Maghen Abraham - Thoughts From Mayer Sasson

"And all the people were seeing the sounds... and the nation saw and they trembled and stood afar off."

"The people were seeing" or "he saw"

On this verse the Sar Shalom of Belz asks: Why does the verse begin in the plural "were seeing" and end in the singular "he saw"?

In order to explain this question the Rabbi Belz asks an additional question: It says in Sefer Yeshayahu that in the future when Mashiach comes the world will be filled with knowledge and wisdom, as it says "for the world will be filled of knowledge of G-d like water that covers the sea". This means that in the future at the End of Days each person will be filled and covered with the knowledge and wisdom of G-d, just as the water covers the sea.

The Sar Shalom asks – how can it be that they will all be full of the wisdom of G-d with no difference? How will a simple person be able to be the same as a righteous person on a high level?

The Sar Shalom answers: From the top the sea seems to be all equal and at a single height, but we know that this is not so. The height of the bottom of the sea varies greatly. There are places where it is high and places that are low; there are mountains in it and there are valleys.

That is how it will be in Future Times: On the surface it will seem that everyone is equal in knowledge and wisdom (like the sea that seems to be a uniform height on the surface). However, in truth each person will merit to be filled with knowledge at a different level, according to his level, just like the bottom of the sea that has various levels.

So too in our Parsha of Yitro. It says "And all the people were seeing the sounds" – all the people, even the simple ones merited to see Divine revelation, just like the sea that seems to be the same all over. However, each person saw differently, each one according to his level. Therefore, at the end of the verse, it says in the singular "and the nation saw and they trembled and stood afar off". Each person saw according to his level and understanding.

SHABBAT SHALOM!!