Accepting the Torah: Then and Now
Student Summaries of Sichot of the Roshei Yeshiva
Yeshivat
Har Etzion
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PARASHAT
MISHPATIM
SICHA
OF HARAV AHARON LICHTENSTEIN SHLITA
Accepting
the Torah Then and Now
Summarized by
Shaul Barth with Reuven Ziegler
Translated by
Kaeren Fish
In the parashot
of Yitro and Mishpatim, the Jewish People undergo a process of conversion and
acceptance of the Torah. The fundamental transition from being a non-Jew to
being a Jew is the stage that we read about in parashat Yitro. But even for a
person who enters the covenant, there are still different stages we can speak
of. Let us proceed from the assumption and Ramban (24:1) quotes a debate
between the Tannaim in this regard that, according to the literal text, the
second stage of this process occurs at the end of parashat Mishpatim, in "the
covenant of the basins." The Sages point out a difference in the formulation of
the nation's response in parashat Mishpatim and in parashat Yitro. In the
preparations for receiving the Torah, we are told that Moshe came to the people
and they all said, "All that God has said we shall do" (19:8). In parashat
Mishpatim, as they are about to enter into the covenant of the basins, we are
told: "He took the Book of the Covenant and read it to the people, and all the
people said: All that God has spoken we shall do and we shall obey" (24:7).
The expression
"We shall do and we shall obey," "Na'aseh ve-nishma," as opposed to
simply "We shall do," has become a cornerstone of our faith. Chazal teach that this was a secret kept
by the ministering angels, which was adopted by Bnei Yisrael, and God declared:
"Who revealed this secret to My children?" This, of course, expresses the
acceptance of the yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven, which precedes acceptance of
the yoke of the commandments. The yoke of the commandments is also a
comprehensive commitment, but acceptance of the yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven is
the fundamental commitment of a Jew's life: "Nullify your will before His will."
It is this level that was attained here, but not in parashat Yitro, prior to the
revelation at Sinai.
We may ask what
happened in between, and what brought about such a revolutionary change in such
a short time that Bnei Yisrael were able to declare, "We shall do and we shall
comprehend," to grasp the axiom of the ministering angels, rather than merely
promising, "We shall do"? If we follow the text from the middle of Yitro to the
end of Mishpatim and try to discover what happened between the previous
declaration and this one, we can point to three elements.
The first, of
course, is the actual revelation at Sinai. This event, with the forging of the
covenant that it entailed, was not just an experience one undergoes that leads
to a change in status. This was a revelation of the Divine Presence, to which,
Chazal say, Bnei Yisrael reacted with both fear and attraction. This great and
awesome event had the power to bring about not only a legal change, but an
existential revolution. All those who experienced it attained new understanding
of the love and fear of God and this, of course, in addition to the halakhic
change of status. A proselyte who has undergone conversion is like one born
anew; Bnei Yisrael were reborn at Sinai.
Secondly,
following the giving of the Torah came parashat Mishpatim. I do not know how
much Moshe could have taught all at once, but our impression is that there was
serious involvement in Torah and Torah study. The nation began to absorb the
teachings on the level of study, as well as on the existential level. Once they
had embarked on this process, a new dimension was added to their Divine service,
their personality, their connection to the Torah they had received but still did
not know clearly. Now they began to learn the details and internalize them. They
began to understand that this was the word of God - not just a matter of
learning about an ox that gores another, but a profound connection with Divine
service, a consciousness of "placing God before me
always."
The third
element pertains to the contents of parashat Mishpatim. The connection to God
through learning Torah may arise in any context; any sphere of Torah study that
a person engages in has the power to bring him to an encounter with God. But
parashat Mishpatim deals principally with the inter-personal laws that are meant
to mold society. "These are the laws (judgments) that you shall place before
them" before whom? On the purely halakhic level, Chazal teach "'Before them'
[i.e., authorized rabbinic judges] and not before non-Jewish [judges] and not
before non-ordained [judges]." The judgments must be presented to people who are
able to acquire Torah and to implement Torah. But Ramban (21:1) emphasizes that
this is not the only aspect of the command. He views parashat Mishpatim as
containing the details of the Ten Commandments, and therefore maintains that
"before them" means before every Jew. Each individual, and society as a whole,
accepted and implemented the details of the law.
Thus, what was
added in Mishpatim, and what facilitated the transition from "na'aseh" to
"na'aseh ve-nishma," was threefold: first, the purely religious aspect of
the revelation at Sinai, including its experiential and personal dimension;
second and no less important the involvement in study and the deepening
knowledge of Torah; and third, Torah experience and knowledge implemented on
both the personal and societal levels.
These three
factors, on the personal and national levels, provided the impetus for the
transition from the first stage, accepting the Torah, to the second stage,
sacrifice. These events the giving of the Torah and its acceptance were, of
course, one-time events in history, but they still present a model for all
future generations, both on the communal and personal levels.
Just as the
Jews entered the covenant in parashat Yitro, yet did not suffice with that level
and rose to a higher level both in terms of quantity of mitzvot and quality of
learning and observance in parashat Mishpatim, so must we rise to ever higher
levels. Once you have accepted the
Torah, or entered yeshiva that is the beginning of the path; it is an
important gateway to continued personal growth and the foundation for the rest
of your life. But what we learn from the story of the giving of the Torah is
that there is more. Once a person is immersed in Torah, there are still further
objectives: deepening the covenant, reinforcing it, adding to it in terms of
quantity and quality.
Our ascent, on
a personal and communal level, is facilitated by same factors that the Jews
experienced between Yitro and Mishpatim. First, the purely religious dimension
the experience of holiness, the acceptance of the yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven
and the acceptance of the yoke of the commandments is a powerful stimulus to
religious growth. Second, Torah study, when conducted as part of one's Divine
service and not simply as part of one's intellectual activity and satisfaction
of one's curiosity, will also lead to progress. Third, the molding of a society
that displays cohesion and mutually responsibility has both social and religious
significance.
When measuring
our progress in Divine service and fear of heaven, in Torah study, and in social
and moral sensitivity, we must not judge only whether we have risen to higher
levels than in the past, but also whether this progress has been in keeping with
the potential and the possibilities that are open to us. Have we made the most
of the possibilities offered to us in terms of our study, in terms of our
interpersonal relations, in terms of our service of God? Here we are required to
examine ourselves, objectively, to ensure that we will progress from "we shall
do" to "we shall do and we shall obey." Our observance of mitzvot and study of
Torah must proceed not only from a sense of duty, but also from the feeling that
"Happy are we, how good is our portion." We must ensure not only that we put in
maximal effort, but that we sense the existential vitality of Torah, the
excitement and life-giving quality of Torah. Only then will we truly be able to
declare, "Na'aseh ve-nishma."
(This sicha was
delivered on erev Rosh Chodesh Adar Aleph 5763
[2003].)
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