📅 Today in Jewish History – 4 th Sivan
📅 1312 BCE – Preparation for the Giving of the Torah
In the chronicles of Israel it is written that in the year 2449 from Creation (1312 BCE), Hashem said to Moshe: “Go to the people and sanctify them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their garments. And they shall be prepared for the third day, for on the third day Hashem will descend before the eyes of all the people upon Mount Sinai.”
This command marked the הקדמה (preparation) for the giving of the Torah, including the mitzvah of הגבלה—setting boundaries around the mountain—and the mitzvah of פרישה, separation and sanctification in advance of the revelation. According to the simple reading understood by the Sages, this preparation spanned multiple days, while Rabbi Yosef teaches that Moshe Rabbeinu himself added an extra day of preparation, and Hashem agreed with his decision—demonstrating the unique partnership between Heaven and Moshe in transmitting the Torah.
The timing of these ימים של הכנה is discussed among the Sages, with differing views regarding the exact day of the week and date in Sivan upon which the Torah was given. All agree, however, that these days were filled with קדושה, restraint, and elevation, preparing the people for the moment when Hashem would reveal Himself openly before all Israel.
Furthermore, “Moshe came and told the people all the words of Hashem and all the משפטים”—including the שבע מצוות בני נח, the mitzvah of Shabbat, honoring parents, and the civil laws that had already been given at Marah. Moshe also wrote all the words of Hashem, from the beginning of creation until the giving of the Torah, together with the commandments already commanded to them, establishing the foundation of Torah shebichtav and its transmission.
Thus, even before the revelation itself, the process had already begun—through preparation, teaching, writing, and sanctification—laying the groundwork for the eternal covenant between Hashem and His people, with deeper understanding yet to be revealed in its proper time.