A Tale of Three Mountains
An exploration through the role of mountains in the Torah.
At the culmination of Parashas Haazinu, we find Hashem commanding Moshe to go up to the mountain for a last look at Eretz Yisrael before his death. The Torah tells us1 that Moshe’s death was to be like Aharon’s, as they were both to die on top of a mountain.
What is the significance of going up to a mountain to prepare for their death? Furthermore, what is the general significance of mountains in the Torah, as they seem to be all over the place?
Avraham Avinu took Yitzchak to Har HaMoriah for the Akeidah. This mountain would be the place for the Beis Hamikdash later on.
We find that the king of Sodom ran to the mountains to hide, as did Lot later on, with the decimation of Sodom.
Yaakov when giving his bracha to Yosef referred to him as a ‘high mountain’, in saying that Yosef should be at the head of his brothers2.
During the war with Amalek, Moshe went up on the mountain and raised his hands to support the war.
Perhaps, more famously the Torah was given on Har Sinai, and it was on Har Sinai that Moshe went up to beg for forgiveness for the Jewish people after the sin of the golden calf. Additionally, it was on Har Sinai that Moshe received the second set of Luchos.
As mentioned above, Aharon HaKohen was niftar on Har Nevo.
Dovid Hamelech said3 “I lift up my eyes to the mountains — from where does my help come? My help comes from Hashem, the Maker of heaven and earth.”
There are many more examples throughout Tanach of the use of mountains. Devorah and Sisera, Har Grizim and Har Eval, Eliyahu HaNavi etc..
When discussing this with a friend, Shmuel Johnson, he suggested that all the turning points in the history of the Jewish people happened on mountains.
Mountains seem to serve as monumental turning points in the Torah.
A mountain is commonly used as a parable for taking the hard road in life, without shortcuts. As Rabbi Jonathan Sacks said4:
“Creativity without failure is like being lifted to the top of a mountain without the climb. It may be fun, but it is not an achievement.”
With all this talk about mountains, it is interesting to note that mountains did not exist at the time of the creation of the world. Through upheavals during the days of Enosh, the terrain became mountainous and rocky.5 As the generations continued, further storms and geological upheavals occurred, climaxing with the Flood of Noach, and through these the mountains and hills were formed.6
We also find that the Clouds of Glory in the desert flattened the topography of the desert with 3 exceptions. Har Sinai, Har Nevo and Har HaHar.7 These mountains had special significance.
The Igra D’Kalla8 tells us that these mountains were already alluded to when Moshe was at the burning bush, the סנה stands for -סיני - נבו - ההר . They were intended for three separate things as alluded to in the passuk9 שפת אמ"ת תכון לעד The word Emes stands for - אהר"ן מש"ה תור"ה.
Let’s take this a step further, the Mishnah10 tells us:
רַבָּן שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן גַּמְלִיאֵל אוֹמֵר, עַל שְׁלשָׁה דְבָרִים הָעוֹלָם עוֹמֵד, עַל הַדִּין וְעַל הָאֱמֶת וְעַל הַשָּׁלוֹם
Rabban Shimon ben Gamaliel used to say: on three things does the world stand: On justice, on truth and on peace.
Din, Emes and Shalom represent these three mountains as well.
We see that the mountains represented a place of coming closer to Hashem with a pure heart. Over the Yamim Noraim we say the following words from Tehillim.11
Who will ascend Hashem’s mountain, and who will stand upon His holy place? Someone who has clean hands, and a pure heart, who does not invoke My Name over nothing, and does not swear to deceit. He will receive a blessing from Hashem, and righteousness from the G-d of his salvation. This is the generation of those who seek after Him, who seek Your face, Yaakov. Selah.
Rabbi Micha Berger explains12 “The one ready to utilize Torah to ascend is the one who works on the purity and honesty of his own heart.”
We can choose the path of holiness, the path of the Ushpizin; Avraham, Yitzchak, Yaakov, Yosef, Moshe Aharon and Dovid - and go up the mountain.
Alternatively, we can choose the path of triteness, the path of Korach, the path of the Egyptians in the Yam Suf, the path of the Dor Hamabul, or the path that so many have taken throughout our history. Yet, this path, as enticing as it may be, leads one to fall down to the deepest depths of destruction.
The path up the mountain is reserved for those of holy stature.
“The power of the mountain is not in how it shakes its fists, sways with the wind, or moves about in the face of change — rather, it stays still. The mountain’s power is in its ability to know where it needs to be and its role in the world. With this quiet greatness, it does not back down.”
— Ilana Kendal13
The path down to purgatory is for those who are only concerned about the politics of the matter. As Dovid Hamelech said in Tehillim 14
הָרִים כַּדּוֹנַג נָמַסּוּ מִלִּפְנֵי ה’ מִלִּפְנֵי אֲדוֹן כָּל הָאָרֶץ
Mountains will melt like wax before Hashem, before the Master of all the earth. When Hashem gave the Torah, some mountains became lower, as if they had melted. Some arrogant people consider themselves to be as mighty as mountains. When they find out Who is really in charge, they will “melt” before Hashem.15
Rabbi Sacks writes:
“Politics is not a religion nor a substitute for one. The two are inherently different activities. Religion seeks truth, politics deals in power. Religion aims at unity, liberal democracy is about the mediation of conflict, politics is the art of compromise. Religion aspires to the ideal, politics lives in the real, the less-than-idea. Religion is about the truths that do not change, politics is about the challenges that constantly change. Harold Wilson said, ‘A week is a long time in politics.’ The book of Psalms says, ‘A thousand years are in your sight as yesterday when it is gone’ (Ps. 90:4). Religion inhabits the pure mountain air of eternity, politics the bustle of the here-and-now.” 16
Sometimes the world of the mountain seems so out of reach, but we can still appreciate the mountain and yearn to climb it.
Victor Frankl writes:
“If someone had seen our faces on the journey from Auschwitz to a Bavarian camp as we beheld the mountains of Salzburg with their summits glowing in the sunset, through the little barred windows of the prison carriage, he would never have believed that those were the faces of men who had given up all hope of life and liberty. Despite that factor—or maybe because of it—we were carried away by nature's beauty, which we had missed for so long.”17
Even if we feel we are so downtrodden and subjugated and nowhere near the mountain, we can look up towards the mountain and dream. We can climb our inner mountains and come closer to Hashem.
Hashem is described as being on a mountain because we have to climb up to reach Him. We must undergo a process of refining ourselves. It doesn’t happen instantaneously or without effort. But if we do the work and “climb the mountain,” we, too, are elevated and rewarded by feeling intensely close to Hashem’s holiness.
In fact, the Hafla’ah writes18 that the letters preceding and following the letters in the word הר spell קדוש, holy. When we climb the mountain, we are enveloped in holiness.
Recently there has been a TikTok trend of a clip of a Miami Boys Choir song to the words from Tehillim19
Yerushalayim Harim Saviv Lah, V’Hashem Saviv L’Amo. Just as hills surround Yerushalayim, so too Hashem surrounds his people.
May we all merit to see the day that we can climb up the hills around Yerushalayim to the Makom Hamikdash and feel the embrace of Hashem.
Devarim 32; 48-52
Bereishis 49; 26
Tehillim 121:1–2
Celebrating Life pg 33
Yalkut Shimoni 1:47.
See Maharatz Chajes, Niddah 23a. - quoted in A Jewish Guide to the Mysterious pg 364. See also Tehillim 90; 2.
Bamidbar Rabba 19
Chukas
Mishlei 12; 19
Pirkei Avos 1;18
Tehillim 24:3–6
Tehillim 97; 5
Explanation by Rivka Segal, Living Tehillim
Not in God’s Name p. 229
Panim Yafot, Haazinu 32;49
125:2
Fascinating! You should write a book