The Last Time 3 Million People Agreed on Anything

Picture this: three million people standing together in perfect unity, their individual voices merging into a single, harmonious response. No arguments, no dissent, no one checking their phone or whispering to their neighbor. In our age of endless debate and division, such a scene seems almost impossible to imagine. Yet according to Jewish tradition, this extraordinary moment of collective agreement happened over 3,300 years ago—and it changed the course of human history forever.

The Hebrew month of Sivan, which begins today, marks one of the most pivotal moments in the Jewish story. As the Torah tells us:

Jewish tradition identifies “that very day” as Rosh Chodesh Sivan, the first day of the month, which would lead to the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai a few days later.

What makes this moment so remarkable isn’t just the dramatic setting—an entire nation gathered at the foot of a smoking mountain in the wilderness. It’s what happened to the people themselves. The Torah describes their arrival with unusual language: “And the People of Israel encamped there, opposite the Mountain” (Exodus 19:2). The Hebrew word used for “encamped” is vayichan, written in the singular form rather than the expected plural. Why would the Torah describe millions of people using singular language?

The sages understood this grammatical peculiarity as profound: the Jewish people had achieved such perfect unity that they functioned as one person, with one mind and one heart. This wasn’t mere crowd psychology or groupthink. This was a spiritual transformation necessary for what was about to unfold—the receiving of the Torah, which Jewish tradition views as a marriage contract between God and the Jewish people.

Just as a marriage requires complete commitment from both parties, the covenant at Sinai demanded absolute unity. There could be no hesitation, no internal division, no lukewarm acceptance. The Torah was not just a set of laws being handed down; it was the foundation of an eternal relationship between the Divine and humanity.

The journey to this moment of unity reveals something crucial about transformation itself. The people arrived at Sinai after leaving a place called Refidim, which the sages interpret as meaning “they slackened their involvement in Torah.” In other words, they had experienced a spiritual low point before reaching their spiritual peak. This pattern—from darkness to light, from spiritual complacency to divine encounter—represents a universal truth about growth. Often our greatest revelations come not when we’re already soaring, but when we’ve first acknowledged where we’ve fallen short and committed to moving forward together.

This theme of unity, so crucial at the Sinai revelation, resurfaces centuries later in Jewish history. The Book of Chronicles tells us that King Asa of Judah gathered people from multiple tribes “to Jerusalem in the third month,” where “they entered into the Covenant to seek the Lord, the God of their fathers, with all their heart and all their soul” (II Chronicles 15:10-12). Jewish tradition teaches that this renewal of the covenant also occurred on Rosh Chodesh Sivan, creating a parallel between the original giving of the Torah and its later reaffirmation.

The very name “Sivan” appears only once in the entire Hebrew Bible—in the Book of Esther (8:9), when Haman’s decree of destruction is overturned and replaced with permission for the Jews to defend themselves. This connection is far from coincidental, and the parallel with Sinai runs even deeper than it first appears.

Just as the Israelites achieved unity at Sinai, the turning point in the Purim story comes when Esther calls for Jewish unity in the face of annihilation.

It is only after this moment of collective fasting and prayer, when scattered Jews throughout the empire unite in purpose, that the tide begins to turn.

Both Sinai and the Purim story represent moments when potential annihilation transformed into salvation, when what seemed like an ending became a new beginning. The same month that witnessed the birth of the Jewish covenant also saw its preservation against existential threat. In both cases, unity of purpose proved essential: whether standing together at Sinai to receive the Torah, or standing together in fasting and prayer before standing together in defense against Haman’s decree. The message is clear—when the Jewish people achieve true unity, even the most impossible circumstances can be transformed.

Rosh Chodesh Sivan reminds us that transformation often requires preparation and unity of purpose. Before we can receive life’s greatest gifts—whether wisdom, love, or spiritual insight—we must sometimes journey through our own wilderness, leaving behind the places where we’ve “slackened” in our growth. We must gather our scattered thoughts and conflicting desires into focused intention.

In our fractured world, where unity seems increasingly elusive, the message of Rosh Chodesh Sivan presents a profound challenge. True progress—whether personal or communal—requires us to move beyond our individual agendas and find common ground in shared values and aspirations. When we can stand together with “one heart and one mind,” we create the conditions for receiving the wisdom and guidance we desperately need.

This Rosh Chodesh Sivan, let us strive to cultivate that same spirit of unity, moving from our own places of spiritual complacency toward moments of shared revelation. In learning to listen together, we might discover that the wisdom we seek has been waiting for us all along—not in the noise of division, but in the powerful silence of common purpose.