There is a concept in Judaism that we were all there at Sinai when the ten commandments were given, that we were part of the experience described in this week's parsha, Yitro. We were witnesses to the awesome sights and sounds that proceeded God speaking the commandments, to the thunder, the lightening, the smoke and the blasts from the horn.
So, I try to imagine myself there, amidst the overwhelming sensory input at the foot of that mountain. It is hard for me to believe that this is the basis for our relationship with God. But maybe that is why these commandments are not the whole of Judaism, but just a starting point. Whether you make an analogy to birth of a nation or to a wedding between the Israelites and God, there is a Great Event, and then the rest that follows is figuring out how that relationship is going to work.
Everyone tests boundaries, but the fact that we are here still participating in the covenant so many years later is a testament to the leaders of generations past, who were able to understand that every relationship needs give and take and that the laws are able to be adapted to meet the needs of each generation.
Just as Yitro was able to see that Moses needed to adapt his behavior, I hope that our leaders are able to see when something is wrong and needs to be changed, that they will be able to keep traditions alive in a way that makes sense to the younger generation so that they too can understand what it meant to be there at Sinai.