Descending Revelation

This Tuesday Night, June the 7th, Jews worldwide will celebrate the festival of Shavuot (see here for more written on the subject), which commemorates the most monumental event of our history - the Giving of the Torah, where G-d Said Hello to all of mankind. 10 commandments were spoken at Mt. Sinai - the 1st 2 by G-d, the other 8 by Moses. These 10 commandments are said to represent the entire Torah; all of its great Divine Wisdom encapsulated in the 620 words of these 10 commandments. It's interesting to note that there are 613 Mitzvot throughout the Torah, as well as 7 that the Rabbis instituted, equaling 620. (Or some say the 7 Laws of Noah given to all humanity to follow).

Innumerable amounts of ink have been spilled by the Sages throughout history to explain the deep meaning behind the 10 commandments. But let's focus here on one idea. The 1st of the 10 commandments is:
"I am Hashem your G-d, who took you out of the land of Egypt."
Interestingly, the word used for "I" here is "Anochi" & not the usual Hebrew word for 'I' - "ani." The Midrash explains that anochi is actually not a Hebrew word - but an ancient Egyptian one! What??
For the 1st word G-d Used to Communicate to the Jewish people, why Use the language of the most materialistic, unholy nation of that era?

Perhaps we are being taught something about the nature of Torah and of what being a Jew is all about. G-d Desires, not only to relate to the sacred, spiritual aspect of our lives (represented by Hebrew, the holy language.) He Desires to Affect, to Reach the material "Egyptian" dimension of our psyches as well. The Torah & its Mitzvot that were given to us, are thus designed to elevate and refine our "Egyptian" sides. That is the whole purpose of Mt. Sinai. Hence the use of "anochi." G-d Doesn't Want holy beings to do holy things. For that He Could Have Given the Torah to Angelic beings, or to souls without bodies. G-d Wants unholy beings to do holy things.

Imagine if a paper fell from the heavens tonight, with a message from G-d to you! Well, that's what happened thousands of years ago, and is happening every day since then. "One should accept the Torah anew every day as if it was given on that very day." (Midrash)
Let's celebrate this amazing gift we were given, this coming Wednesday, where the 10 commandments will be recounted at a synagogue near you!

Shabbat Shalom!

-Daniel