Thunder and Lightning and the Nations Trembling at Sinai

"And it came to pass on the third day, when it was morning" (Exodus 19:16), at the time He had told him. This teaches that the time and the deed together support the hour in which life is given to all who come into the world. One might think it was given at night; Scripture says "in the morning," in the morning and not at night. One might think it was given in silence; Scripture says "there were thunderings and lightnings," thunderings and thunderings of thunderings, lightnings and lightnings of lightnings, thunders differing one from another and lightnings differing one from another. And so it says, "The voice of the LORD is upon the waters, the God of glory thunders, the LORD upon many waters. The voice of the LORD is in power, the voice of the LORD is in majesty. The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars... the voice of the LORD hews out flames of fire, the voice of the LORD makes the wilderness tremble... the voice of the LORD makes the hinds calve and strips the forests bare, and in His temple all say Glory" (Psalms 29:3-9). Scripture tells that on the day of the giving of the Torah there were clouds and lightnings and falling rain. And so it says, "LORD, when You went forth from Seir, when You marched from the field of Edom, the earth trembled, the heavens also dropped, the clouds also dropped water" (Judges 5:4). And it says, "The voice of Your thunder was in the whirlwind, the lightnings lit up the world" (Psalms 77:19). And like the sound of a shofar heard in the air, as it says, "and the sound of the shofar was exceedingly strong," until the whole world trembled, and all the nations of the world gathered to Balaam son of Beor. They said to him, "It seems the Omnipresent is destroying His world with water," as it says, "The LORD sat enthroned at the Flood" (Psalms 29:10). He said to them, "Fools of the world! He already swore that He would not bring a flood upon the world, as it says, 'For this is to Me like the waters of Noah, when I swore that the waters of Noah should no more pass over the earth' (Isaiah 54:9)." They said to him, "Surely He brings no flood of water, but perhaps He brings a flood of fire." He said to them, "He brings neither a flood of water nor a flood of fire." They said to him, "Then what is this sound?" He said to them, "He is giving Torah to His people, as it says, 'The LORD will give strength to His people' (Psalms 29:11), and 'strength' means nothing but Torah, as it says, 'with Him are strength and sound wisdom' (Job 12:16)." They said to him, "If so, may the LORD bless His people with peace." "And all the people in the camp trembled." They shuddered. And is this not an argument from the lesser to the greater? If Israel, who were destined and prepared to stand before Mount Sinai, shuddered, how much more the nations of the world. And so it says, "From heaven You made judgment heard; the earth feared and was still" (Psalms 76:9).