On the verge of entering the land of Canaan, Moses reminds the people of their activities in the desert, paying specific attention to receiving the Torah at Mount Sinai. Regarding that momentous event, Moses tells the assembled tribes that they need to be scrupulous in their personal recollection of the miracles at Mount Sinai so that they never fade from memory, and that they must relay the miracles they witnessed to their children and the generations that follow (Deuteronomy 4:9).
Ibn Ezra, a Spanish commentator from the Middle Ages, goes so far as to say that even if the Jewish people forget everything else, they must recall the events at Sinai. But why? What makes this event so critical that it must be personally remembered and transmitted down the chain of generations, more so than any other commandment?
The Sforno, a medieval Italian commentator, answers that we will not forever live in an era of miracles and direct divine intervention – a state with which we of the modern era are especially familiar. The imperative to remember miracles that our ancestors directly experienced is a way of connecting ourselves to their milieu, as well as a way to maintain a connection to the divine that may previously have been simpler. The Torah anticipates a world in which assimilation is frequent, and cautions the Children of Israel to stress the miraculous relationship they had with God to their children, and their children’s children, as a way to combat that assimilation.
Living in a world where Jewish values are constantly questioned – even within our community we sometimes disagree about direction and identity – perhaps we can follow the Torah’s command to recall our common past and strive to find unity and purpose in our miraculous relationship with the divine.
