Now that the study of Chumash with Rashi is underway, here are
a few helpful comments by Rabbi Chaim Brovender.
Parashat Yitro
Let us learn a posuk with Rashi.
The people stand at the mountain and will soon be granted the Torah. The description of this event includes a special emphasis on the "sound of the shofar".
"
…the sound of the shofar grew ever stronger; Moshe would speak and G-d would respond to him in a voice…"(19:19).
It seems that the two parts of the verse are disconnected and don't have a common interpretive thread.
Rashi observes that, ordinarily, the longer a person blows the shofar, the weaker its sounding becomes. In this case, the sounding grew continually much stronger. Rashi then asks, "why didn't the sounds simply begin very strongly and continue?" In other words, why did the sounds of the shofar increase gradually in their intensity? Rashi's response focuses on the hearers not the sounder: "…to let their ears hear that which they are able to hear…".
The voice of the shofar was, on this reading, a miracle meant to have symbolic import. This miracle was not merely a testament to G-d's might but a sign and a comment about the force of G-d's voice in history: it begins quietly to accommodate to the limits of its hearers but gradually comes into its strength.
Another Interpretation
Ultimately, the Torah is incomprehensible and the sounding shofar alludes to this paradox. The shofar's sounding increases in intensity until it overwhelms. However, at first it is understandable. So too, Torah can be heard simply and understood by children though we would be lost if exposed to the depth of its infinite meaning.
In the second part of our verse we read, "Moshe would speak and Hashem would respond in a voice…" (19:19).
Rashi explains, "…When Moshe would speak the words of the Torah to the people, Hashem would assist him by giving him strength so that his voice would become stronger and more audible".
The Rashbam adds the following point: "Moshe spoke to Hashem, and his voice was only heard by Hashem. Hashem answers Moshe in a strong voice in order to make the voice heard over the sound of the shofar, which is getting stronger and stronger.
Rashbam (and Rashi?) describes somewhat hidden part of the communication with Moshe. Hashem speaks to Moshe but the shofar is getting louder and preventing the word of G-d from being heard. This forces Hashem to raise the volume of the voice communicating with Moshe. The voice directed to Moshe overwhelms the sound of the shofar and makes it possible for Moshe to understand the words.
The people of Yisrael find themselves standing before the Torah on two levels. First the sound of the shofar. This sound is clearly divine, and is getting stronger and stronger. The sound represents an impenetrable nature of the message. However, the Torah is also filtered through the perception and thoughts of Moshe and is made accessible to the people. Both aspects characterize the Torah that is about to be given. It is at once inaccessible to the human ear and understanding and, at the same time, understood and transmitted by Moshe our great teacher.
Gut Shabbos,
Chaim Brovender
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