From the Rabbi:
In this week's Parasha, Ki Tavo, Moses tells the Jewish people that immediately after entering the Land of Israel, they will reaffirm their commitment to God and to the Torah. They will assemble at the two mountains, Har Grizim and Har Eval, for a new acceptance of the Torah. Six tribes would stand on Har Grizim and six tribes on Har Eval, and the Kohanim, the Elders, and the Levites would stand with the Aron (Holy Ark) in the valley between the two mountains. The Levites in the valley would pronounce the blessings and the curses, and the tribes on the mountaintops would answer Amen.
Rabbi Uri Sherki, a popular Rabbi in Jerusalem, contrasts the Revelation at Sinai with the new commitment at Har Grizim and Har Eval:
"The Revelation at Sinai took place on top of a high mountain. The voice of God was scary, intimidating. The nation stood at the bottom of the mountain. They were not allowed to go up. The Torah from the Heavens was thrust upon them. People didn’t have the independence to choose. They were forced to accept it in the middle of the wilderness (Remember the Midrash of God holding the mountain over the Jews' heads…)"
"The new commitment at Har Grizim and Har Eval was the opposite of the Revelation of Sinai: The tribes stood on the mountains. The Luchot (tablets) were not in the sky. Rather, the Torah was on the land. The voice was from the Levites who were standing on the land. The Jewish people were serving God in the Land of Israel."
Rabbi Sherki also points to some fascinating imagery. Har Sinai can be looked at as a triangle pointing up. The valley between Har Grizim and Har Eval resembles a triangle pointing down. The Torah integrates these two triangles which, combined, make up a Magen David, a Jewish Star.
Unlike Har Sinai, which we can’t identify today, you can take the opportunity to see Har Grizim and Har Eval the next time that you visit Israel. It, like the Torah and the ability to renew the covenant in every generation, is accessible to us all!
Shabbat Shalom!
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