Yitro: Chapter 18

"There were thunders and lightnings"

Synopsis

The rabbis offer various ideas about "voices." One of them says that it means two voices - water and wind - which became one; one of them says that it is one voice that never ceases; one of them says that it comes from three - wind, water and fire. The discussion moves to lightning and then to the "fiery law" that is the Torah. And we learn that the sound of the Shofar came forth to break the heavy dark cloud.

Form Water Wind

290. "There were thunders (Heb. kolot) and lightnings" (Shemot 19:16). Rabbi Aba said that "kolot" is spelled without VAV, THE INDICATION OF THE PLURAL FORM, signifying that there were two thunders (lit. 'voices') that became one again, one emanating from the other - wind from water and water from wind, two that are one, and one that is two. THEREFORE THE WORD "KOLOT" IS WRITTEN WITHOUT VAV.

290. וַיְהִי קֹלֹת וּבְרָקִים, אָמַר רַבִּי אַבָּא, קֹלֹת כְּתִיב חָסֵר. תְּרֵין קָלִין דְּאַהַדְרוּ לְחָד, דָּא נָפְקָא מִן דָּא, רוּחָא מִמַּיָּא. וּמַיָּא מֵרוּחָא. תְּרֵין דְּאִינּוּן חַד, וְחַד דְּאִיהוּ תְּרֵי.

Judgment Year

291. Rabbi Yosi said, "Kolot" MEANS one; this voice is a great and strong one which never ceases, as it is written, "A great voice which was not heard again" (Devarim 5:19). This is because all the other voices do cease. As we learned, four times a year the voice ceases, and then Judgments are awakened in the world. But this voice, which includes the other voices, never ceases and never abates of its full existence and force. We have learned that this voice is the voice of voices, the voice which contains all other voices.

291. אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹסֵי, קֹלֹת חַד, וְאִיהוּ קָלָא רַבְרְבָא תַּקִּיפָא, דְּלָא פַּסְקַת לְעָלְמִין, הַהוּא דִּכְתִּיב בֵּיהּ קוֹל גָּדוֹל וְלֹא יָסָף דְּהָא שְׁאַר קָלִין אִתְפַּסְּקָן, דְּתַנְיָא, בְּאַרְבָּעָה תְּקוּפִין בַּשַׁתָּא, קָלָא אִתְפַּסְּקַת, וּכְדֵין דִּינִין מִתְעָרִין בְּעָלְמָא. וְהַאי קָלָא דְּכָלִיל שְׁאַר קָלִין בֵּיהּ, לָא אִתְפְּסָק לְעָלְמִין, וְלָא אִתְעֲבָר מִקּיּוּמָא שְׁלִים וְתּוּקְפָּא דִּילֵיהּ. תָּאנָא, הַאי קָלָא, קָלָא דְּקַלִין, קָלָא דְּכָלִיל כָּל שְׁאַר קַלִין.

Fire Flame Form Love Mercy Rain Water Wind

292. Rabbi Yehuda said, There is no voice but the one which comes from wind, water and fire, THAT ARE THE THREE COLUMNS. And all this the voice performs, WHICH IS THE CENTRAL COLUMN. AND BY IT, THE COLUMNS are included in each other AND BECOME ONE. Therefore, the word "kolot" is spelled WITHOUT VAV, THE INDICATION OF THE PLURAL FORM. "...And lightning...:" Rabbi Yosi cited that verse and explained, "He makes lightning for the rain" (Tehilim 135:7), MEANING THAT "LIGHTNING" IS THE COMBINATION OF FIRE AND WATER, AS LIGHTNING IN THE RAIN - for the flame OF THE LIGHTNING in the rain INDICATES THAT IT IS a union of Mercy with infrequent love.

292. אָמַר ר' יְהוּדָה, לֵית קָלָא, אֶלָּא מִסִּטְרָא דְּרוּחָא וּמַיָּא וְאֶשָּׁא. וְכֹלָּא עָבֵיד קָלָא, וְאִתְכְּלִיל דָּא בְּדָא, וְע"ד כְּתִיב קֹלֹת. וּבְרָקִים, א"ר יוֹסֵי, הַיְינוּ דִּכְתִּיב, בְּרָקִים לַמָּטָר עָשָׂה שַׁלְהוֹבָא בְּעוּטְרֵי, קְטִירָא דְּרַחֲמֵי בְּחִיבָּתָא, דְּלָא שְׁכִיחוּ.

Hands Torah

293. Rabbi Yehuda said, We have learned that the Torah was given from the side of Gvurah. Rabbi Yosi said, In that case THE TORAH must be of the left side. He said, It returned to the right, as it is written, "From His right hand went a fiery law for them" (Devarim 33:2), and, "Your right hand, Hashem, is glorious in power" (Shemot 15:6). So we see that the left is included within the right, FOR IT IS WRITTEN, "FROM HIS RIGHT HAND A FIERY LAW FOR THEM;" and the right is included within the left FOR IT IS WRITTEN, "YOUR RIGHT HAND, HASHEM, IS GLORIOUS IN POWER." Thus, Gvurah, WHICH IS THE LEFT, is included within the right.

293. תָּנָא, ר' יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר, בִּסְטַר גְּבוּרָה, אוֹרַיְיתָא אִתְיְיהִיבַת. אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹסֵי, אִי הָכִי בִּסְטַר שְׂמָאלָא הֲוֵי. אָמַר לֵיהּ, אִתְהַדַּר לִימִינָא. דִּכְתִּיב מִימִינוֹ אֵשׁ דָּת לָמוֹ. וּכְתִיב יְמִינְךָ יְיָ' נֶאְדָּרִי בַּכֹּחַ וְגוֹ'. אַשְׁכְּחָן שְׂמָאלָא דְּאִתְחַזָּר לִימִינָא, וִימִינָא לִשְׂמָאלָא, הָא גְּבוּרָה לִימִינָא.

Cloud Darkness Mountains Shofar

294. "And a heavy cloud upon the mountain" (Shemot 19:16) meaning, a very mighty cloud stuck in one place BECAUSE OF ITS HEAVINESS that does not move FROM PLACE TO PLACE AS DO OTHER CLOUDS. "And the sound of a Shofar exceedingly loud" (Ibid.); that sound was very strong, for it issued from the midst of the heavy cloud IN ORDER TO BREAK IT, as it is written, "When you heard the voice out of the midst of the darkness" (Devarim 5:20).

294. וְעָנָן כָּבֵד עַל הָהָר וְגוֹ', עֲנָנָא תַּקִּיף, דִּשְׁקִיעַ בְּאַתְרֵיהּ, דְּלָא נָטִיל. וְקֹל שֹׁפַר חָזָק מְאֹד, מִגּוֹ דַּעֲנָנָא תַּקִּיף הֲוָה, נָפִיק הַהוּא קָלָא, כד"א וַיְהִי כְּשָׁמְעֲכֶם אֶת הַקּוֹל מִתּוֹךְ הַחֹשֶׁךְ.

Cloud Darkness Shofar

295. Rabbi Yehuda said, There were three kinds of darkness, for it is written, "darkness, clouds and thick darkness" (Devarim 4:11). And that voice, NAMELY, THE VOICE OF THE SHOFAR, came forth as the innermost depths. Rabbi Yosi said that the innermost of all of them was THE VOICE of which it is written, "A great voice which was not heard again."

295. אָמַר רַבִּי יְהוּדָה, תְּלַת חֲשׁוֹכֵי הֲווֹ, דִּכְתִּיב חֹשֶׁךְ עָנָן וַעֲרָפֶל. וְהַהוּא קָלָא הֲוָה נָפִיק פְּנִימָאָה מִכֻּלְּהוּ. אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹסֵי, פְּנִימָאָה דְּכֹלָּא הֲוָה, דְּבֵיהּ כְּתִיב, קוֹל גָּדוֹל וְלֹא יָסָף.

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