God Spoke All These Words

"And God spoke all the words" (Exodus 20:1): all at once. He brings death and gives life at once. He strikes and heals at once. He answers a woman upon the birthstool, those who go down to the sea and those who walk through the wildernesses, those confined in the prison house, one in the east and one in the west, one in the north and one in the south. He forms light and creates darkness, makes peace and creates evil (Isaiah 45:7), all these at once. Dust is turned into a man, and a man is turned into dust, as it is said: "And He turns deep darkness into morning" (Amos 5:8). What is the meaning of "deep darkness into morning"? To its beginning. And it says: "And all the waters that were in the river were turned to blood" (Exodus 7:20). The blood reverted and was turned back into water. Living flesh is turned into a corpse; the corpse reverts and is turned back into the living. The staff was turned into a serpent, the serpent was turned into a staff. The sea was turned into dry land, the dry land was turned into sea. And so it says: "He who calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out upon the face of the earth, the LORD is His name" (Amos 9:6). Therefore it is said: "And God spoke all the words." What is written above on this matter? "And Mount Sinai smoked, all of it" (Exodus 19:18). Could this mean the place of the Glory? The teaching says: "because the LORD descended upon it in fire" (Exodus 19:18). This tells you that the whole Torah is fire; it was given from fire and is compared to fire. What is the way of fire? That if a person draws near to it he is scorched, and if he keeps far from it he grows cold. So a person has no choice but to warm himself against the flame of the sages.