Just before Mattan Torah, all of the Jewish people gathered
around Mount Sinai. The mountain was surrounded by fire, and a
heavenly cloud settled on top. The entire world came to a halt
as the sound of the shofar was heard; thunder roared and
lightning flashed in the background. In the Talmud and in the
Midrash, our Sages tell us more about what happened then. Rabbi
Akiva tells us that the Jewish people could actually "see the
thunder and hear the lightning." Why does Rabbi Akiva tell us
this? Many other miracles took place at that time: All the birds
stopped chirping precisely at the moment the Torah was given,
flowers and fruit-bearing trees sprouted forth from the desert
mountain, and most important - the Jewish people actually heard
HaShem tell them the Ten Commandments. Is Rabbi Akiva just
adding another miracle? No. Rabbi Akiva is teaching us something
very important. He is teaching us is how a Jew should look at
the Torah and the world around him. We usually see physical
things, but not ideas or though