The Torah tells us that when God gave the Ten Commandments, He spoke with a mighty voice that did not cease (Deuteronomy 5:19). The Midrash offers three explanations for the greatness of the voice at the Giving of the Torah: 1) A voice that divided into seven voices and, in turn, into seventy languages. 2) A voice from which all subsequent prophets prophesied. 3) A voice without echo. Regarding the first two explanations, the greatness of the voice is clear, as is its unlimited nature in terms of language (it was heard in the languages of the seventy nations) and time (it was expressed in later generations, as we will see). However, what is the greatness of a voice without echo? On the contrary, a voice without echo indicates that it was so weak that it had no echo!
It is also important to understand that the Torah is not a book of stories. The meaning of the word Torah is "horaah," meaning "teaching." What is the teaching of each of the Midrash's explanations?
1) The seven precepts of the sons of Noah
The descendants of Noah, the other peoples of the earth, must observe the seven commandments stipulated for them in the Torah (do not worship idols, do not steal, do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not eat meat from a live animal, do not profane God's name, and establish courts). The Jewish people have a fundamental responsibility in this observance, to teach and strive to spread these seven commandments.
We might think that these seven precepts are secondary, unrelated to the Giving of the Torah. However, the Midrash tells us that the "loud voice" of Matan Torah was divided into seventy languages. Likewise, the precepts for the seventy languages, the seventy nations, arise from the voice of the Giving of the Torah. Therefore, their observance must be for the sake of Matan Torah, not because they were given to Noah before the Giving of the Torah, and not because intellect dictates it, but because they were stated in the Torah that was given through Moses.
2) The revelation of the teachings of the Torah
The first word of the Ten Commandments is "Anochi." The Talmud (Shabbat 105a) tells us that the word "Anochi" is composed of the initials of "«Ana Nafshi CTavi I"ehavit", which means "I gave myself in writing", that is, that the essence of God is found in the Torah.
We might think that this idea that the essence of God is found in the Torah refers only to the Torah itself, the five books of Moses. However, the teachings of the Torah that were revealed later, through the prophets and sages of each generation, do not have the same force or authority as the Torah. In other words, the "Anochi" (the essence of God) is not found within them. This is why the Midrash tells us that the voice of the Giving of the Torah was "strong" and "did not cease." All the concepts, laws, and teachings that were revealed after the Giving of the Torah, throughout all generations until today, are part of that same "strong voice that did not cease." They do not arise from the minds of the prophets or sages, but are part of the Torah itself.
3) To permeate the physical world with Divinity
An echo can be exemplified by a "returning light." When light is projected and reaches a place where there is an object that blocks it, it "returns." The same happens with an echo: when a voice reaches an object that stops it, it returns.
When God said, «I am God, your God» (Deuteronomy 5:6), He said it with a «loud voice,» which no object could stop. This voice penetrated all of Creation, even inanimate objects. Everything absorbed this voice, so that, in a way natural, It wasn't miraculous; there was no echo. Not because the voice was weak—quite the opposite, since it was "strong," it "didn't stop" and didn't return; it had no echo.
The truth is that the same thing happens today. When a Jew studies Torah, he is not merely repeating a text like any other, but rather uttering "My words (of God) that I have put in your mouth" (Isaiah 59:21), the very words and the same "loud voice" of the Giving of the Torah. Therefore, the Torah not only penetrates him, but even the walls of the house where he studies, as our sages say, that in the future, "the beams of the house will bear witness for one," because the walls absorb the person's words and actions, just as God's "loud voice" permeated all of creation at the Giving of the Torah.
Just as it is in the world at large, so it is in the "small world," man, in particular. Our entire existence must be permeated by the Torah; the soul of our actions, words, and thoughts must be the Torah, so that we act in accordance with the Torah (observing its precepts), speak as the Torah speaks (properly and using good expressions), and think as the Torah thinks (judging every person on the side of merit).
Extracted from Likutei Sijot Vol. 4 page. 1092