Mount Sinai Is Lifted To Heaven

"And Moses went up to God" (Exodus 19:3), this is what is written (Psalms 68:19): "You ascended on high, you took captivity captive." What is the meaning of "You ascended"? You were exalted, you wrestled with the angels of on high. Another interpretation: "You ascended on high," that no creature ruled from on high as Moses ruled. Rabbi Berekhyah said: The tablets were six handbreadths in their length. As it were, in the hand of Him who spoke and the world came to be were two handbreadths, and in the hand of Moses two handbreadths, and two handbreadths separated between hand and hand. Another interpretation: "You ascended on high, you took captivity captive." It is the way of the world that one who enters a province takes a thing upon which the eyes of the people of the province are not set, but Moses went up to the heights and took the Torah, upon which all were setting their eyes. Thus: "You ascended on high, you took captivity captive." One might think that because he captured it he took it for nothing; the verse teaches (Psalms 68:19): "You took gifts among men" [reading 'You took' as 'You purchased'], it was given to him by purchase. One might think he was obligated to give money for it; the verse teaches "gifts," it was given to him as a gift. At that hour the ministering angels sought to harm Moses. The Holy One, blessed be He, made the cast of Moses' face resemble Abraham. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to them: Are you not ashamed before him? Is this not the one to whom you descended and ate within his house? The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses: The Torah was given to you only by the merit of Abraham, as it is said: "You took gifts among men," and the "man" spoken of here is none other than Abraham, as it is said (Joshua 14:15): "the greatest man among the Anakim." Thus: "And Moses went up to God."