The Torah was not given in its entirety at Sinai. In fact, it has been passed down to us continuously, from generation to generation.
What we actually received on Shavuot was the Ten Commandments.
As their name suggests, these commandments are ten in number. The Ten Commandments are the root of all the mitzvot, which number 613. It would not have been surprising if the number of letters composing the Ten Commandments was 613. But it’s actually 620.
It seems, therefore, that 613 commandments are not enough and that it is necessary to add seven more. What are these seven commandments? Of course, they are the laws of Noaḥ.
The lesson is great: it means that the Torah could not have been given to Israel if there had not been at least one universal branch expressed in the last seven letters of the Ten Commandments. What are the last seven letters? “אשר לרעך” (“to your neighbor”).
These letters invite us to universal brotherhood.
620 is also the numerical value of the word “כתר” (“crown”), implying that the Creator, in a manner of speaking, only “wore” His crown when Israelites and gentiles joined together in listening to His Word.
The Gift of the Torah – A Universal Invitation
In the account of the giving of the Torah (Sh’mot 18-20), we see that the Torah could not be lowered into our world until at least one representative of the gentile nations arrived at Sinai. This was Yitro, the father-in-law of Moshe, coming on behalf of all humanity to witness the revelation of the Torah.
It is no coincidence that the Jewish people established the reading of the scroll of Ruth on the festival of Shavuot, as it describes how one of the dearest souls of one of the peoples most distant from Israel became connected to our people.
According to our sages, the Creator “walked” amongst the nations to offer them the Torah.
Each nation refused in turn, before finally the people of Israel agreed to receive it. The mere fact that our sages teach us such a story shows the extent to which the people of Israel do not seek precedence. It is simply a fact: the people of Israel received the Torah while other nations did not.
But why would the nations have refused it? Are not the Ten Commandments universal guidelines for righteous behavior? “Do not kill,” “do not commit adultery,” “do not steal” are all rules of general morality respected by all humanity. Why refuse them?
It’s clear that amongst humanity, many individuals desired to receive these commandments. But they were a minority. A minority who were not only ready to realize these words as guidelines for good moral conduct, but also for them to be commandments ordained by the Torah.
This minority was unable to express itself at that time, which is why their souls, sooner or later, joined the people of Israel in the form of gerrim, as explained by one of the most important gentiles who had become a Jew in the 18th Century, the Polish Count Valentine Potocki, who had been in contact with the Gaon of Vilna.
But officially joining the people of Israel is no longer necessary in order to participate in our historic mission.
Today, a gentile can become a Noaḥide and receive the Torah, each according to their abilities, in the way most suited to the inner dialogue with their soul.
This transforms the festival of Shavuot into a day that is no longer limited to the people of Israel, but rather one that is relevant for all of humanity.
