By telling and re-telling difficult, even ethically repugnant, stories in the Torah, we may move from silence to healing and from narrowness to expanse.
A genuinely egalitarian religious tradition can only exist when we consciously work to include voices that have been excluded, from the ancient world forward.
The enterprise of Talmud Torah tunes our ear to listen for the Divine voice. It is a lifelong project that connects us to the shared consciousness of the Jewish people as we/they have sought God throughout time.
The Bible's description of the shuddering of the people at Mount Sinai reflects a deep truth about how moments of revelatory insight can be frightening.