The Holy Boundary

The Torah puts an emphasis that no one may go up on the mountain as long as the Shechinah was there.  Hashem tells Moshe to but a boundary around har sinai.  What served as the boundary to stop people from ascending the mountain, did they erect a fence?   And why was there a need for a dence, just command the people not to ascend the mountain?  The end of the parsha tells us the mitzvah of making the mizbaoch adama.  How is it connected to mattan Torah?

The Panim Yafos says that the boundary of the mountain wasn’t a physical boundary, it was a spiritual electric fence.  The possuk says הגבל את ההר סביב (19:12).  The letters around the word הר, hey and resh are daled, vav and kuf, shin which spells out קדוש.  It was the air of kedusha which served to fence off the mountain. 

However, why was there a boundary of kedusha stopping everyone from going up the mountain, to reach a greater level of kedusha would be a positive move, not a reason for recoil? The Rebbe explains that naturally the neshama of a Jew wants to come as close to Hashem as possible.  The neshama is called a ner.  Fire jumps upwards attempting to be united with its source above.  Similarly, the neshema desires to come close to its source, Hashem.  Therefore, the neshama will automatically be attracted to kedusha (Tanya chapter 19.)  The Or Hachaim in Acharie Mos describes that this is what happened to Nadav v’Avehu.  They wanted to be completely drawn into kedusha, and they reached a state where they could no longer exist within their bodies.   However, this isn’t the approach which the Torah desires.  The Torah desires for kedusha to be drawn into the world.  The boundary around the mountain represents that a person cannot just beyond their grasp to obtain kedusha, one must bring kedusha into the world.  The midrash says that mattan Torah was the unity of עליונים ותחתונים.  This was the whole goal of mattan Torah, to bring kedusha into the world.  The border around the mountain reflects the essence of mattan Torah.  The goal is to reach kedusha that one can grasp and use to elevate his/her surroundings, not to go up to the heavens in a chariot of fiery kedusha (see sicha of fourth of sivan 5749.) 

Chazal say the gentiles were offered the Torah and they refused because they felt they couldn’t stand up to the commandments.  Klal Yisroel accepted the Torah and that’s why they are the chosen nation.  The Sfas Emes asks what the greatness of acceptance of Klal Yisroel is as opposed to the rejection of the gentiles, the reason why they didn’t accept the Torah was because it ran contrary to their nature but there was nothing in the Torah against Klal Yisroel’s nature.  He answers that what went against the nature of Klal Yisroel was to be contained within the boundary.  The nature of a Jews to climb higher and higher, to be contained is something s/he has a hard time dealing with.  Since they listened to the commandment not to scale the mountain, was proof that they would accept Hashem’s word even when it went against their nature.  The Kli Chemda (end of Beshalach) adds that this the foundation of the entire Torah, for a person to understand their role and place and work to fulfill that, not to try to reach beyond one’s limits.  (See there what he says about the role of woman.) 

The Torah says that there is a prohibition of making steps (madragos) for the mizbaoch, rather one must make a ramp.  Rav Zevin says that this represents that a person can’t overstep his boundaries.  A person must be aware of the level that he is holding at and can’t seek to jump above his level.  A person can’t go up to madragos that are above his level.  This is a continuation of the idea of mattan Torah that there are boundaries that one must adhere too.  On the one hand one must draw as close to kedusha as possible.  Klal Yisroel want as close to the mountain as they could go, but on the other hand, one must know not to get burnt by the .אש של קדושה