One might answer that the people had to hear the laws, but there are opinions (Rambam, Moreh 2:33, 1963, pp. 363-366) that the people did not understand what G-d spoke to them. Also, Moshe could have told the people the laws, as he relayed all the other laws in the Torah. While the declaration of the Decalogue was one of the most, if not the most impressive, event recorded in the Torah, from a historical perspective the crucial event at Mount Sinai was the covenant between G-d and the Jewish people that was made afterwards, and this was done with Moshe as the intermediary between G-d and the Jewish people. Why did G-d declare the Decalogue to the people?
Rambam (Mishnah Torah, Fundamental laws of the Torah, 8:1) explains that we do not believe in Moshe because of all the miracles that he performed, but because of the events at Mount Sinai, that the people heard Moshe speaking to G-d and G-d answering him, as recorded in 19:19. Furthermore, as the Rambam quotes, this idea accords with 19:9, which records that "G-d told Moshe: Here, I am coming to you in a thick cloud, so that the people may hear when I speak with you, and also that they may trust in you forever." Accordingly, one reason for the Decalogue was to validate Moshe as the prophet of G-d, which had to happen prior to the covenant since Moshe was the intermediary between G-d and the people.
Yet, while 19:19 is probably the fulfillment of 19:9, the conversation of 19:19-24 does not seem to be referring to the Decalogue. It was not the Decalogue itself that established Moshe as the prophet, but the conversation immediately prior to the Decalogue. However, one could argue that without the Decalogue, Moshe would not have been able to have the conversation of 19:20-24, and hence the Decalogue was part of the validation of Moshe.
A second rationale for the Decalogue is that it was to increase the people's fear of G-d. This is mentioned in 20:17 (16), where Moshe told the people "do not be afraid! For it is to test you that G-d has come, to have awe of Him be upon you, so you do not sin" (Fox translation, 1995, p. 373). Similarly, Devarim 4:10 records that when Moshe was recollecting the events at Mount Sinai, he said that G-d told him to "assemble the people to me, that I may have them hear my words that they may learn to hold me in awe all the days that they are alive on the soil," (Fox translation, 1995, p. 866). We know the people were fearful when G-d declared the Decalogue, as they told Moshe, "let not G-d speak with us lest we die," 20:16 (15). Yet, I doubt that the prime reason for the Decalogue was to increase the people's fear of G-d. G-d did not have to speak to the people to increase their fear. It would have been sufficient for G-d to impress them with the awesome atmospheric disturbances that accompanied the Decalogue, 19:16-18. Also, a mere forty days after the Decalogue, the people sinned by the golden calf, and hence their fear of G-d dissipated rapidly.
A third reason for the Decalogue is presented rather cryptically in 20:17, that Moshe told the people, "Do not be afraid! For it is to test you that G-d has come," (Fox translation, 1995, p. 373). What was the test? Many suggestions have been offered.
Rashi (on 20:17) quotes from the Mekhilta that the test was to exalt the people in the eye of the other nations in the world that they would know that G-d had appeared to the Jewish people. Ramban (on 20:16,17) rejects this rationale without providing a reason, while the Netziv (on 20:17) questions how the people of the world would know that G-d spoke to the Jewish people. See also Rashbam and Ibn Ezra (both on 20:16, 17) for their cryptic explanations.
Rambam (Moreh 3:24) explains that the test was that if G-d sent a false prophet to test the people by telling them to violate the Torah (Devarim 13:4) the people having experienced G-d speaking to them would know not to listen to the prophet. Ramban rejects this since according to this idea, Moshe should then have told the people that the experience at Mount Sinai was to test the people in the future. Yet, in 20:16, Moshe states the test was that "G-d came to the people."
Ramban (also see Cassuto, 1967, p. 253) writes that the test was whether the people would follow the laws. However, again it seems that the hearing of the Decalogue itself was the test and not any actions afterwards.
Abravanel (1997, p. 335) suggests several answers. One, that the test was whether the people would be able to endure the experience of hearing G-d. He explains that there was no doubt that the people were able to pass the test, but the point of the test was to enable the people to know their own abilities. Yet, did the people really demonstrate that they could hear G-d speaking to them, as they told Moshe, "let not G-d speak with us lest we die," 20:16 (15)? Two, the Mekhilta and Rashi's explanation, and three the fear here is like Rudolf Otto’s (1959) idea of mysterium tremendum that the awe of G-d would remain with them throughout their lives. (This was apparently was not successful since the people would sin shortly with the golden calf.) Four, to teach the people that G-d can speak to man and five, to teach the people to listen to G-d's prophets.
Moshe Greenberg (1960) argues that word test, should be understood as experience, that the people were to experience G-d directly to impress upon them the fear of G-d. He writes, "the only natural sense of the clause (to test) in this context can be, to test whether or not the people will be terrified." Yet, as mentioned above, I doubt that the fear of G-d is the main reason for the Decalogue.
My own guess is to vary Abravanel's first reason that the test was whether the people could endure hearing G-d. Yet, as opposed to Abravanel who assumes that the people passed the test, my guess is that the people failed the test since they were scared out of their wits. The test was to see if G-d could speak to a nation as a whole, and the answer was no. The people at Mount Sinai had experienced the plagues, the splitting of the Yam Suf, the mahn, and had time to prepare for the Decalogue, but even they were unable to endure hearing G-d. This purpose was not mentioned before the Decalogue because this information could have influenced the outcome of the test, and as the people failed the test, there was no reason to mention it again. Accordingly, Moshe referred to the test cryptically in 20:17 (16), and since the people failed the test, he immediately mentioned the secondary reason of increasing the people's fear of G-d, which was actualized.
The lesson from the test was not only relevant to the Jewish people, but to all of mankind, that never again would G-d speak to an entire nation. This lesson was needed before the establishment of the covenant since once it was demonstrated that G-d could not speak directly to the people, then there was a need for an intermediary between the people and G-d. Thus, in conjunction with the idea above that the conversation prior to declaration of the Decalogue (19:19-24) established Moshe as the true prophet of G-d, the day of the declaration of the Decalogue both established the need for an intermediary between G-d and the Jewish people in order to make the covenant and that Moshe was to be the intermediary.
Bibliography:
Cassuto, Umberto (1883-1951), 1967, A commentary on the book of Exodus, Jerusalem: The Magnes Press.
Fox, Everett, 1995, The Five Books of Moses: A new translation, New York: Schocken Books.
Greenberg, Moshe (1928-2010), 1960, נסה in Exodus 20:20 and the purpose of the Sinaitic theophany, Journal of Biblical Literature, 79:3, pp. 273-276.
Otto, Rudolf, 1959, (1869-1937, original in German in 1917), The idea of the Holy, translated by John W. Harvey, Middlesex: Penguin (Pelican) Books.
Rambam (Mishnah Torah, Fundamental laws of the Torah, 8:1) explains that we do not believe in Moshe because of all the miracles that he performed, but because of the events at Mount Sinai, that the people heard Moshe speaking to G-d and G-d answering him, as recorded in 19:19. Furthermore, as the Rambam quotes, this idea accords with 19:9, which records that "G-d told Moshe: Here, I am coming to you in a thick cloud, so that the people may hear when I speak with you, and also that they may trust in you forever." Accordingly, one reason for the Decalogue was to validate Moshe as the prophet of G-d, which had to happen prior to the covenant since Moshe was the intermediary between G-d and the people.
Yet, while 19:19 is probably the fulfillment of 19:9, the conversation of 19:19-24 does not seem to be referring to the Decalogue. It was not the Decalogue itself that established Moshe as the prophet, but the conversation immediately prior to the Decalogue. However, one could argue that without the Decalogue, Moshe would not have been able to have the conversation of 19:20-24, and hence the Decalogue was part of the validation of Moshe.
A second rationale for the Decalogue is that it was to increase the people's fear of G-d. This is mentioned in 20:17 (16), where Moshe told the people "do not be afraid! For it is to test you that G-d has come, to have awe of Him be upon you, so you do not sin" (Fox translation, 1995, p. 373). Similarly, Devarim 4:10 records that when Moshe was recollecting the events at Mount Sinai, he said that G-d told him to "assemble the people to me, that I may have them hear my words that they may learn to hold me in awe all the days that they are alive on the soil," (Fox translation, 1995, p. 866). We know the people were fearful when G-d declared the Decalogue, as they told Moshe, "let not G-d speak with us lest we die," 20:16 (15). Yet, I doubt that the prime reason for the Decalogue was to increase the people's fear of G-d. G-d did not have to speak to the people to increase their fear. It would have been sufficient for G-d to impress them with the awesome atmospheric disturbances that accompanied the Decalogue, 19:16-18. Also, a mere forty days after the Decalogue, the people sinned by the golden calf, and hence their fear of G-d dissipated rapidly.
A third reason for the Decalogue is presented rather cryptically in 20:17, that Moshe told the people, "Do not be afraid! For it is to test you that G-d has come," (Fox translation, 1995, p. 373). What was the test? Many suggestions have been offered.
Rashi (on 20:17) quotes from the Mekhilta that the test was to exalt the people in the eye of the other nations in the world that they would know that G-d had appeared to the Jewish people. Ramban (on 20:16,17) rejects this rationale without providing a reason, while the Netziv (on 20:17) questions how the people of the world would know that G-d spoke to the Jewish people. See also Rashbam and Ibn Ezra (both on 20:16, 17) for their cryptic explanations.
Rambam (Moreh 3:24) explains that the test was that if G-d sent a false prophet to test the people by telling them to violate the Torah (Devarim 13:4) the people having experienced G-d speaking to them would know not to listen to the prophet. Ramban rejects this since according to this idea, Moshe should then have told the people that the experience at Mount Sinai was to test the people in the future. Yet, in 20:16, Moshe states the test was that "G-d came to the people."
Ramban (also see Cassuto, 1967, p. 253) writes that the test was whether the people would follow the laws. However, again it seems that the hearing of the Decalogue itself was the test and not any actions afterwards.
Abravanel (1997, p. 335) suggests several answers. One, that the test was whether the people would be able to endure the experience of hearing G-d. He explains that there was no doubt that the people were able to pass the test, but the point of the test was to enable the people to know their own abilities. Yet, did the people really demonstrate that they could hear G-d speaking to them, as they told Moshe, "let not G-d speak with us lest we die," 20:16 (15)? Two, the Mekhilta and Rashi's explanation, and three the fear here is like Rudolf Otto’s (1959) idea of mysterium tremendum that the awe of G-d would remain with them throughout their lives. (This was apparently was not successful since the people would sin shortly with the golden calf.) Four, to teach the people that G-d can speak to man and five, to teach the people to listen to G-d's prophets.
Moshe Greenberg (1960) argues that word test, should be understood as experience, that the people were to experience G-d directly to impress upon them the fear of G-d. He writes, "the only natural sense of the clause (to test) in this context can be, to test whether or not the people will be terrified." Yet, as mentioned above, I doubt that the fear of G-d is the main reason for the Decalogue.
My own guess is to vary Abravanel's first reason that the test was whether the people could endure hearing G-d. Yet, as opposed to Abravanel who assumes that the people passed the test, my guess is that the people failed the test since they were scared out of their wits. The test was to see if G-d could speak to a nation as a whole, and the answer was no. The people at Mount Sinai had experienced the plagues, the splitting of the Yam Suf, the mahn, and had time to prepare for the Decalogue, but even they were unable to endure hearing G-d. This purpose was not mentioned before the Decalogue because this information could have influenced the outcome of the test, and as the people failed the test, there was no reason to mention it again. Accordingly, Moshe referred to the test cryptically in 20:17 (16), and since the people failed the test, he immediately mentioned the secondary reason of increasing the people's fear of G-d, which was actualized.
The lesson from the test was not only relevant to the Jewish people, but to all of mankind, that never again would G-d speak to an entire nation. This lesson was needed before the establishment of the covenant since once it was demonstrated that G-d could not speak directly to the people, then there was a need for an intermediary between the people and G-d. Thus, in conjunction with the idea above that the conversation prior to declaration of the Decalogue (19:19-24) established Moshe as the true prophet of G-d, the day of the declaration of the Decalogue both established the need for an intermediary between G-d and the Jewish people in order to make the covenant and that Moshe was to be the intermediary.
Cassuto, Umberto (1883-1951), 1967, A commentary on the book of Exodus, Jerusalem: The Magnes Press.
Fox, Everett, 1995, The Five Books of Moses: A new translation, New York: Schocken Books.
Greenberg, Moshe (1928-2010), 1960, נסה in Exodus 20:20 and the purpose of the Sinaitic theophany, Journal of Biblical Literature, 79:3, pp. 273-276.
Otto, Rudolf, 1959, (1869-1937, original in German in 1917), The idea of the Holy, translated by John W. Harvey, Middlesex: Penguin (Pelican) Books.
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