Sinai for Non-Jews - Aish.com Search for: ExploreLearnMoreSubscribeDonateChat Aish.com > Holidays > Shavuot > Sinai ExperienceSinai for Non-JewsAdvertisements TRENDING Shavuot Themes 4 Converts to Judaism 4 min read Shavuot Themes Humans vs AI: Will We Remain Relevant? 3 min read Shavuot Themes When I Decided to Take God and Religion Seriously 6 min read Recipes Shavuot is The Holiday of Cheesecake and Blintzes 3 min read Empower Your Jewish Journey Sign up for Aish.com’s Weekly Email Email* Get Our Emails Our privacy policy Advertisements by Rabbi Benjamin Blech 5 min read What makes the giving of the Torah so universally relevant and necessary? It isn't only Jews who should be celebrating the holiday of Shavuot. You don't have to be Jewish, nor do you have to be religious, to acknowledge that what happened on Mount Sinai was one of the most important moments in the history of civilization. AishIs TikTok Antisemitic?/SkipAds by Even the reason for the choice of the particular location on which the 10 Commandments were given is meant to emphasize the universality of their message. Why is it, the biblical commentators ask, God chose to transmit his moral code on a mountain in the desert rather than to wait until the Jews would come to the holy land of Israel? Precisely for this reason: Israel is a land for the Jews; the desert is ownerless ― and hence belongs equally to everyone. God's words weren't intended just for one people. They were meant for the whole world because they represent the key to universal survival. SUBSCRIBE Our weekly email is chockful of interesting and relevant insights into Jewish history, food, philosophy, current events, holidays and more... Empower Your Jewish Journey Sign up for Aish.com’s Weekly Email Email* Get Our Emails What makes the message of Sinai so universally relevant and necessary? Simply put, it is the idea of law, the concept of "do this" and "do not do that." It is the notion that some things are right and some things are wrong. It is the rejection of cultural relativism that sees some good in everything no matter how heinous because "who is to say that what we think is more correct than what they believe." There's no lack of excuses in the liberal lexicon. One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter. People steal because they are poor. People murder because they feel deprived as a result of the way life has mistreated them. People do all kinds of bad things and we have to be fair before judging them to determine whether they had enough love as a child, whether the guilt may not be theirs but rather the fault of society. The lyrics of Gee Officer Krupke in West Side Story brilliantly capture the flavor of this flawed philosophy: Dear kindly Sergeant Krupke, You gotta understand, It's just our bringin' up-ke That gets us out of hand. Our mothers all are junkies, Our fathers all are drunks. Golly Moses, natcherly we're punks! God has more faith in mankind than those who claim that people have to be forgiven no matter what because they just can't help being evil. Everyone has a reason for what they do. Hitler found a way to justify genocide as a means to bring about a superior race. Cultural relativism has to admit that it's possible he was right. And for all we know, as some prominent psychologist dared to suggest, his mother's failure to breast-feed him sufficiently may have caused feelings of love deprivation that of course produced self-hatred, which turned outward, resulted in the need to murder 6 million Jews… Reasons to commit evil are not the same as justifications. We are expected to abide by God's rules no matter what, for without them society cannot survive. Poor people don't necessarily have to turn to crime. Just last week, we watched Oprah Winfrey retire after 25 years. She reviewed her career that began in rural Mississippi, in extreme poverty, followed by her rise to become one of the most powerful and influential women in the world. No matter how disadvantaged, we are granted free will and the opportunity to make our choices in life. And from the mountaintop of Sinai God taught the world that there are absolutes, that there are rules we are expected to abide by no matter what our excuse, because without them society cannot survive. "Thou shalt not murder" – no matter why you think it doesn't apply to you. "Thou shalt not commit adultery" – even if your own wife doesn't understand you, the other woman is more beautiful, and besides "who will get hurt, if no one finds out?" "Thou shalt not steal" – even if with your newfound wealth you become a great philanthropist and have your name plastered on buildings and dedications. The Decalogue has only 172 words. Not one of them is "except." They are clear and to the point. They are rooted in truth and represent the words of the Creator of the world. Their power rests in their Divine source. Without them and their moral force, the world would long ago have perished. The heroine of Shavuot is Ruth. It is her book that we read on this holiday. Why was she chosen for this honor? Even though she was not born a Jewess, she found her way to the truth of that Torah given in the desert intended for all mankind. And that's why she became the ancestress of King David from whom will stem the Messiah – the one who will bring the whole world at long last to accept the gift meant for all that was given at Sinai. Isn't that reason enough for everybody to rejoice on this holiday? Click here to comment on this article Like What You Read? Give Jews around the world the chance to experience engaging Jewish wisdom with more articles and videos on Aish. As a nonprofit organization it's your support that keeps us going. Thanks so much! ONE TIME $54 $108 $1000 OTHER MONTHLY $10 $18 $100 OTHER Share this article More About The Author Rabbi Benjamin Blech Rabbi Benjamin Blech, a frequent contributor to Aish, is a Professor of Talmud at Yeshiva University and an internationally recognized educator, religious leader, and lecturer. He is the author of 19 highly acclaimed books with combined sales of over a half million copies. See his website at rabbibenjaminblech.com. Click here to purchase Rabbi Blech’s new book, Hope Not Fear: Changing the Way We View Death. More from this Author > RECOMMENDED NEXT READ Rational Approach To Divine Origin of Judaism 60 min view Judaism’s Unique Claim: National Revelation 11 min view Did God Speak at Sinai? 18 min read Six Famous Questions from the Torah 4 min read The Jewish People's Blockchain and the Accuracy of the Torah 7 min read Addressing Biblical Criticism: A Critique of the Documentary Hypothesis 16 min read 800 Label {} [+] Name* Email* Label {} [+] Name* Email* 0 Comments Inline Feedbacks View all comments ✓Thanks for sharing!AddToAnyMore… Current Henry Kissinger in 10 Quotes History The Ongoing Jewish Presence in the Land of Israel, Part 1 Jewlish Jelly Donut Babka War in Israel 5-Alarm Fire: Chuck Schumer’s Speech on Antisemitism Human Interest Ben and Gali, An Engaged Couple, Both Lost Their Right Legs Hanukkah Everything You Need to Know about Hanukkah Menu Lifecycle Torah Portion Ways to Wisdom Holocaust Studies Prayer & Kabbalah Shabbat Courses Ask the Rabbi close Menu Donate Wallcam Legacy Giving Shabbat Times Kaddish Calendar Aish World Center Israel Programs About Aish close Search for: ExploreLearnMoreSubscribeDonateChatEXPLORE Current Henry Kissinger in 10 Quotes Human Interest Ben and Gali, An Engaged Couple, Both Lost Their Right Legs History The Ongoing Jewish Presence in the Land of Israel, Part 1 Jewlish Jelly Donut Babka Lifecycle What Is a Mikveh? War in Israel 5-Alarm Fire: Chuck Schumer’s Speech on Antisemitism LEARN Menu Lifecycle Torah Portion Ways to Wisdom Holocaust Studies Prayer & Kabbalah Shabbat Courses Ask the Rabbi close MORE Menu Donate Wallcam Legacy Giving Shabbat Times Kaddish Calendar Aish World Center Israel Programs About Aish close Explore Menu Current History Food Philosophy Human Interest Holidays close Learn Menu Lifecycle Weekly Torah Portion Ways to Wisdom Holocaust Studies Prayer and Kabbalah Shabbat Courses Ask the Rabbi close Resources Menu Western Wall Camera Jewish Name & Birthday Kaddish Candle Lighting Times Calendar Mobile App Archives close Next Steps Menu One-on-One Learning Israel Programs close About Menu Submit Articles Contact Us Contact Aish About Aish Privacy Policy Advertise close Donate Menu Donate Legacy Giving close Languages Menu Spanish Hebrew close ooSubscribeEmail Sign-upManage Your EmailsSocial. ×Powered by Read More › Chat with us, powered by LiveChat X closearrow-circle-o-downchevron-leftellipsis-vwpDiscuzInsert