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The Torah Was Offered to Every Nation and Only One Said Yes

Cedars cracked and the hills ran. Houses filled with light that had no lamp behind it. The nations went looking for Balaam to ask what was coming.

Curated by Arthur · Told by Maggid ·
Table of Contents
  1. The Sound That Emptied the Houses
  2. They Ran to Balaam
  3. Knocking on Every Door
  4. Fire at His Right Hand
  5. The Dog That Buckled
  6. Why Not in His Own Land
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The Sound That Emptied the Houses

The ground went first. God stood over the mountain and said, "I am the Lord your God," and the earth under every foot on it started to move.

The hills came apart and ran. Cedars a thousand years old cracked down the middle and went over. Deer dropped their young early from the sound of it. And in villages hundreds of miles from Sinai, in places that had never heard of Sinai, people came out of their doorways because their own houses had filled up with light and there was no lamp in them and no fire and no reason.

Nobody thought it was a revelation. Everybody thought it was the end.

They Ran to Balaam

The nations of the world went looking for the one man they believed could read a sky like that, and they found Balaam, and they got straight to it.

"Is He bringing a flood on the world?"

Balaam had an answer ready. "He swore He would not. The waters of Noah were the last of that. He gave His oath and He does not go back on it."

They were not comforted. "Fine. Not water. What if it is a flood of fire?"

"Not water and not fire," Balaam said. "The Holy One wants to give the Torah to His people. That is all this is. The Lord will give strength to His people."

And when they heard that, every one of them turned around and went home. Not one of them stayed to watch. The most terrifying morning in the history of the world turned out to be somebody else's family business, and they walked back to their own countries relieved.

Knocking on Every Door

Then God came after them.

He went to the children of Esau first and offered them the Torah, and asked whether they would take it on themselves.

"What is written in it?"

"You shall not murder."

They did not even pretend to think about it. "The whole of our father is in that. The hands are the hands of Esau. He was told to his face that he would live by his sword, and that was not a curse, it was what he was given. Take it somewhere else."

He went to the children of Ammon and Moab.

"What is written in it?"

"You shall not commit adultery."

"Every one of us in this room comes from a night in a cave. The two daughters of Lot conceived by their own father. That is our whole line. You are asking us to be a different people."

He went to the children of Ishmael.

"What is written in it?"

"You shall not steal."

"That is the blessing our father was given. A wild man, his hand against every man. Ask Joseph what the men of our caravans do for a living. You are offering us a law against our own inheritance."

There was not a nation on the earth He skipped. He went to each one, spoke to them, and knocked at the door, and every king on the map heard the words come out of His mouth, and every one of them heard them and did not do them.

Fire at His Right Hand

Then He came to Israel, standing at the foot of the mountain with the smoke still on it, and there was fire in His right hand.

They did not ask what was in it.

They opened their mouths, all of them, at the same moment, and said, "Everything the Lord has spoken, we will do, and we will hear."

It was the only yes He got. Do first, hear afterward. They agreed to carry a thing before anyone had told them what it weighed, and the nations who had asked the sensible question and gone home were, at that moment, exactly as far away as they had been the day before.

The Dog That Buckled

Seven commandments had been laid on the children of Noah long before any of this. Seven, out of six hundred and thirteen. They could not hold even those.

Picture a man sending his donkey and his dog to the threshing floor. He loads the donkey with a full measure and the dog with three smaller ones, because the dog is not a donkey and he knows it. The donkey walks off down the road. The dog gets ten paces and its legs start to go, so the man lifts one measure off its back and puts it on the donkey. The dog goes another few paces and sags again, so he moves the second. Then the third. By the end of the road the dog is walking free and the donkey is carrying everything.

Israel took the Torah with all its arguments and all its fine distinctions. The others put down even the seven, one at a time, and handed them over.

Why Not in His Own Land

Rabbi Shimon ben Elazar told it another way. A king had two stewards. One kept the treasury of silver and gold and one kept the barn where the straw was stored. The straw man was caught short in his accounts, and then had the nerve to complain that he had never been trusted with the silver.

They said to him, "You empty man. You were suspected over straw. Who is going to hand you gold?"

And there is a reason the mountain stands in a wilderness that belongs to nobody, and not in the land God had promised. If the Torah had been given at home, in His own country, every nation that walked away could have said afterward that they were never really asked, that it was given on his ground, among his own people, and no wonder they did not accept it.

So it was given in open desert, in front of everyone, with the doors knocked on first.

JudgmentMosesMidrash AggadahSifreiSanhedrinTorahNationsSinaiCreation
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From the tradition

Sources

4 sources

The texts behind this telling. Some cards carry a translation of the source; others are our own retelling of it, and each card says which. Every card links out to the original.

Sifrei Devarim 343:6Sifrei Devarim

Retold in our words. Read the original at the link below.Sifrei by Rabbi Shraga Silverstein · CC-BY

The ancient texts suggest a far more compelling narrative.It opens with the verse, "And he said: The L-rd came from Sinai." But the rabbis of old saw much more in those words. They saw a story of divine outreach, of universal opportunity.

The text posits that when God appeared to give the Torah, it wasn’t from one direction alone. No, no. It was "from four," symbolizing God’s presence encompassing all possibilities. And where do we see this hinted at? The text points to (Habakkuk 3:3): "G-d came from the south.

Sifrei Devarim goes on to say that God didn't appear to Israel alone! The offer of the Torah was extended to all nations. God, knocking on the doors of every people, offering them the ultimate gift.

First, He went to the descendants of Esav. "Will you accept the Torah?" He asked. They inquired, "What's written in it?" God answered, "You shall not kill." (Shemoth 20:13). And their response? A rejection! They said, "The entire essence of our father is murder," citing (Genesis 27:22), "And the hands are the hands of Esav." It was, they claimed, their very nature.

Next, He approached the children of Ammon and Moav. Again, the question: "Will you accept the Torah?" They asked the same thing: "What does it say?" This time, God answered, "You shall not commit adultery." (Shemoth 20:14). Their reply? "Ervah (illicit relations) is our entire essence!" They referenced their origins in (Genesis 19:36), the story of Lot and his daughters.

Finally, He turned to the children of Yishmael. "Will you accept the Torah?" The question echoed. "What is written in it?" they asked. God replied, "You shall not steal." (Shemoth 20:15). And their answer? A resounding, "Our father's entire essence is stealing!" They pointed to (Genesis 16:12), where it says of Yishmael, "And he shall be a wild man, his hand against all."

The text emphasizes that there was "none among all of the nations" that God didn't approach. (Psalm 138:4) states, "All the kings of the earth will acknowledge You, O L-rd, for they heard the words of Your mouth." But hearing isn't the same as accepting, is it? (Ezekiel 33:31) tells us, "And they did not do themh (the mitzvot (commandments) – commandments)." And so, in (Micah 5:14), we read, "And with anger and wrath will I take revenge of the nations because they did not accept (the mitzvoth)."

Even the seven mitzvoth that the descendants of Noah (the Noachide laws) took upon themselves – basic ethical principles for all humanity – they couldn't uphold! They eventually "divested themselves of them and ceded them to Israel."

Sifrei Devarim illustrates this with a powerful analogy. The ass is loaded with a lethech (a large dry measure), and the dog with three sa’ah (smaller measures). The dog buckles under the weight, so the owner takes a sa’ah from the dog and puts it on the ass. He does this again and again until the ass carries the full load. Similarly, Israel accepted the Torah "with all of its explanations and inferences," while the other nations couldn't even manage the basics.

So, what does it all mean? This story, found within Sifrei Devarim, paints a picture of a God who offered the Torah universally, not just to one chosen people. But the other nations, bound by their own self-defined natures, refused. Israel, in this narrative, didn't receive a special favor so much as accept a profound responsibility. And that maybe, just maybe, we are all chosen, but choice is only as meaningful as our capacity to change.

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Sifrei Devarim 41:14Sifrei Devarim

Retold in our words. Read the original at the link below.Sifrei by Rabbi Shraga Silverstein · CC-BY

Sifrei Devarim turns to Moses and the King of Sanhedrin.

Sifrei Devarim, in section 41, opens our minds to this very idea, taking us on a fascinating chain of transmission. It all starts with the verse from Deuteronomy (11:13): "Which I command you this day." But the Rabbis saw something deeper. They asked: what does it really mean to receive Torah?

Here’s the kicker: if you hear a word of Torah from a minor, a child, it's as if you heard it from a sage. Where does that come from? The verse in Kohelet (Ecclesiastes 12:11) holds the key: "The words of the wise are like goads…" A goad is a tool used to guide animals. The words of the wise, even from the mouths of babes, can guide us on the right path. The potential for profound insight exists within everyone.

The chain doesn't stop there. It keeps climbing, higher and higher. If you hear words of Torah from a sage, it's as if you hear them from the Sanhedrin, the ancient high court. Kohelet (Ecclesiastes, Ibid.) refers to “the man of the gatherings,” and “gatherings” alludes to the Sanhedrin, as we see in Numbers (Bamidbar 11:16) "Gather unto Me seventy men from the elders of Israel."

And if you hear from the Sanhedrin? Then it’s as if you hear from Moses himself. Again, Kohelet (Ecclesiastes, Ibid.) points to this: "given by one shepherd (Moses)." Isaiah (63:11) echoes this sentiment: "And they remembered the days of old, Moses and his people. Where is he who brought them up from the Sea? the shepherd of His flock? who placed in their midst His holy spirit?"

It's breathtaking.

And then.. if you hear from Moses, it’s as if you hear from the Holy One, Blessed be He. The verse in Kohelet, "given by one Shepherd," resonates again. And (Psalm 80:2) seals it: "Shepherd of Israel hear, Leader of Joshua as a flock. Dweller above the cherubs, appear!"

The chain culminates in the ultimate source: the Divine. And it all started with a child sharing a nugget of Torah.

The Sifrei Devarim concludes by reminding us of the Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4): "Hear, O Israel, the L-rd our G-d, the L-rd is One." Shema Yisrael, Adonai Eloheinu, Adonai Echad. Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One. The very act of hearing, of listening, is paramount. It’s the gateway to receiving this unbroken chain of wisdom, a chain that stretches from the smallest child to the Divine itself.

What does this all mean for us today? Perhaps it’s a call to listen more intently, to be open to wisdom from unexpected sources. Maybe it’s a reminder that we all have the potential to be links in this sacred chain, to transmit Torah to those around us, no matter our age or perceived status. After all, you never know when the spark of divine wisdom might ignite within you, ready to be shared with the world.

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Sifrei Devarim 321:15Sifrei Devarim

Retold in our words. Read the original at the link below.Sifrei by Rabbi Shraga Silverstein · CC-BY

The ancient rabbis grappled with this feeling too, and they found ways to understand it through the lens of Torah.

We find a powerful example of this in Sifrei Devarim, a collection of legal interpretations on the Book of Deuteronomy. Specifically, in section 321, the verse "both young man and virgin" is explored. The text expands this, saying it's "not these alone, but even 'suckling and the man of grey hairs.'" This paints a stark picture: no one is spared.

The verse from Jeremiah (6:11) echoes this sentiment: "Also man and woman are ensnared; the elder with the full of years (and near death).

Within this seemingly bleak observation, the rabbis find glimmers of meaning. The word for "young man," bachur, is linked to the idea of being "chosen," bechirai. The text references (Numbers 11:28), where Joshua is described as one of Moses' chosen ones, mibachurav. So, perhaps even in times of widespread hardship, there's a sense of divine selection, a purpose even if we can't immediately grasp it.

The text goes on to say that the "virgin" is pure, untouched by sin. The "suckling," it beautifully states, "sucked words of Torah as a babe sucks milk from its mother's breasts." Can you imagine a more nurturing image of learning?

Then comes a fascinating play on words. Instead of reading "ish seva," "the man of grey hairs," the text suggests reading it as "ish yeshivah", a man fit to sit in a yeshivah, a place of Torah study.

The passage then draws a parallel to the exiles described in II (Kings 24:16). These weren't just ordinary people; they were scholars, "heroes in the war of Torah." But what war could they possibly be waging in exile, bound in chains?

The answer, according to Sifrei Devarim, is the intellectual and spiritual battle of Torah study itself. It's described as "giving and taking" in the "war" of Torah, referencing the "Book of the Wars of the L-rd" in (Numbers 21:14). They were "heroic in power, doing His word to hear the voice of His word," just as (Psalms 103:20) describes the angels.

The text even dissects the roles of the scholars, using evocative metaphors. The "charash," literally "mute," is the one who speaks while the others listen in rapt attention. The "masger," the "closer," is the master teacher. "After he 'closes,' no one 'opens,' and after he 'opens,' no one 'closes,'" echoing the absolute authority described in (Isaiah 22:22): "And he (David) will open, and none will close; and he will close, and none will open."

So, what do we take away from this intricate interpretation? It seems to suggest that even in the face of widespread suffering, even in exile and captivity, the study of Torah, the pursuit of wisdom and understanding, remains a powerful act of resistance, a source of meaning, and evidence of the enduring spirit of the Jewish people.

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Yalkut Shimoni on Torah 286:9Yalkut Shimoni on Torah

Translation of the source text.Torat Emet (Yalkut Shimoni) · CC-BY-NC

Another interpretation: "I am the LORD your God" - when the Omnipresent stood and said "I am the LORD your God," the earth trembled, as it says "LORD, when You went forth from Seir" (Judges 5:4), and it says "the mountains flowed down before the LORD" (Judges 5:5), and it says "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 makes the hinds to calve" (Psalms 29:4-9), until their houses were filled with the radiance of the Divine Presence.

At that hour all the nations of the world gathered and came to Balaam and said to him, Is the Omnipresent perhaps bringing a flood upon the world? He said to them, the Omnipresent has already sworn that He will bring no flood, as it says "for this is as the waters of Noah to Me, that I have sworn" (Isaiah 54:9). They said to him, perhaps He brings no flood of water but He brings a flood of fire. He said to them, He brings neither a flood of water nor a flood of fire; rather, the Holy One, blessed be He, wishes to give the Torah to His people, as it says "the LORD will give strength to His people" (Psalms 29:11). When they heard this, they all turned and went, each to his place.

Therefore the nations of the world were called upon for the Torah, so as not to give the nations an opening to say, Had we been asked we would already have accepted it. So they were asked and did not accept it. "And he said, the LORD came from Sinai" (Deuteronomy 33:2): He was revealed to the children of wicked Esau and said to them, Do you accept the Torah upon yourselves? They said to Him, what is written in it? He said to them, "You shall not murder" (Exodus 20:13). They said to Him, this is the inheritance our father bequeathed us, "by your sword you shall live" (Genesis 27:40). He was revealed to the children of Ammon and Moab; He said to them, Do you accept the Torah? They said to Him, what is written in it? He said to them, "You shall not commit adultery" (Exodus 20:13). They said to Him, but they are all the children of adulterers, as it says "thus were both the daughters of Lot with child by their father" (Genesis 19:36). He was revealed to the children of Ishmael; He said to them, Do you accept the Torah upon yourselves? They said to Him, what is written in it? He said to them, "You shall not steal" (Exodus 20:13). They said to Him, this is the blessing our father was given, as it says "and he shall be a wild man" and it is written "for indeed I was stolen away" (Genesis 40:15). And when He came to Israel, "at His right hand was a fiery law for them" (Deuteronomy 33:2), they all opened and said, "all that the LORD has spoken we will do and we will hear" (Exodus 24:7). And so it says "He stood and measured the earth, He beheld and drove asunder the nations" (Habakkuk 3:6).

Rabbi Shimon ben Eleazar says, if with the seven commandments that the children of Noah were commanded they could not stand, how much more so with all the commandments of the Torah. A parable of a king who had two stewards: one appointed over a treasury of silver and gold, and one appointed over a treasury of straw. The one appointed over the treasury of straw was suspected, and he complained that they had not appointed him over the treasury of silver and gold. They said to him, Empty one, if over a treasury of straw you were suspected, how shall they trust you over a treasury of gold and silver? And the matter is an argument from minor to major: if with the seven commandments the children of Noah were commanded they could not stand, how much more so with all the commandments of the Torah. And why was the Torah not given in the land of Israel? So as not to give an opening to the nations of the world to say, because it was given in His land therefore we did not accept it.

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