...At least that’s what you would think.

G-d however found a different motionless picture.

Let me explain:

The Jews were about to experience the crème de la crème of G-dly revelations. The Sinai Experience was unprecedented and never duplicated. An entire nation, some 3 million people, were about to have an encounter with G-d.

They say a picture is worth more than a thousand words. So stop reading this article for a moment and try to picture yourself in that situation: slavery, miraculous plagues, Exodus, splitting of the sea, manna, bitter waters turned sweet, supernatural victory in battle… who/what is behind all these miracles?

Patience, you’ll soon find out.

Patience? How soon?

Continue counting the weeks and days… 45 of 49 days have already passed. 46, 47, 48… in two days you will meet the Phenomenon behind the phenomena… 49, in one day you will be addressed by the Creator of creation… the sun sets over the Sinai desert… in twelve hours you will know beyond any shadow of doubt there really is a G-d…

Can you sleep?

Twelve hours later G-d appears on the mountain. And you are fast asleep.

Shocking as it sounds, that’s what happened.

It is so shocking because everything else happened just as you would imagine. The Jews were curious who was behind the miracles. The Jews were excited about the Sinai Encounter. They did count the days.

They not only waited for this day; they arduously prepared for it. In 49 days they went through every aspect of their character and refined it to perfection in order to be worthy of this Divine Revelation. And yet when G-d finally appeared He found a People in deep sleep.

How did they sleep in? How did they sleep, period?

They slept well actually. Very well.

They slept because they were tired. Tired of trying to perfect a soul while it is trapped in a body. After 49 days of character refinement they yearned for something more, something super special as a final preparation for the big day.

In anticipation of meeting G-d they yearned to be G-dly. They went to sleep to let their souls transcend the limitations of the physical body, and enjoy drifting amongst supernal beings.

After all, Abraham fell into a deep sleep when G-d met with him at the covenant. Jacob was sleeping when he saw the angels on the ladder and was addressed by G-d. And throughout Jewish history sleep time has been utilized for spiritual revelation and insight.

This night was no different. Or at least so they thought.

In reality this night was very different. That night in Sinai should have been sleepless.

You see, the whole point of the Sinai experience was to enable humans to find G-d in the physical. G-d descended upon the mountain, gave Moses stone tablets, and gave us tangible dos and don’ts, because He wanted the ball to be played in our court.

He wanted us to experience Him here. But we were sleeping.

We were sleeping because we missed the point. We did not understand that the best place to find G-d would be right here. We thought we would meet G-d in some deep meditation. But G-d wanted to meet us in a physical Mitzvah. We thought we can only find G-d in a nightly vision. But G-d wanted to be found in our daily lives.

Our ancestors meant well, but today we know better. We stay awake all night the first night of Shavuot, because we know that even if you experience the Sinai revelation in your sleep it is still only a dream, but if you find G-dliness in you conscious actions you have helped make the Sinai dream a reality.