The Giving of the Torah on Mt. Sinai is not only an event of the distant past. Every Shavuot, and — to a lesser extent — every day, we relive that experience. This is reflected in our praise of G‑d as “the Giver of the Torah,” using the present tense, and in the mandate of our Sages that we always view the Torah as “something new which we received today.”
In this light, the physical setting of the Giving of the Torah becomes important. Mt. Sinai symbolizes the personal qualities that enable an individual to acquire the Torah.
The Midrash, when relating that G‑d chose Mt. Sinai for the Giving of the Torah because it was “the smallest of all mountains,” emphasizes the importance of humility. If so, then one could ask why G‑d did not give the Torah on a plain or in a valley, the answer is that the choice of a mountain indicates the need for a certain degree of self-esteem. For both these qualities — humility and self-esteem — are necessary to our acquisition of Torah.
The combination of these two qualities was epitomized in Moshe Rabbeinu. On one hand, he was the leader of the Jewish people. He received the Torah on Mt. Sinai and studied with G‑d for forty days and forty nights. He himself wrote the verse, “And there never arose in Israel a prophet like Moshe.” Nevertheless, he was “more humble than all the men on the face of the earth.”
Moshe realized that all of his gifts had been given to him by G‑d. Furthermore, he believed that if these gifts had been given to someone else, that person would have achieved more than he. The awareness of his great potential did not spur Moshe to egotistic pride, neither did his humility prevent him from appreciating and utilizing his capacities.
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