A Favorite Pasuk: Brook From Har Sinai

Parshat Eikev

by Rabbi Avi Billet

Note: The title does not say “my” favorite Pasuk, because I don’t have one. There are many pesukim that make it to the “top” list. The title says “a” favorite because there are different ways to define favorite. It is a favorite because it has information that I believe not a lot of people pay attention to, and therefore miss a couple of important components of the wilderness narrative that is not spelled out clearly in the book of Shemos.

And so, to the verse: Devarim Chapter 9, verse 21.

21And I took your sin the calf, which you had made, and I burned it with fire, and I crushed it, grinding it well, until it was fine dust, and I cast its dust into the brook that descends from the mountain.

כאוְאֶת־חַטַּאתְכֶ֞ם אֲשֶׁר־עֲשִׂיתֶ֣ם אֶת־הָעֵ֗גֶל לָקַ֘חְתִּי֘ וָֽאֶשְׂרֹ֣ף אֹת֣וֹ | בָּאֵשׁ֒ וָֽאֶכֹּ֨ת אֹת֤וֹ טָחוֹן֙ הֵיטֵ֔ב עַ֥ד אֲשֶׁר־דַּ֖ק לְעָפָ֑ר וָֽאַשְׁלִךְ֙ אֶת־עֲפָר֔וֹ אֶל־הַנַּ֖חַל הַיֹּרֵ֥ד מִן־הָהָֽר:

This comes in the context of Moshe’s retelling the tale of the Golden Calf, and how he took the initiative to destroy it, while making the perpetrators essentially drink the dust of their provocation.

Compare to Shemos, chapter 32, where we find this depiction:

20Then he took the calf they had made, burned it in fire, ground it to fine powder, scattered [it] upon the surface of the water, and gave [it to] the children of Israel to drink.

כוַיִּקַּ֞ח אֶת־הָעֵ֨גֶל אֲשֶׁ֤ר עָשׂוּ֙ וַיִּשְׂרֹ֣ף בָּאֵ֔שׁ וַיִּטְחַ֖ן עַ֣ד אֲשֶׁר־דָּ֑ק וַיִּ֨זֶר֙ עַל־פְּנֵ֣י הַמַּ֔יִם וַיַּ֖שְׁק אֶת־בְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל:

In Shemos we were told that he threw the dust of the Golden Calf onto the surface of the water, but the source of that water wasn’t mentioned. Here in Devarim 9, Moshe tells us of a brook that descended from the mountain. A brook? What brook?

The careful reader should know exactly what Moshe is talking about. There is a longstanding tradition that Har Sinai is also known as Har Chorev. This is referenced in Shabbos 89a-b, and spelled out much more succinctly in different Midrashim:

שמות רבה- שמות פרשה ב: ויבא אל הר האלהים חורבה ה' שמות יש לו, הר אלהים, הר בשן, הר גבנונים, הר חורב, הר סיני

שמות רבה - פקודי פרשה נא: ויתנצלו בני ישראל את עדים מהר חורב, בשלשה שמות נקרא ההר הזה, הר האלהים, הר חורב, הר סיני

Back in Shemos chapter 17, the people were in a place called Rephidim. There wasn’t any water, and the people complained. God gave Moshe instruction from where to get water, and while he DID get water, it was not from Rephidim, but from a different place… and the water made it to Rephidim.

6Behold, I shall stand there before you on the rock in Horeb, and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, and the people will drink Moses did so before the eyes of the elders of Israel.

והִנְנִ֣י עֹמֵד֩ לְפָנֶ֨יךָ שָּׁ֥ם | עַל־הַצּוּר֘ בְּחֹרֵב֒ וְהִכִּ֣יתָ בַצּ֗וּר וְיָֽצְא֥וּ מִמֶּ֛נּוּ מַ֖יִם וְשָׁתָ֣ה הָעָ֑ם וַיַּ֤עַשׂ כֵּן֙ משֶׁ֔ה לְעֵינֵ֖י זִקְנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל:

In other words, a brook was created, which traveled all the way to Rephidim. And how do we know they were in Rephidim, while Moshe got the water from elsewhere? All we need to do is look at two more verses which follow this episode. The first is later on in Shemos chapter 17.

8Amalek came and fought with Israel in Rephidim.

חוַיָּבֹ֖א עֲמָלֵ֑ק וַיִּלָּ֥חֶם עִם־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל בִּרְפִידִֽם:

The second is in the beginning of Shemos chapter 19:

1In the third month of the children of Israel's departure from Egypt, on this day they arrived in the desert of Sinai.		אבַּחֹ֨דֶשׁ֙ הַשְּׁלִישִׁ֔י לְצֵ֥את בְּנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל מֵאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרָ֑יִם בַּיּ֣וֹם הַזֶּ֔ה בָּ֖אוּ מִדְבַּ֥ר סִינָֽי:
2They journeyed from Rephidim, and they arrived in the desert of Sinai, and they encamped in the desert, and Israel encamped there opposite the mountain.		בוַיִּסְע֣וּ מֵֽרְפִידִ֗ים וַיָּבֹ֨אוּ֙ מִדְבַּ֣ר סִינַ֔י וַיַּֽחֲנ֖וּ בַּמִּדְבָּ֑ר וַיִּֽחַן־שָׁ֥ם יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל נֶ֥גֶד הָהָֽר:

It seems clear that Moshe went from Rephidim to Chorev, struck a rock on Mt. Sinai from which water flowed all the way to Rephidim. Amalek attacked them there (maybe because of the water?), and then Moshe went back to his tent on Chorev after it was all over, waiting for the people to join him. How do we know he had pitched his tent on Har Chorev? Because in Shemos chapter 18, before the arrival of Bnei Yisrael at Har Sinai, we are told where Yisro met up with Moshe.

5Now Moses' father in law, Jethro, and his [Moses'] sons and his wife came to Moses, to the desert where he was encamped, to the mountain of God.

הוַיָּבֹ֞א יִתְר֨וֹ חֹתֵ֥ן משֶׁ֛ה וּבָנָ֥יו וְאִשְׁתּ֖וֹ אֶל־משֶׁ֑ה אֶל־הַמִּדְבָּ֕ר אֲשֶׁר־ה֛וּא חֹנֶ֥ה שָׁ֖ם הַ֥ר הָֽאֱלֹהִֽים:

This little reference to the Brook coming down the mountain at Sinai shows us that our calculations are correct and that Moshe created a brook at Masa U’Merivah, and that the water from there sustained the people for the duration of their time at Sinai. THIS is why we never hear a complaint about water when they are at Sinai, and it is also one of the reasons why their time at Sinai was generally pleasant, because of the natural resources available to them in that space.

One more point to ponder. If there was a river coming down from Sinai, why is there a tradition that Sinai was dried out? Why is there a concern that things “miraculously” flowered there? Maybe the water was a miracle, but once there is water… things will grow!

This also begs an important question to be explored. While there are over a dozen mountains that have been identified by researchers, explorers, and archeologists as “possible” Mt. Sinai locations, any mountain that does not present evidence of (at least) a dried out river bed is not going to be a suitable candidate for being the real Mt. Sinai.

There are other similar “hints” in the Torah, off comments that tell us a lot more than they seem to tell. We just have to read carefully, and put the pieces together.