The scene: the majestic, yet terrifying Mount Sinai. Smoke billowed forth in reddened clouds from this active volcano\u2014a mountain so majestic that it seemed to touch the lower regions of the heavens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For the Israelites, Sinai was the axis mundi<\/em>: the \u201ccenter of the cosmos.\u201d Also called Horeb, it was the axis upon which heaven and earth elegantly danced. Sinai represented the pristine origin, the highlight of providential history, and the dramatic climax of God\u2019s ongoing creativity. It was the most sacred place. To use the Koine<\/em> Greek New Testament term, it was the location where sacred time (kairos<\/em>) superseded ordinary time (chronos<\/em>.) Heaven kissed earth at Sinai.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Only a few weeks had passed since the Israelites had been liberated from the horror of slavery in Egypt, and the afterglow of this series of events was still very much alive in their emotions. Terror had given way to exhilaration. The shackles of slavery had been hijacked by the feeling of release into the unknown. What would their future bring? How would their saga unfold?<\/p>\n\n\n\n It was at Sinai that the octogenarian Moses climbed the imposing mountain. Staff in hand, this formerly abandoned child became the elegant speaker for the Israelites and even the messenger for God\u2019s revelation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The stammerer became the spokesperson. The bicultural, Egyptian-educated priest became the presenter of divine revelation. Mystic scholar Martin Buber says that Moses was chosen ironically because he had this handicap. And as those who stutter often have the remarkable ability to sing without stammering, perhaps Moses also sang to the people the Torah which he received.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If not outright singing, perhaps Moses chanted the laws received on Sinai. Maybe he even davened<\/em>, or prayed, rocking his head back and forward to a rhythmic beat. Most of the book of Deuteronomy is the farewell song or chant attributed to Moses.<\/p>\n\n\n\nRevealer<\/h2>\n\n\n\n