Rayner John A. Cartagena Gr.

XII- Our Lady of the Holy Rosary

The Covenant and Journey to Canaan

Importance of Sinai Covenant

We all know Shavuot as Zman Matan Torateinu – the time of the giving of our
Torah – yet there is no mention of that in the Torah itself. Rather, the Torah refers to it
simply as the 50th day after bringing the first sheaf of the new harvest: “Then you shall
bring an offering of new grain to the Lord” (Leviticus 23:16), and “On that same day you
shall hold a celebration” (Lev. 23:21). Numbers 28:26 calls it “the day of the first fruits,
your Feast of Weeks.”

The significance of the events at Sinai is both in the content and in the covenant.
According to the accounts in the Torah itself, the content of the revelation was the Ten
Pronouncements and some basic laws recounted in the Torah portion of Mishpatim.
Other laws were given subsequently during the years of wandering. Modern biblical
studies extend that period and see the Torah as a compilation of interpretations of
Moses’s original teachings by different schools that was completed at the time of Ezra,
when it was accepted as the law of Israel (Nehemiah 8:1-6). We are justified in calling it
“the Torah” – i.e., teaching – “of Moses” since it is based on his instruction to the people
of Israel.

The covenant at Sinai is the second covenant made by God and our ancestors.
The first was the covenant of Abraham, stated in the very first words God said to him: “I
will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you” (Genesis 12:2). Later, he is told that
the covenant includes granting the Land of Canaan to his descendants (Gen. 15:18-21).
But nothing is demanded of Abraham, or later of Isaac or Jacob. They are granted
God’s gifts and blessings because of their loyalty to God. It is not until the time of
Moses, at Sinai, that the second covenant is made – not simply a gift, but a conditional
agreement between two parties: “If you will obey Me faithfully and keep My covenant,
you shall be My treasured possession among all the peoples” (Exodus 19:5).

Pentateuch as Law

The Pentateuch, or Books of the Law, consist of the first five books of the Old
Testament: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. Christians refer to
these books as the Pentateuch, meaning “five books” or “five scrolls,” while Jews refer
to them as the Torah.

According to both Christian and Jewish tradition, the books were written by
Moses. Today, conservative Christian and traditional Jewish scholars still maintain an
emphasis on authorship by Moses, while other Christians and scholars believe that the
contents of the books were passed down through oral tradition and recorded by different
people over a span of centuries.
 These books of Law or the Pentateuch are a collection of historical narrative,
legal codes or commandments, and poetry that describes the nature of God’s people by
setting forth their founding history and their codes of conduct.

Book of Deuteronomy

The Book of Deuteronomy is the fifth and final Book of the Law of Moses, also known as
the Torah or Pentateuch. The Law of Moses includes the Books of Genesis, Exodus,
Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. The Torah is followed by the Book of Joshua in
Hebrew Scripture, our Old Testament of the Bible.

The Book of Deuteronomy was known as Hadabarim in Hebrew Scripture, which

means "the Words," namely, the words Moses spoke to the people in the fortieth year
following the Exodus, on the other side of the Jordan River from the Promised Land. It is
known as Deuteronomy (Second Law) because Moses recaps the Ten Commandments
and the Laws governing the Covenant between God and the Israelites. There were also
additional Laws in the Deuteronomic Covenant not present in the Sinai Covenant, such
as the provision for warfare to allow the conquest of Canaan; a provision for Kingship;
and the law given for one Dwelling Place.

The Book is organized into three discourses of Moses: Historical Review and
Exhortation (1:1 - 4:43), God and His Covenant (4:44 - 11:32), Exposition of the Law
(12:1 - 26:19), as well as a prolonged Epilogue (27:1-34:12).

Moses emphasizes the Covenant with God and includes the second rendering of
the Ten Commandments (5:6-21), as well as the ‫ ְׁשמַ ע‬- Shema (6:4), the expression of
faith in the ONE Lord God of Israel: