וגם כבר היה לעולמים מעין זה, בשעת מתן תורה
A glimmer of this revelation which will take place in the future has already been experienced — at the time of the Giving of the Torah at Sinai,
כדכתיב: אתה הראת לדעת כי ה׳ הוא האלקים, אין עוד מלבדו
as it is written:1 "You (G‑d) revealed Yourself, that we may know that G‑d is the L‑rd; there is nothing else besides Him."
הראת ממש, בראיה חושיית
"You actually 'revealed Yourself'" (literally: "made Yourself seen"), indicating that the revelation was in a manner [perceptible to] physical sight.
כדכתיב: וכל העם רואים את הקולות, רואים את הנשמע
So it is written:2 "And all the people saw the thunder" — "They saw what is [normally] heard"; i.e., the Children of Israel perceived the revelation at Sinai with actual sight.
ופירשו רז״ל: מסתכלים למזרח ושומעין את הדבור יוצא: אנכי כו׳
As our Rabbis explain:3 "They looked eastward and heard the [divine] speech issuing forth, saying: 'I am [G‑d your L‑rd-,'
וכן לארבע רוחות ולמעלה ולמטה
and so, too, turning toward the four points of the compass and above and below," they heard the words coming from every direction.
וכדפירש בתיקונים, דלית אתר דלא מילל מיניה עמהון כו׳
As explained also in Tikkunei Zohar: "There was no place from which He did not speak to them."
והיינו מפני גילוי רצונו יתברך בעשרת הדברות
This was so because in the Ten Commandments His blessed Will was revealed,
שהן כללות התורה, שהיא פנימית רצונו יתברך וחכמתו, ואין שם הסתר פנים כלל
since they the Ten Commandments comprise the entire Torah which represents the inner aspect of His Will and Wisdom, where there is no "concealment of the Countenance" whatsoever,
כמו שאומרים: כי באור פניך נתת לנו... תורת חיים
as we say in our prayers:4 "For in the light of Your Countenance You gave us a Torah of life."
The Torah thus represents the "light of His Countenance," i.e., the inner light of G‑dliness. When this light was revealed through the uttering of the Ten Commandments, the entire world experienced a revelation of G‑dliness.
ולכן היו בטלים במציאות ממש, כמאמר רז״ל, שעל כל דיבור פרחה נשמתן כו׳
Therefore, they the Jews who stood at Sinai were nullified out of existence, as our Rabbis have said:5 "At every [divine] utterance their soul took flight from their body,
אלא שהחזירה הקדוש ברוך להן בטל שעתיד להחיות בו את המתים
but G‑d restored it to them with the dew with which He will revive the dead in the World to Come."
והוא טל תורה שנקרא עוז
This is the "dew" of Torah which is called "might"; i.e., the Torah provides the strength that enables us to receive divine revelation without dissolving out of existence, as explained above in reference to the reward of tzaddikim in the World to Come.
כמאמר רז״ל: כל העוסק בתורה טל תורה מחייהו כו׳
Similarly, our Sages remark:6 "Whoever engages in the study of the Torah, the dew of Torah will revive him."
The Torah is variously described as dew, rain, and so on, each figure denoting a different level within it. From the statement just paraphrased, we learn that "dew" refers to the Torah's restorative power, and it was this "dew" by which G‑d restored the souls of the Jews which had taken flight upon experiencing a degree of divine revelation foreshadowing that of the Messianic era.
רק שאחר כך גרם החטא, ונתגשמו הם והעולם, עד עת קץ הימין
But afterwards after the Torah was given their sin caused both them and the world to become gross [again] — until the End of Days when G‑d's "right hand" (ימין meaning both "days and "right"), i.e., His power, will be revealed.
שאז יזדכך גשמיות הגוף והעולם, ויוכלו לקבל גילוי אור ה׳ שיאיר לישראל על ידי התורה שנקראת עוז
Then, the dross of the body and of the world will become purified, and they will be able to receive the revelation of G‑d's light that will shine forth over Israel, by means of the Torah, which is called "might".
ומיתרון ההארה לישראל, יגיה חשך האומות גם כן
Through the superabundance of light which will shine upon the Jewish people, the darkness of the nations will also be lit up,
כדכתיב: והלכו גוים לאורך וגו׳
as it is written:7 "And nations will walk by your (the Jewish people's) light";
וכתיב: בית יעקב לכו ונלכה באור ה׳
and it is also written8 that the nations will say to the Jewish people: "House of Jacob, go and we will walk along by the light of G‑d";
וכתיב: ונגלה כבוד ה׳, וראו כל בשר יחדיו וגו׳
and again:9 "And the glory of G‑d shall be revealed, and all flesh will see...";
וכתיב: לבוא בנקרות הצורים ובסעיפי הסלעים מפני פחד ה׳ ומהדר גאונו וגו׳
and:10 "to enter the holes of the rocks and the clefts of boulders, for fear of G‑d and of His majestic glory."
This refers to the nations, who will be filled with the dread of G‑d; for it cannot be said of Israel, who will be one with G‑d, that they will seek refuge from Him.
וכמו שאומרים: והופע בהדר גאון עוזך על כל יושבי תבל ארצך וגו׳
So also do we pray:11 "Appear in the majestic splendor of Your might to all the inhabitants of the world," including the other nations.
Thus we see that in the Messianic era G‑dliness will be revealed to all the nations of the world — and in this state lies the fulfillment of the purpose for which this world was created.
