We often imagine the scene: thunder, lightning, a mountain shrouded in smoke. But the ancient rabbis took it a step further, diving into the intimate, almost sensual, experience of receiving God's word.

Our guide today is Shir HaShirim Rabbah, a rabbinic commentary on the Song of Songs. It uses the passionate language of the Song to explore the relationship between God and Israel. And in this particular passage, it unpacks the verse, "Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth."

Rabbi Yoḥanan pictures an angel acting as an intermediary. According to him, the angel would take each commandment directly from God, blessed be He, and present it to each Israelite. "Do you accept this commandment?" the angel would ask, detailing the laws, punishments, decrees, and rewards involved. If the Israelite said yes, accepting both the commandment and God's divinity, the angel would kiss them on the mouth. As Deuteronomy 4:35 says, “You have been shown in order to know that the Lord, He is God.”

But the Rabbis offer a different, even more direct, interpretation. They suggest the commandment itself would circulate among the Israelites, making the same offer. Accept me, it would say, with all my complexities and rewards. And upon acceptance, the commandment would kiss the person, becoming a scholar and teaching them Torah! Think of it – the very word of God imprinting itself upon you, transforming you. "Lest you forget the matters that your eyes saw," says Deuteronomy 4:9, highlighting how the dibur (utterance) itself would speak to you.

Now, a crucial question arises: how many commandments did the Israelites actually hear directly from God? Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi states that after the Ten Commandments were given, the people pleaded with Moses, "You speak with us, and we will hear" (Exodus 20:16). This implies that before that moment, God was speaking directly to them. But how many direct commandments were there?

Rabbi Azarya, citing Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi, offers a compelling answer: of the 613 mitzvot (commandments) in the Torah, Moses spoke 611. The first two – Anokhi (I am the Lord your God) and Lo Yihye Lekha (You shall have no other gods before me) – were heard directly from God. These initial commandments are thus the "kisses of His mouth" mentioned in the Song of Songs.

But how did these divine utterances actually emerge from God? Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai provides a powerful image. He describes the utterance leaving God's right side, encircling the massive Israelite camp (18 mil by 18 mil, a biblical measurement of distance), and then returning to God's left side. God would then receive it and inscribe it on the tablets, the sound echoing across the earth – "The voice of the Lord hews flames of fire" (Psalm 29:7).

The Rabbis, however, take issue with the idea of a "left side" to God. Isn't it written, "Your right, Lord, is glorious in strength; Your right hand, Lord"? (Exodus 15:6). Instead, they propose the utterance moved from God's right to Israel's right, encircled the camp, and returned to God's right side, before being inscribed.

Rabbi Berekhya adds another layer. He suggests the utterance inscribed itself, its sound reverberating across the world. When asked about the verse "Written with the finger of God" (Exodus 31:18), he responded that it was like a student writing with the master guiding their hand.

So, did Israel hear all the commandments from God directly, or just the first two? Rabbi Yehoshua says just two: "Let him kiss me with some of the kisses of his mouth." The Rabbis, however, insist they heard them all. Rabbi Yehoshua of Sikhnin, in the name of Rabbi Levi, reiterates that the statement "You speak to us and we will hear" came after all Ten Commandments were given.

Ultimately, this passage from Shir HaShirim Rabbah isn't just about the logistics of revelation. It's about the intimacy, the overwhelming power, and the profound responsibility that comes with receiving God's word. It invites us to imagine ourselves at Sinai, not just as observers, but as active participants in a divine encounter. What would it have been like to be kissed by a commandment? And how does that kiss continue to resonate in our lives today?