The Giving of the Torah in Exodus 19: Timing, Preparation, and Moses' Bold Decisions (Shabbat 86b-87a)

Part of a series of posts on the aggadic sugya of Matan Torah (“Giving of the Torah”, in Shabbat 86b-89b), on the occasion of the upcoming holiday of Shavuot.¹

This passage from the Talmud addresses two interconnected questions about the events in Exodus 19 surrounding the Revelation at Mount Sinai: When exactly the Ten Commandments were given, and how Moses interpreted and extended God’s instructions in preparation for the event.

See Wikipedia, “Yitro”, sections “Fourth reading—Exodus 19:1–6” and “Fifth reading—Exodus 19:7–19” (with slight revisions):

In the fourth reading, three months to the day after the Israelites left Egypt, they entered the wilderness at the foot of Mount Sinai.

Moses went up Mount Sinai, and God told him to tell the Israelites that if they would obey God faithfully and keep God's covenant, they would be God's treasured possession, a “kingdom of priests”, and a holy nation [...]

When Moses told the elders, all the people answered: "All that YHWH has spoken we will do!" and Moses brought the people's words back to God.

God instructed Moses to have the people stay pure, wash their clothes, and prepare for the third day, when God would come down in the sight of the people, on Mount Sinai.

A dispute between R' Yosei and the majority of the Sages hinges on the dating of the New Moon in the month of Sivan (~May/June), which affects the chronology of the days leading up to the Revelation. Each opinion outlines a day-by-day reconstruction of the key divine commands: declaring Israel a “kingdom of priests,” setting physical boundaries around Mount Sinai, and refraining from sex² before the encounter with the Divine.

The sugya then shifts focus to a striking assertion: Moses took three major actions on his own initiative—adding an extra day of separation, refraining from sex, and breaking the tablets after the sin of the Golden Calf. In each case, the rabbis provide both the logical reasoning Moses may have used and the biblical evidence that God retroactively approved his decisions.

This combination of calendrical debate, halakhic reasoning, and bold prophetic judgment offers a unique glimpse into how the rabbis imagined not only the mechanics of divine revelation, but also the human role in interpreting and even shaping it.

Bible Verses - Exodus 19:1-16

Summary of the passage (Exodus 19:1–16):

1. Arrival at Sinai: Three months after leaving Egypt, the Israelites arrive at the wilderness of Sinai and camp opposite the mountain.

2. God's Message: Moses ascends the mountain. God tells him to relay to the people that they have seen His power in Egypt and how He brought them to Himself. If they obey and keep His covenant, they will become His treasured people, a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.

3. People’s Response: Moses conveys the message. The people unanimously agree: 'All that YHWH has spoken, we will do.'

4. God Prepares a Revelation: God says He will appear in a thick cloud so the people hear Him and trust Moses. He commands the people to purify themselves over two days, avoid contact with the mountain, and refrain from sexual relations.

5. Boundary and Warning: No one is to touch the mountain until the ram’s horn sounds (משך היבל). Violators must be killed without direct contact.

6. The Third Day: On the morning of the third day, thunder, lightning, a thick cloud, and a loud horn blast descend on Sinai. The people are terrified. The stage is set for divine revelation.

Exodus.19.1-16 (translation JPS 1985, from Sefaria, with adjustments):

בחדש השלישי לצאת בני־ישראל מארץ מצרים

ביום הזה

באו מדבר סיני

ויסעו מרפידים

ויבאו מדבר סיני

ויחנו במדבר

ויחן־שם ישראל נגד ההר

On the third new moon after the Israelites had gone forth from the land of Egypt,

on that very day,

they entered the wilderness of Sinai.

Having journeyed from Rephidim,

they entered the wilderness of Sinai

and encamped in the wilderness.

Israel encamped there in front of the mountain,

ומשה עלה אל־האלהים

ויקרא אליו יהוה מן־ההר לאמר:

כה תאמר לבית יעקב

ותגיד לבני ישראל:

אתם ראיתם אשר עשיתי למצרים

ואשא אתכם על־כנפי נשרים

ואבא אתכם אלי

and Moses went up to God.

YHWH called to him from the mountain, saying,

“Thus shall you say to the house of Jacob

and declare to the children of Israel:

‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians,

how I bore you on eagles’ wings

and brought you to Me.

ועתה

אם־שמוע תשמעו בקלי

ושמרתם את־בריתי

והייתם לי סגלה מכל־העמים

כי־לי כל־הארץ

ואתם תהיו־לי ממלכת כהנים וגוי קדוש

אלה הדברים אשר תדבר אל־בני ישראל

Now then,

if you will obey Me faithfully

and keep My covenant,

you shall be My treasured possession among all the peoples.

Indeed, all the earth is Mine,

but you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’

These are the words that you shall speak to the children of Israel.”

ויבא משה

ויקרא לזקני העם

וישם לפניהם את כל־הדברים האלה אשר צוהו יהוה

ויענו כל־העם יחדו ויאמרו:

כל אשר־דבר יהוה נעשה

וישב משה את־דברי העם אל־יהוה

Moses came

and summoned the elders of the people

and put before them all that YHWH had commanded him.

All the people answered as one, saying,

“All that YHWH has spoken we will do!”

And Moses brought back the people’s words to YHWH.

ויאמר יהוה אל־משה:

הנה אנכי בא אליך בעב הענן

בעבור ישמע העם בדברי עמך

וגם־בך יאמינו לעולם

ויגד משה את־דברי העם אל־יהוה

And YHWH said to Moses,

“I will come to you in a thick cloud,

in order that the people may hear when I speak with you

and so trust you ever after.”

Then Moses reported the people’s words to YHWH

ויאמר יהוה אל־משה:

לך אל־העם

וקדשתם היום ומחר

וכבסו שמלתם

והיו נכנים ליום השלישי

כי  ביום השלשי ירד יהוה

לעיני כל־העם

על־הר סיני

והגבלת את־העם סביב לאמר:

השמרו לכם עלות בהר

ונגע בקצהו

כל־הנגע בהר מות יומת

לא־תגע בו יד

כי־סקול יסקל או־ירה יירה

אם־בהמה אם־איש

לא יחיה

במשך היבל

המה יעלו בהר

and YHWH said to Moses,

“Go to the people

and warn them to stay pure today and tomorrow.

Let them wash their clothes.

Let them be ready for the third day;

for on the third day YHWH will come down,

in the sight of all the people,

on Mount Sinai.

You shall set bounds for the people round about, saying,

‘Beware of going up the mountain

or touching the border of it.

Whoever touches the mountain shall be put to death

no hand shall touch him,

but he shall be either stoned or shot;

beast or man,

he shall not live.’

When the ram’s horn sounds a long blast,

they may go up on the mountain.”

וירד משה מן־ההר אל־העם

ויקדש את־העם

ויכבסו שמלתם

ויאמר אל־העם:

היו נכנים לשלשת ימים

אל־תגשו אל־אשה

Moses came down from the mountain to the people

and warned the people to stay pure,

and they washed their clothes.

And he said to the people,

“Be ready for the third day:

do not go near a woman.”

ויהי ביום השלישי

בהית הבקר

ויהי קלת וברקים

וענן כבד על־ההר

וקל שפר חזק מאד

ויחרד כל־העם אשר במחנה

On the third day,

as morning dawned,

there was thunder, and lightning,

and a dense cloud upon the mountain,

and a very loud blast of the horn;

and all the people who were in the camp trembled.

Outline

Bible Verses - Exodus 19:1-16

The Passage - The Giving of the Torah: Disputes Over Timing, Preparation, and Moses' Bold Decisions (Shabbat 86b-87a)

1. The Date of the Giving of the Torah

2. Sequence of Events According to the Talmud’s Interpretation of the Tannaitic Dispute (Exodus 19:6,12,15)

3. Three Actions Moses Took on His Own Authority, and God approved (Exodus 32:19)

4. Moses’ Justifications for his Three Actions

   1. Adding an extra day (Exodus 19:10)

      1. Divine Approval

   2. Refraining from sex

      1. Divine Approval (Deuteronomy 5:26-27; Numbers 12:8)

   3. Breaking the Tablets (Exodus 12:43)

      1. Divine Approval (Exodus 34:1)

The Passage

Shabbat.86b.5-87a.5

The Date of the Giving of the Torah

The anonymous majority sages say the Ten Commandments were given on the 6th of Sivan.³

R' Yosei says they were given on the 7th of Sivan.

תנו רבנן:

בששי בחדש ניתנו עשרת הדברות לישראל.

רבי יוסי אומר: בשבעה בו.

[...]

The Sages taught:

On the 6th day of the month of Sivan, the Ten Commandments were given to the Jewish people.

R' Yosei says: On the 7th day of the month.

[...]

Sequence of Events According to the Talmud’s Interpretation of the Tannaitic Dispute (Exodus 19:6,12,15)

1. Sunday: No commands, due to the people's exhaustion⁴ from travel.⁵

2. Monday: God said, "You shall be to Me a kingdom of priests" (Exodus 19:6)⁶

3. Tuesday: Command to set boundaries.⁷

4. Wednesday: Command for refraining from sex (Exodus 19:15 - פרישה).

According to the majority tannatic rabbis (רבנן), each of these was a day later:

1. Monday: No commands due to exhaustion.

2. Tuesday: "You shall be to Me a kingdom of priests."

3. Wednesday: Command to set boundaries around the mountain.

4. Thursday: Command for refraining from sex.

כי פליגי בקביעא דירחא:

רבי יוסי סבר —

1. בחד בשבא -- איקבע ירחא,

   1. ובחד בשבא לא אמר להו ולא מידי, משום חולשא דאורחא;

2. בתרי בשבא -- אמר להו: ״ואתם תהיו לי ממלכת כהנים״;

3. בתלתא -- אמר להו מצות הגבלה;

4. בארבעה -- עבוד פרישה.

ורבנן סברי —

1. בתרי בשבא איקבע ירחא,

   1. בתרי בשבא לא אמר להו ולא מידי, משום חולשא דאורחא;

2. בתלתא -- אמר להו: ״ואתם תהיו לי״;

3. בארבעה -- אמר להו מצות הגבלה;

4. בחמשא -- עבוד פרישה.

[...]

Where R' Yosei and the Sages disagree is with regard to the determination of the month, meaning which day of the week was established as the New Moon.

R' Yosei held:

1. The New Moon was established on the first day of the week,

   1. and on the first day of the week He did not say anything to them due to the weariness caused by the journey.

2. On the second day of the week, He said to them: “And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation; these are the words that you shall speak to the children of Israel” (Exodus 19:6).

3. On the third day of the week, God said to them the mitzva of setting boundaries around Mount Sinai.

4. On the fourth day of the week, the husbands and wives separated from one another.

And the Rabbis hold:

1. On the second day of the week the New Moon was established,

   1. and on the second day of the week God did not say anything to them due to the weariness caused by their journey.

2. On the third day of the week, God said to them: “And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation; these are the words that you shall speak to the children of Israel” (Exodus 19:6).

3. On the fourth day of the week, God said to them the mitzva of setting boundaries around Mount Sinai.

4. On the fifth day of the week, the husbands and wives separated from one another.

[...]

Three Actions Moses Took on His Own Authority, and God approved (Exodus 32:19)

Three actions Moses took on his own authority,⁸ which God approved:

1. Adding an extra day (of refraining from sex, mentioned in the earlier section)

2. Separating from women⁹

3. Breaking the Tablets (Exodus 32:19 - שבר את הלוחות; after the sin of the Golden Calf)

תניא:

שלשה דברים עשה משה מדעתו,

והסכים הקדוש ברוך הוא עמו:

1. הוסיף יום אחד מדעתו,

2. ופירש מן האשה,

3. ושבר את הלוחות.

it was taught in a baraita:

Moses did three things based on his own perception,

and the Holy One, Blessed be He, agreed with him:

1. He added one day to the days of separation before the revelation at Sinai based on his own perception.

2. And he totally separated from his wife after the revelation at Sinai.

3. And he broke the tablets following the sin of the Golden Calf.

Moses’ Justifications for his Three Actions

Adding an extra day (Exodus 19:10)

Moses derived it from the phrase "today and tomorrow" (Exodus 19:10), reasoning that "today" should be like "tomorrow" (including the preceding night).

הוסיף יום אחד מדעתו,

מאי דרש?

״היום ומחר״ —

היום כמחר.

מה למחר לילו עמו,

אף היום לילו עמו.

ולילה דהאידנא נפק ליה,

שמע מינה תרי יומי לבר מהאידנא.

The Gemara discusses these cases: He added one day based on his own perception.

What source did he interpret that led him to do so?

He reasoned that since the Holy One, Blessed be He, said: “Sanctify them today and tomorrow,”

the juxtaposition of the two days teaches that today is like tomorrow;

just as tomorrow the men and women will separate for that day and the night preceding it,

so too, today requires separation for the day and the night preceding it.

Since God spoke to him in the morning, and the night of that day already passed,

Moses concluded: Derive from it that separation must be in effect for two days besides that day. Therefore, he extended the mitzva of separation by one day.

Divine Approval

The Shekhinah did not rest (on Mount Sinai) until Shabbat morning.¹⁰

ומנלן דהסכים הקדוש ברוך הוא על ידו?

דלא שראי שכינה עד צפרא דשבתא.

And from where do we derive that the Holy One, Blessed be He, agreed with his interpretation?

It is derived from the fact that the Divine Presence did not rest upon Mount Sinai until Shabbat morning, as Moses had determined.

Refraining from sex

Moses reasoned that if common Israelites had to refrain from sex before the one-time revelation (as mentioned earlier), then he, who constantly received prophecy from the Shekhinah, should be celibate.

ופירש מן האשה,

מאי דרש?

נשא קל וחומר בעצמו,

אמר:

ומה ישראל

שלא דברה שכינה עמהן אלא שעה אחת,

וקבע להן זמן,

אמרה תורה: ״והיו נכנים וגו׳ אל תגשו״.

אני,

שכל שעה ושעה שכינה מדברת עמי,

ואינו קובע לי זמן

על אחת כמה וכמה.

And he totally separated from his wife after the revelation at Sinai.

What source did he interpret that led him to do so?

He reasoned an a fortiori inference by himself

and said:

If Israel,

with whom the Divine Presence spoke only one time

and God set a specific time for them when the Divine Presence would be revealed,

and yet the Torah stated: “Prepare yourselves for three days, do not approach a woman” (Exodus 19:15);

I,

with whom the Divine Presence speaks all the time

and God does not set a specific time for me,

all the more so that I must separate from my wife.

Divine Approval (Deuteronomy 5:26-27; Numbers 12:8)

ומנלן דהסכים הקדוש ברוך הוא על ידו?

דכתיב: ״לך אמר להם שובו לכם לאהליכם״,

וכתיב בתריה: ״ואתה פה עמד עמדי״.

ואית דאמרי: ״פה אל פה אדבר בו״.

And from where do we derive that the Holy One, Blessed be He, agreed with him?

As it is written after the revelation at Sinai: “Go say to them: Return to your tents” (Deuteronomy 5:26), meaning to your homes and wives.

And afterward it is written that God told Moses: “And you, stand here with Me” (Deuteronomy 5:27), indicating that Moses was not allowed to return home, as he must constantly be prepared to receive the word of God.

And some say a different source indicating that God agreed with his reasoning. When Aaron and Miriam criticized Moses’ separation from his wife, God said: “With him do I speak mouth to mouth, even manifestly, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the Lord does he behold; why then were you not afraid to speak against My servant, against Moses?” (Numbers 12:8). This indicates that God agreed with his reasoning.

Breaking the Tablets (Exodus 12:43)

If the Torah prohibits an apostate from eating the Passover sacrifice (understood from Exodus 12:43), how much more so should the entire Torah not be given to an entire nation of apostates (משומדים).

שבר את הלוחות,

מאי דרש?

אמר:

ומה פסח

שהוא אחד מתרי״ג מצות,

אמרה תורה: ״וכל בן נכר לא יאכל בו״.

התורה כולה [כאן]

וישראל משומדים

על אחת כמה וכמה

And he broke the tablets following the sin of the Golden Calf.

What source did he interpret that led him to do so?

Moses said:

With regard to the Paschal lamb,

which is only one of six hundred and thirteen mitzvot,

the Torah stated: “And the Lord said unto Moses and Aaron: This is the ordinance of the Paschal offering; no alien shall eat of it” (Exodus 12:43), referring not only to gentiles, but to apostate Jews as well.

Regarding the tablets, which represented the entire Torah,

and Israel at that moment were apostates,

as they were worshipping the calf, all the more so are they not worthy of receiving the Torah.

Divine Approval (Exodus 34:1)

God indirectly praised Moses by saying: "Which you broke" (Exodus 34:1) (אשר שברת), which Reish Lakish interpreted as meaning “Well done for breaking them” (יישר כחך ששברת).

ומנלן דהסכים הקדוש ברוך הוא על ידו?

שנאמר: ״אשר שברת״,

ואמר ריש לקיש: יישר כחך ששברת.

And from where do we derive that the Holy One, Blessed be He, agreed with his reasoning?

As it is stated: “The first tablets which you broke [asher shibarta]” (Exodus 34:1),

and Reish Lakish said: The word asher is an allusion to the phrase: May your strength be true [yishar koḥakha] due to the fact that you broke the tablets.

1. See the previous installments:

• The three-part series “Conditionality of Creation, Crowns, and Commitment: the Cosmic Significance of the Giving of the Torah and the Revelation at Sinai (Shabbat 88a-89a)”, final part here.

• “Humanity's Deserving of the Torah on Trial: Moses Convincingly Argues That the Ten Commandments Are Irrelevant For Angels (Shabbat 88b-89a)”

2. Notably, throughout, ed. Steinsaltz consistently translates/interprets refraining from sex as specifically marital sex. However, there’s no indication of that, both in the Biblical verses, or in the Talmud. The Biblical verses states:

אל־תגשו אל־אשה

do not go near a woman

And the Talmud simply refers to the command for the Israelites to refrain from sex as “separation” (פרישה), and Moses’ permanent refraining from sex (i.e. celibacy) with that same verb: “separating from a/the woman” (see later note).

3. ~May–June.

See Wikipedia, “Shavuot”, section “Significance”, subsection “Giving of the Torah“:

Shavuot is not explicitly named in the Bible as the day on which the Torah was revealed by God to the Israelite nation at Mount Sinai, although this is commonly considered to be its main significance.

Unlike other major holidays, the Torah does not specify the date of Shavuot, but only that it falls 50 days after Passover, placing it at the 6th of Sivan according to the current fixed calendar (in earlier times when months were fixed by lunar observation, the date could vary by a day or two).

The Torah states that the Israelites reached Sinai on the first day of the third month following the Exodus, i.e. Sivan.

Then several events occurred, taking a total of at least three days, before the Torah was given.

Thus, it is plausible that the giving of the Torah occurred on or about Shavuot, but no exact date is mentioned.

4. חולשא - literally: “weakness”.

5. אורחא - literally: “of the road”.

6. See Jews as the chosen people - Wikipedia, especially section “In religious texts”.

7. הגבלה - around Mount Sinai, as stated in Exodus 19:12, see Wikipedia, summary there:

God told Moses to set bounds around the mountain, threatening whoever touched the mountain with death, and Moses did so.

8. מדעתו - literally: “from his [own] mind”; as opposed to having been commanded to do so by God; around the time of the Revelation.

9. פירש מן האשה - literally: “separating from the/a woman”, i.e. he was celibate.

Here, האשה doesn’t refer to one specific woman. Instead, the ה functions like in some Hebrew mass nouns—referring generically to 'woman' or 'women' as a category. So the phrase means 'he was celibate' or 'he abstained from sexual relations altogether'.

There’s no direct Biblical source that explicitly states Moses permanently separated from his wife Zipporah.

However, there are a few passages that were seen by the Talmudic rabbis as suggesting such a separation.

10. As stated earlier in the sugya, in a part that I elided.