Ascending Beyond The Fire

בפסוק אנכי עומד כו' כי יראתם מפני האש ולא עליתם כו'

On the verse, "I stood between Hashem and you at that time" (Devarim 5:5), and "for you were afraid because of the fire, and you did not ascend the mountain" (Devarim 5:5).

The Sfas Emes opens with the pasuk in which Moshe Rabbeinu recalls how Bnei Yisrael were afraid of the fire at Har Sinai and did not ascend the mountain.

ותמוה שהרי גזה"כ הי' שלא לעלות בהר

And this is puzzling, for it was a decree of the verse that they should not ascend the mountain.

He raises a difficulty: their not ascending was not a failing of theirs at all, since Hashem Himself had decreed that no one may go up the mountain.

וי"ל כי הטעם הי' מפני שלא הי' להם יראת הרוממות רק יראתם מפני האש לכן הי' הצווי שלא יעלו כי בעליות ההר היו כמה מדרגות דכ' אשר ירד עליו ה' באש

And one can say that the reason was that they did not possess yiras haromemus, the awe of Hashem's exaltedness, but only fear because of the fire; therefore the command was that they should not ascend, for in the ascents of the mountain there were several levels, as it is written, "because Hashem descended upon it in fire" (Shemos 19:18).

He answers that the verse is hinting that their fear was only a lower fear of the fire and not the elevated yiras haromemus; because they lacked that higher awe, the command kept them below, since the mountain itself contained gradated levels of revelation.

וכמו דכ' לא ברעש ה' לא באש ה' רק קול דממה דקה כו'

And just as it is written, "Hashem was not in the earthquake; Hashem was not in the fire; but rather a still, small voice" (Melachim I 19:11-12).

He brings the navi's vision of Eliyahu, where Hashem's presence was found not in the dramatic forces of earthquake and fire but in the quiet, subtle voice, to illustrate that there is a higher level beyond the fire.

ומשרע"ה עלה אל האלקים ובנ"י (לא) עלו עד בחי' האש ולא עד קול דממה וז"ש ולא עליתם בהר לאמר

And Moshe Rabbeinu ascended to the Elokim, but Bnei Yisrael ascended only as far as the level of the fire, and not as far as the still, small voice; and this is the meaning of "and you did not ascend the mountain to declare" (Devarim 5:5).

Moshe Rabbeinu reached the level of dveikus with Hashem Himself, whereas Bnei Yisrael only reached the outer level of the fire and not the inner still, small voice, and this is what the pasuk alludes to.

וכ"כ ויתיצבו בתחתית ההר:

And so too it is written, "and they stood at the foot of the mountain" (Shemos 19:17).

He supports this with the verse that Bnei Yisrael stood at the foot of the mountain, showing they remained at the lower, outer rung of the revelation.

Summary: The Sfas Emes addresses a difficulty in Moshe Rabbeinu's words: he seems to fault Bnei Yisrael for not ascending Har Sinai out of fear of the fire, yet Hashem had decreed that they may not ascend at all. He explains that the pasuk is pointing to the quality of their fear: they possessed only the lower fear of the fire, not the exalted yiras haromemus, the awe of Hashem's loftiness. Drawing on the navi's teaching that Hashem is found not in the fire but in the still, small voice, he shows that the mountain held graded levels of revelation. Moshe Rabbeinu rose to dveikus with Hashem Himself, while Bnei Yisrael reached only as far as the fire and remained at the foot of the mountain, never attaining the inner, quiet level beyond it.