Ma'amad Har Sinai in Shemot and Devarim

Introduction

Hashem's revelation at Sinai is described at length in Shemot 19-20 and then recounted by Moshe to the nation in Devarim 4-5.¹ Moshe's speech is comprised of two parts. In Chapter 4, he speaks of the overall experience of revelation, interspersing exhortatory messages throughout, while in Chapter 5 he focuses on the giving of the Decalogue and the people's reaction to it.² On the whole, Moshe's account is consistent with the original, though he omits certain details and adds or emphasizes others. These slight variations (together with Moshe's explicit commentary) shed light on the specific messages Moshe wished to impart to the nation before he died.

Points of Contrast

The differences between the accounts are summarized below:

• Roles of Moshe vs. Hashem – The books differ in their portrayal of the relative roles of Hashem and Moshe during revelation:
• Goal of revelation – In Shemot, Hashem tells Moshe that through the episode the nation will come to believe in Moshe ("וְגַם בְּךָ יַאֲמִינוּ לְעוֹלָם"), while in Devarim, Moshe says that the people will learn to fear Hashem ("אֲשֶׁר יִלְמְדוּן לְיִרְאָה אֹתִי").
• Direct or mediated encounter – Shemot 19:9 and 19 imply that Moshe played some sort of mediating role during revelation.³ Devarim, in contrast, paints a more mixed picture, with several verses highlighting Hashem's direct revelation (see 4:12, 15, 33 and 5:4.), and others focusing on Moshe's role (see 4:14 and 5:5 :"אָנֹכִי עֹמֵד בֵּין י"י וּבֵינֵיכֶם בָּעֵת הַהִוא לְהַגִּיד לָכֶם אֶת דְּבַר י"י").⁴
• Emphasis on not seeing Hashem – In Devarim there is a repeated emphasis on the fact that the nation only heard Hashem's voice at Sinai,⁵ but never saw a Divine form. This point is not highlighted in Shemot.
• Uniqueness of the episode – Only in Moshe's retelling is there mention of the uniqueness of the experience,⁶ as Moshe highlights how no other nation but Israel merited Hashem to reveal Himself to them.
• Moshe as lawgiver – Throughout the discussion in Sefer Devarim, Moshe reiterates how Hashem appointed him as teacher of Hashem's laws.⁷ Though Moshe plays this role in Shemot as well, it is not mentioned in the middle of the description of Ma'mad Har Sinai.
• Moshe's location – In Shemot, there is a clear distinction between the physical location of Moshe and the rest of the nation. While Moshe is told to ascend the mountain, they are told to stay put. Devarim says nothing regarding the positioning of each group.
• Natural phenomena – Both accounts describe how Hashem's revelation was accompanied by various natural phenomena, but while Shemot highlights the thunder, lightening, shofar blasts and smoke, Devarim emphasizes the fiery mountainside.⁸
• The nation's fear – Though both books mention the people's fear, they differ regarding several aspects of the episode.  While Sefer Shemot presents the "nation" approaching Moshe, Devarim refers to the "heads of the tribes and elders". In Shemot, Moshe attempts to calm the people, while in Devarim, it is Hashem who responds.  In Shemot, the story closes with the people  "standing at a distance". In Devarim, they return to their tents, and Moshe is told to relay to them the rest of the laws.
• Preparation and Warnings – Only in Shemot are there warnings about not approaching the mountain and directives regarding the proper preparation for Hashem's revelation.

Analysis

On the eve of the people's entry into the land, Moshe had two fundamental concerns regarding the nation. He feared that with foreign influences, they would stop believing in Hashem and turn to other gods, and additionally, that even if they retained belief, they would question the authority of the laws transmitted via Moshe and be lax in their observance.  To address these issues, Moshe prefaced his legal speech by recounting the events at Sinai, presenting them as the basis for both belief and observance. This objective can explain some of the unique features of Moshe's retelling of the episode in Devarim 4-5:

• Moshe vs. Hashem – Devarim's somewhat balanced presentation of the roles of Hashem and Moshe is easily understood in light of the above agenda. Moshe wanted to ensure that the people believed not only in Hashem, but also in his role as Divine messenger.  One wonders, however, why the account in Shemot omits mentioning the goal of attaining belief in Hashem, and focuses instead on Moshe. This can be accounted for in several ways:
• Change in plan – Rashbam posits that initially Hashem had wanted to relay all 613 commandments directly to the people, without Moshe as a mediator.⁹ As there was supposed to be ongoing revelation, the event was not aimed at instilling belief in God, but rather at having the people recognize Moshe's distinct status as leader (as highlighted in Shemot).¹⁰ However, when the people were overcome with fear and requested that Moshe act as mediator, Hashem acquiesced, changing the way Ma'amad Har Sinai was viewed from then on. Revelation became a one-time event, necessitating both proof of the existence of Hashem and the authorization of Moshe as law-giver (and not only national leader). In retrospect, the experience at Mt. Sinai provided evidence of both, and is presented as such by Moshe in the fortieth year.
• Minimize differences – Alternatively one could suggest that in reality both books view revelation as having a dual goal (of instilling belief in both Hashem and Moshe). Yet, when Hashem speaks in Shemot, He honors Moshe by mentioning only the latter, and when Moshe speaks in Devarim, he honors Hashem by mentioning the former.¹¹

• Emphasis on hearing but not seeing Hashem – As Moshe is concerned that the nation will turn to idolatry, in his recounting of the episode he emphasizes not only how the people heard Hashem (giving them a reason to believe) but also that they saw no Divine form (lest they mistakenly create images, even for the purpose of serving God.)¹²
• Uniqueness of the encounter – Moshe highlights how no other nation heard the voice of God, so that the people should recognize that He is the only true God, as Moshe says:  "אַתָּה הׇרְאֵתָ לָדַעַת כִּי י"י הוּא הָאֱ-לֹהִים".
• Moshe's role as lawgiver – In Devarim, Moshe repeatedly mentions that he was given the role of teaching Hashem's laws to ensure that the people recognize that all of the commandments, even those relayed by Moshe, are Divinely given and need be obeyed.
• Fear – According to Ramban, the differences between the two descriptions prove that they refer to distinct episodes. Shemot is speaking of the nation's fear before revelation,¹³ while Devarim, in contrast, is speaking of the people's reaction after the fact.¹⁴ If so, Moshe might speak only of the second event since it alone relates to one of the goals of his farewell address. He reminds the people that, due to their fear, they themselves requested that the laws not be given directly by Hashem, but by Moshe. As such, they should recognize their validity.
• Fire – It is possible that Moshe's emphasis on fire is an attempt to frighten the people into obedience. Hashem appeared in fire, and is presented as an " אֵשׁ אֹכְלָה" to remind the people that straying from Hashem will result in their destruction.
• Preparation and Warnings – Moshe omits these points as they are irrelevant to his message.

Comparison Table

The following table highlights the similarities and differences between the accounts: