The Torah Was Given in Fire, Water, and Wilderness for Free

Yalkut Shimoni on Nach 48:1

Curated by Arthur·Told by Maggid·

"LORD, when You went forth from Seir... the clouds also dropped water" (Judges 5:4). Our rabbis taught: With three things the Torah was given — with fire, with water, and in the wilderness. With fire: "and Mount Sinai was altogether in smoke" (Exodus 19:18). With water: "the clouds also dropped water" (Judges 5:4). In the wilderness: "in the wilderness of Sinai" (Numbers 1:1). This is to tell you: just as these are free to everyone in the world, so too the Torah is free to everyone in the world, as it is said, "Take my instruction and not silver" (Proverbs 8:10).

Themes

TorahSinaiWisdom

Continue Reading

Book of JasherAbraham and Creation of MosesThe Book of Jasher, an ancient Hebrew text referenced in the Bible itself (Joshua 10:13 and (2 Samuel 1:1)8), fills in some of those gaps. It's like a behind-thBook of JasherMoses and Mount Sinai's TransgressionBook of Jasher turns to Moses and Mount Sinai's Transgression. The story picks up right after the Israelites leave Rephidim. They arrive in the Sinai wildernessLegends of the JewsGod Threatened to Unmake the World If Israel Refused TorahIt kind of does. God, in His infinite wisdom, creates the universe. A dazzling display of stars, planets, oceans, mountains.. but with a catch. A cosmic "Terms Legends of the JewsIsaac's Transgression of AbrahamTake Shib'ah, for instance. It's the name given to the spot where Isaac made a covenant with the Philistines. But why Shib'ah? Well, according to tradition, it'Legends of the JewsWhy God Chose a Humble Thorn-Bush for the Burning BushThere's a lot more to that thorny shrub than meets the eye. Our tradition teaches us that the choice was far from arbitrary. In fact, the humble thorn-bush, or Legends of the JewsMoses Beheld the Living Creatures That Support God's ThroneSome of the Jewish mystical tradition points to a pretty incredible source: the heavens themselves. Moses, not just receiving the Torah on Mount Sinai, but firs