Reading For The First Day Of Shavuot

Keriah leyom tov rishon shel Shavuot

קריאה ליום טוב ראשון של שבועות

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SHELISHI

Hebrew

בִּמְשֹׁךְ הַיֹּבֵל הֵמָּה יַעֲלוּ בָהָר׃ וַיֵּרֶד מֹשֶׁה מִן־הָהָר אֶל־הָעָם וַיְקַדֵּשׁ אֶת־
הָעָם וַיְכַבְּסוּ שִׂמְלֹתָם׃ וַיֹּאמֶר אֶל־הָעָם הֱיוּ נְכֹנִים לִשְׁלֹשֶׁת יָמִים אַל־תִּגְּשׁוּ
אֶל־אִשָּׁה׃ וַיְהִי בַיּוֹם הַשְּׁלִישִׁי בִּהְיֹת הַבֹּקֶר וַיְהִי קֹלֹת וּבְרָקִים וְעָנָן כָּבֵד
עַל־הָהָר וְקֹל שֹׁפָר חָזָק מְאֹד וַיֶּחֱרַד כָּל־הָעָם אֲשֶׁר בַּמַּחֲנֶה׃ וַיּוֹצֵא מֹשֶׁה
אֶת־הָעָם לִקְרַאת הָאֱלֹהִים מִן־הַמַּחֲנֶה וַיִּתְיַצְּבוּ בְּתַחְתִּית הָהָר׃ וְהַר סִינַי
עָשַׁן כֻּלּוֹ מִפְּנֵי אֲשֶׁר יָרַד עָלָיו יְהֹוָה בָּאֵשׁ וַיַּעַל עֲשָׁנוֹ כְּעֶשֶׁן הַכִּבְשָׁן וַיֶּחֱרַד
כָּל־הָהָר מְאֹד׃ וַיְהִי קוֹל הַשֹּׁפָר הוֹלֵךְ וְחָזֵק מְאֹד מֹשֶׁה יְדַבֵּר וְהָאֱלֹהִים
יַעֲנֶנּוּ בְקוֹל׃

Sephardi

Bimshokh hayovel hemah ya'alu vahar. Vayeired Moshe min-hahar el-ha'am vayekadesh et-
ha'am vayechabbesu simlotam. Vayomer el-ha'am heyu nechonim lishloshet yamim al-tigshu
el-ishah. Vayehi vayom hashlishi bihyot haboker vayehi kolot uverakim ve'anan kaved
al-hahar vekol shofar chazak me'od vayacherad kol-ha'am asher bamachaneh. Vayotze Moshe
et-ha'am likrat ha'Elohim min-hamachaneh vayityatzvu betachtit hahar. Vehar Sinai
ashan kulo mipnei asher yarad alav Adonai ba'esh vaya'al ashano ke'eshen hakivshan vayacherad
kol-hahar me'od. Vayehi kol hashofar holech vechazek me'od Moshe yedabeir veha'Elohim
ya'anenu bekol.

English

Moses descended the mountain to the people, and he consecrated them, and they washed their clothes. “Be ready,” he told the people, “for three days’ time; let no man come close to a woman.” On the third day, in the early morning – thunder and lightning; heavy cloud covered the mountain, there was a very loud sound of the shofar, and all of the people in the camp quaked. And Moses went apart from the people, to meet God, leaving the camp behind, and the people came to stand at the foot of the mountain. And Mount Sinai was all enveloped in smoke, for the LORD had descended upon it in fire, and its smoke rose up like the smoke of a furnace, and all the mountain shook. And the sound of the shofar grew ever louder – Moses spoke, and God answered him with a voice.

REVI'I

Hebrew

וַיֵּרֶד יְהֹוָה עַל־הַר סִינַי אֶל־רֹאשׁ הָהָר וַיִּקְרָא יְהֹוָה לְמֹשֶׁה
אֶל־רֹאשׁ הָהָר וַיַּעַל מֹשֶׁה׃ וַיֹּאמֶר יְהֹוָה אֶל־מֹשֶׁה רֵד הָעֵד בָּעָם פֶּן־יֶהֶרְסוּ
אֶל־יְהֹוָה לִרְאוֹת וְנָפַל מִמֶּנּוּ רָב׃ וְגַם הַכֹּהֲנִים הַנִּגָּשִׁים אֶל־יְהֹוָה יִתְקַדָּשׁוּ
פֶּן־יִפְרֹץ בָּהֶם יְהֹוָה׃ וַיֹּאמֶר מֹשֶׁה אֶל־יְהֹוָה לֹא־יוּכַל הָעָם לַעֲלֹת אֶל־הַר
סִינַי כִּי־אַתָּה הַעֵדֹתָה בָּנוּ לֵאמֹר הַגְבֵּל אֶת־הָהָר וְקִדַּשְׁתּוֹ׃ וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו
יְהֹוָה לֶךְ־רֵד וְעָלִיתָ אַתָּה וְאַהֲרֹן עִמָּךְ וְהַכֹּהֲנִים וְהָעָם אַל־יֶהֶרְסוּ לַעֲלֹת
אֶל־יְהֹוָה פֶּן־יִפְרָץ־בָּם׃ וַיֵּרֶד מֹשֶׁה אֶל־הָעָם וַיֹּאמֶר אֲלֵהֶם׃

Sephardi

Vayeired Adonai al-har Sinai el-rosh hahar vayikra Adonai leMoshe
el-rosh hahar vaya'al Moshe. Vayomer Adonai el-Moshe red ha'ed ba'am pen-yehersu
el-Adonai lir'ot venafal mimenu rav. Vegam hakohanim hanigashim el-Adonai yitkadeshu
pen-yifrotz bahem Adonai. Vayomer Moshe el-Adonai lo-yukhal ha'am la'alot el-har
Sinai ki-atah ha'edotah banu leimor hagbel et-hahar vekidashto. Vayomer elav
Adonai lekh-red ve'alita atah veaharon imach vehakohanim veha'am al-yehersu la'alot
el-Adonai pen-yifratz-bam. Vayeired Moshe el-ha'am vayomer aleihem.

English

The LORD descended to Mount Sinai, to the mountain top – and the LORD called Moses forth to the top of the mountain, and Moses ascended. “Now go down,” said the LORD to Moses, “and warn the people, lest they break away to come to see the LORD, and fall in their great numbers. Even the priests who draw near the LORD – let them, too, set themselves apart, lest the LORD bursts in among them.” But Moses told the LORD, “The people cannot ascend to Mount Sinai, for You have already warned us, ‘Mark a boundary to the mountain around and consecrate it.’” So the LORD said to him, “Go down and ascend again, together with Aaron, but let the priests and the people not break away to ascend to the LORD, lest disaster burst out upon them.” So Moses descended to the people and told them.

Hebrew

וַיְדַבֵּר
אֱלֹהִים אֵת כָּל־הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה לֵאמֹר׃ אָנֹכִי יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ אֲשֶׁר
הוֹצֵאתִיךָ מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם מִבֵּית עֲבָדִים׃ לֹא־יִהְיֶה לְךָ אֱלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים עַל־

Sephardi

Vayedaber
Elohim eit kol-hadevarim ha'eleh leimor. Anochi Adonai Elohecha asher
hotzetikha me'eretz Mitzrayim mibeit avadim. Lo-yihyeh lecha elohim acherim al-

English

And God spoke all these words, saying: I am the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the slave-house. Have no other gods besides Me. Do not make a

Commentary

… the God of all humankind, but He is also, especially in His relationship with Israel, the God of history. Having freed the people from enslavement, He is now giving them their constitution of liberty as a law-governed society under the sovereignty of God.

לֹא־יִהְיֶה לְךָ אֱלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים Have no other gods. Monotheism is more than belief in one God. It is also undivided loyalty to the one God, involving a moral bond, not just an intellectual one. It was this exclusivity of worship that was …

מֹשֶׁה יְדַבֵּר וְהָאֱלֹהִים יַעֲנֶנּוּ בְקוֹל Moses spoke, and God answered him with a voice. This refers not to the Ten Commandments but to the conversation about preparations for that event (Ramban). Moses’ words were inaudible against the sound of the shofar but the voice of God could be heard by all (Rashbam). R. Elie Munk, citing the Zohar (VaYikra 7a), suggests a larger idea, that God would confirm what Moses said, even when he spoke on his own initiative. Likewise God ratifies the decisions of the sages in each generation when they apply the principles of the Oral Law.

רֵד Now go down. God wanted Moses to be at the foot of the mountain not at the top, so that he would be among the people, not apart from them, when the revelation took place.

אָנֹכִי יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ I am the LORD your God. According to Maimonides, this is the first command: to believe in God. According to Nahmanides, it is a prelude and prologue to the commands. Judah HaLevi in the Kuzari (1:11–25) notes that God does not identify himself as Creator of heaven and earth, but as He who brought the people out of slavery. God as Creator of the universe is …