During the holiday of Shavuot, we primarily celebrate Matan Torah, the giving of the Torah. The Torah was given to us seven weeks after we were redeemed from Egypt. After those seven weeks of preparation and growth, the B’nei Yisrael were ready to receive the Torah from Hashem at Har Sinai. This poses a significant question: why did Hashem choose Har Sinai to be the chosen mountain upon which the Torah was given? Why not any other mountains? What is so special about this mountain?
The Gemara and Midrash give us a powerful answer to this question. They explain that when Hashem was choosing a mountain in which to give the Torah, a quarrel broke out between the mountains. Each mountain wanted the Torah to be given on it.
“I deserve the Torah because I am the tallest!” cried one mountain.
“No, the Torah should be given on me because I am the most beautiful!” said another.
But in the middle of all of this arguing, Har Sinai, the smallest mountain of them all, remained silent. It did not try to brag or compete. Because of this humility, Hashem chose Har Sinai as the place to give the Torah. Now we may ask: did the mountains actually speak and argue with Hashem? Or is this story meant to convey a deeper meaning? Perhaps the Gemara and Midrash are not describing a literal conversation, but are instead trying to teach us a lesson through them. Each mountain represents a different quality that a person might try to rely on: strength, height, beauty, or importance, among others.
Yet, Hashem still chose the “least impressive” mountain for Matan Torah. Through this, Hashem is teaching us something fundamental. Torah is not given to those who are proud or see themselves as above others. It is given to those who are humble enough to make space for growth. Hashem, the King of kings, chose a low, simple mountain in the middle of the desert to show that true greatness in Torah begins with humility.
This idea speaks very strongly in our lives today. We live in a world in which people are usually focused on standing out, being noticed, and proving themselves. The message of Har Sinai is the opposite. Torah is not acquired with arrogance, but rather with humility. Now, humility does not mean thinking less of yourself. It instead means to move our egos aside so that we may become better people.
This principle can be applied to one’s daily life in a number of ways. We can choose to learn from everyone around us, and be willing to listen and learn from those with more experience than ourselves. By being humble, we can also recognize that there is always room for us to grow.