַּזְכִּיר, you will mention. Therefore, Rashi explains that it means: whenever] I will permit you to mention My Explicit Name, there I will come to you and bless you. I will cause My Shechinah to rest upon you. From here you learn that permission was given to mention the Explicit Name only in the place in which the Shechinah comes, that is in the Temple in Jerusalem. There, permission was given to the priests to mention the Explicit Name when they raise their hands to bless the people. 

While, according to Rashi, this verse refers to one specific place, the sages of the Mishnah introduce a revolutionary interpretation. The Mishnah states that “when ten people sit together and occupy themselves with Torah, the Shechinah abides among them”, and then explains that the same is true for five people, three people, and two people. The Mishnah continues:  

How do we know that the same is true even of one? As it is said: “In every place where I will mention my name I will come unto you and bless you”. (Avos 3:6)

According to the sages of the Mishnah, immediately after the awesome experience at Sinai, G-d informed Moses that whenever one person, wherever he or she may be, studies Torah, the Divine presence will rest there. In other words, there is no need to know the precise location of Mount Sinai because whenever we study Torah, we recreate the revelation of Sinai wherever we may be.  

How is it possible that every Jew can transform any corner of the world? How can our mortal lips utter words that will accomplish the seemingly impossible, transporting the experience of Sinai to the most distant location on earth? It is because when we speak words of Torah it is G-d’s words speaking through us. The verse says, “I will mention my name”, although the verse means that the Jewish people will call G-d’s name, because whenever we study Torah, when we voice the words of G-d, it is G-d speaking through us.

Adapted from the teachings of the Rebbe, Shabbat Yisro 5751