The Geula of Time

19:1 On the third month [חדש] to the children of Israel’s departure from the land of Egypt, on that day, they came into the wilderness of Sinai. 19:2 When they had departed from Rephidim, and had come to the wilderness of Sinai, they encamped in the wilderness; and there Israel encamped before the mountain.

19:3 Moses went up to God, and Yudkay called to him out of the mountain, 19:4 ‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings, and brought you to myself. 19:5 Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice, and keep my covenant, then you shall be my own possession from among all peoples; for all the earth is mine; 19:6 and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation.’ These are the statements which you shall communicate to the children of Israel.”

19:7 Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and set before them all these statements that Yudkay commanded him. 19:8 All the people answered together, and said, “All that Yudkay has communicated we will do. ”Moses reported the statements of the people to Yudkay.

RALBAG

In the third month meaning the Rosh Chodesh (first of the month). The proof for this being [the words] "on that day". The word “month” [Chodesh] has two senses. 1)30 day period. 2) The first of the month.... This shows that the giving of the Torah was at the very earliest on the 3rd of the month... because of the preparatory time of 'ready yourselves three days'. Since they might well have been in the desert three days before this “preparatory period” it is reasonable to believe that the giving of the Torah was on the 6th. Furthermore it is preposterous to suppose that the Torah would mark the time of Exodus, the time of Passover, while not marking the time of the wondrous giving of the Torah. It is therefore clear that Shavuot is indeed the time of Matan Torah. This timing was done to serve as a memorial of the wondrous Matan Torah phenomenon to continuously maintain our belief in the veracity of the Torah system.

Problem:

Matan Torah, Israel’s acquisition of its natural regimen, is the development par excellence of Mankind. Al of human history up to that point is nothing other than the maturational stages needed for Matan Torah readiness to arise in Israel. Given this, the reader might reasonably expect the story to focus on identifying this “Matan Torah readiness”. How this ultimate maturation arises is indeed the topic of later pasukim. Following encampment at Sinai Hashem speaks to Moses comparing the Jewish nations’ maturation in knowledge of Hashem to the speed of an Eagle in flight:

19:3 Moses went up to God, and Yudkay called to him out of the mountain, 19:4 ‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings, and brought you to myself.

There is however a preliminary of the timing of encampment that introduces this maturational point.

19:1 On the third month [חדש] to the children of Israel’s departure from the land of Egypt, on that day, they came into the wilderness of Sinai.

The preoccupation with the precise time of encampment is disturbing. The Torah is usually extremely disinterested in the precise timing of events. The focus of intellectual inquiry is on universal timeless truths underlying the essential character of things, not their particularizing details. Why would the Torah choose to go into such precise detail regarding the timing of the Jew's encampment prior to discussing th essential issue of Matan Torah readiness?

The clues in Ralbag
While Ralbag begins with a grammatical contextual analysis of the word “חדש “ he quickly shifts to underlying first principles. The significance of “חדש “ is clearly linked to “זכירה “, in the sense of “זכירת יציאת מצרים“ we spoke of earlier. Clearly there is an underlying “זכירה “ principle here that unites Pesach and Shavuot.

Furthermore it is preposterous to suppose that the Torah would mark the time of Exodus, the time of Passover, while not marking the time of the wondrous giving of the Torah.

Why indeed is it “preposterous” that the Torah would fail to mark Matan Torah? It must be that the very nature of “זכירה “ demands that if Pesach is to be remembered so too must Matan Torah. Indeed this is Ralbag’s later point:

It is therefore clear that Shavuot is indeed the time of Matan Torah. This timing was done to serve as a memorial of the wondrous Matan Torah phenomenon to continuously maintain our belief in the veracity of the Torah system.

What is this general idea of “זכירה “ that Ralbag refers to? In what way does this need for “זכירה “ link Pesach to Shavuot and explain the preoccupation of the Torah with the precise timing of Matan Torah rather than abstract timeless truths about humanity?

The need for Zechira defined

Rambam, in the introduction to Sefer Ahava explains the place of Zechira in the Mitzva system:

ספר שני. אכלול בו המצוות שהן תדירות, שנצטווינו בהם כדי לאהוב את המקום ולזוכרו תמיד--כגון קרית שמע, ותפילה, ותפילין, וברכות; ומילה בכללן, לפי שהיא אות בבשרנו להזכיר תמיד בשעה שאין שם לא תפילין ולא ציצית וכיוצא בהן. .

I will include in it all Mitzvot that are frequent, those we are commanded in order to love God and remember him continuously such as Kriat Shema, Tefilla, Tefillin Berachot including Berit Milah. This is included in order to be reminded when there is neither Tefillin nor Tzitzit etc.

This statement of Rambam is bewildering. If we have love of G, the overpowering all inclusive attraction to abstract knowledge proper to one with a clearly articulated ultimate end, why do we need zechira? Surely remembering God is only necessary for one whose ultimate end is incompletely articulated and therefore subject to distraction by other goods competing to be ones ultimate end. The very same problem is to be found in the Torah itself-in Keriat shema. There too love is intermixed with Zechira in the same baffling way.

ה וְאָהַבְתָּ, אֵת יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ, בְּכָל-לְבָבְךָ וּבְכָל-נַפְשְׁךָ, וּבְכָל-מְאֹדֶךָ. ו וְהָיוּ הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה, אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי מְצַוְּךָ הַיּוֹם--עַל-לְבָבֶךָ. ז וְשִׁנַּנְתָּם לְבָנֶיךָ, וְדִבַּרְתָּ בָּם, בְּשִׁבְתְּךָ בְּבֵיתֶךָ וּבְלֶכְתְּךָ בַדֶּרֶךְ, וּבְשָׁכְבְּךָ וּבְקוּמֶךָ. ח וּקְשַׁרְתָּם לְאוֹת, עַל-יָדֶךָ; וְהָיוּ לְטֹטָפֹת, בֵּין עֵינֶיךָ. ט וּכְתַבְתָּם עַל-מְזֻזוֹת בֵּיתֶךָ, וּבִשְׁעָרֶיךָ.

What is this personality that is simultaneously in need of Mitzvot that facilitate Zechira (tefillin and Mezuza) alongside ones that facilitate Ahava (D'varim of Talmud Torah)?

Zechira and D'varim Ketanim

The answer is right in Keriat Shema and is further elaborated in the Yesodei Ha-torah

- וְהָיוּ הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה, אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי מְצַוְּךָ הַיּוֹם—עַל-לְבָבֶך. Ahava depends upon D'varim, core concepts and principles that form the lens through which we perceive Chochma in our world. It is the absolute clarity of these d'varim that allows them to be applied to all the Creations including Man. Precisely because one's D'varim allow absolute clarity about Chochmas Hashem in “all the creations including Man” that the Ohev naturally persues Chochma as his end. This clarity of d'varim makes them be upon the heart- the unified personality in pursuit of the good of Chochma. As Rambam puts it:

When a person gains insight into these d’varim (first principles), recognizing (the entire hierarchy) of the creations, from angel and galaxy all the way to man (and his environment), and therefore sees the Chochmas Hashem in all the creations, he adds to his love of the Makom, and his soul thirsts and his flesh yearns to love the Makom baruch hu. Simultaneously, this person feels a great awe and fear resulting from his smallness and inconsequentiality ...

Zechira is needed for one whose D'varim are not yet completely integrated into their hearts. Such a person may have a lot of pleasure from abstract knowledge. They may have delighted in many insights and chiddushim-yet still lack a unified methodology of thought applicable to “ the Chochmas Hashem in all the creations” . The conceptual framework of this person is inadequate to fully harmonize their personal lives with general principles. Precisely because of this such people are vulnerable to Shichecha- organizing their lifestyle around a competing good other than Chochma. It is this kind of D'varim that Rambam speaks of next:

Now I say that it is inappropriate to tour the pardes except for he who has filled his belly with bread and meat. “Bread and meat” refers to knowing the assur and mutar (i.e. the applied principles) in that which is not first principles. Even though these principles are called davar katan... they come first educationally, since they cultivate (meyashvin) the mind and additionally are the great good by which we develop this world (li-yishuv ha-olam hazeh) and attain the world to come.

The world reflected upon through D'varim ketanim

While D'varim gedolim allow the mind to reflect upon the whole of the world of Creation “Chochmas Hashem in all the creations” , D'varim Ketanim allow reflection upon a part only- the world of man - “the great good by which we develop this world”. The mission of the Mitzvot lies precisely in cultivating the immature mind to universal Chochma through beginning with the Chochma most available to us- the craft of setting up a Yishuv on Aretz. So long as its focus is upon its own development only the immature mind must be protected from lapsing into shichecha. The effect of Shichecha is a compartmentalized reality in which Man is a divinity,independently endowed with the right and power to order material resources to the world or Good of his choosing. In fantasy in we convince ourselves that our chosen notion of Good merely needs the means for realization.

ט) וְהָיְתָה אֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם לִשְׁמָמָה וְחָרְבָּה וְיָדְעוּ כִּי אֲנִי יְקֹוָק יַעַן אָמַר יְאֹר לִי וַאֲנִי עָשִׂיתִי

מדרש תנחומא (בובר) פרשת וארא סימן טז

פרעה עשה את עצמו אלוה, שנאמר יען אמר לי יאורי ואני עשיתי (יחזקאל כט ט), אמר אני הוא שבראתי את עצמי, מיד הודיעו שהוא בשר ודם, אמר הקב"ה בשביל שעשה את עצמו אלוה, הודיעו שהוא בשר ודם, הרי הוא יוצא לדרכו ולצורכו בבוקר, אחוז בו והודיעו שהוא בשר ודם

רד"ק יחזקאל פרק כט

לי יאורי - המשקה אותו וארצי, השובע נמצא בה ברוב השנים ואינני צריך למטר ולא לילך למדינות אחרות בעבור תבואה:

ואני עשיתיני - אני עשיתי ותקנתי לי היאור להשקות את ארצי או פי' עשיתיני עשיתי ותקנתי אותי בחכמתי ובתבונתי עד שנעשיתי מלך גדול

The Geula of time

We are now in a position to understand the Torah's focus upon time in Pesach and Shavuot. As significant as the accomplishments of Dor Hamidbar were, they did not attain a level of Dvarim Gedolim. There relationship to Chochmas Hashem the was not as it appears in the macrocosm of Creation but rather in the microcosm of Man. As such its object is identifying the emergence of the Halachic world, a world of D'varim ketanim. The subjects in this world are not all Creations, but rather mankind alone- an avoda centered world. In this world time measures not the motion and development of all things but rather the development of the Chochma centered society of Israel from ego centered society of Mitzraim. Essential to this is the establishing of a new time frame for measuring the key element of the Halachic world -motion away from Mitzraim and toward Kedushat Yisrael. This calender then contains significant dates, the points at which the Yisrael development can be measured and discerned. In so doing a year of the Jewish nation is born, a new revolutionary cycle of Mikadesh Yisrael Vi-haz'manim ,time measuring motion from Dvarim ketanim to gedolim. How does this cycle accomplish zechira?

Geula and Zechira

It is precisely the consideration of the natural framework of time of the macrocosm of Creation that gives context to our Microcosm of man. Our tendency to self worship must be continuously countered by constant re-evaluation of the human end in the context of the larger Beria. This is done by recognizing the misdirection tendency of the immature D'varim (Pesach) then renewing commitment to ordering oneself to the newly conceived true end (Shavuot). An indispensible part of remembering our tendency toward Shichecha is this reflection upon the limitation of our time frame.