פרשת משפטים

Toward the end of this week’s Parsha, the Torah describes the valiant way in which the Jews decided to accept the Torah by saying that “we will do, and we will hear”. The Gemorah in Shabbos (88) says that when the Jews uttered those fateful words נעשה ונשמע, Hashem reacted with surprise, so to speak, and asked, “Who revealed this secret to my children, the secret which the angels use to gain favor in my eyes”? After this exclamation, Hashem was so pleased with the Jews’ way in which they accepted the Torah that he fastened two crowns on each and every Jew’s head as a reward for their dedication. I believe that these words of Chazal require some explanation. Firstly, what is the significance in those words “We will do, and we will hear” and what was so special about the utterance of these words which elicited such a positive response from Hashem? Furthermore, what does the Gemorah mean when it says that when the Jews said those words, they were compared to the angels in Heaven. What do the Angels have to do with Na’ase V’nishma?

I once heard from the famous Mashgiach of Gateshead, Rav Moshe Schwabb, who dealt with this problem by citing the other part of that Gemorah in Shabbos. “R’ Chama said: What does the verse mean, ‘And the Jews are compared to an apple tree’? Just as an apple tree is unique amongst the fruit bearing trees in that it first produces its fruits, and only afterward develops leaves in order to protect those fruits, so to the Jewish people are unique in that they first accepted the Mitzvos, and only afterward went to find out what they were”. Rabbi Schwabb explains that this Chazal is teaching us that just as an apple tree grows the fruits without “knowing” how it will manage to protect them, and as the fruit begin to grow, somehow the leaves miraculously appear and develop in perfect symmetry with the fruit, similarly the Jewish people accepted upon themselves to study and keep the Torah without knowing if they would have the physical or emotional capabilities to do so, and after this acceptance, they were granted all the powerful tools which are necessary to study and keep the Torah. Rabbi Schwabb goes on to say that this is in fact the only way to acquire the Torah. We find very often that a person undertakes the monumental task of studying Torah, but does not have the mental capacity or the financial wherewithal to carry out his holy desire, but yet somehow, in spite of these obstacles, if he shows a sincere desire to persevere, he ends up succeeding. Who in this Beis Midrash cannot testify to the truth of these words? Furthermore, R’ Schwabb says, it is not uncommon to find a person who has put in a lot of time studying a particular piece in the Torah, and finds himself very frustrated at his inability to gain comprehension. Y et he decides that he is not giving up, and he inexplicably ends up with full clarity in that area of his study.

R’ Shcwabb concludes his beautiful explanation of Torah acceptance by saying that it is not limited to individuals, but even applies to institutions. We find that most Torah institutions, do not have the financial means to open their premises, and even if they can manage to open them, have no foreseeable way of sustaining their existence. Yet we find time and again that Yeshivas open up and thrive in every walk of life. R’ Schwabb asserts that the only way to explain this phenomenon is based on the foundation which we have laid down – i.e. that the way in which Torah was meant to flourish was by first accepting upon oneself the task of studying and propagating the Torah with the full faith that God will provide the necessary tools, and afterward by finding that indeed the utensils which he did not have previously have been miraculously provide for him.

Rav Shach z”l writes that there is another facet of what occurred when the Jews said those fateful words “נעשה ונשמע” which can teach us a valuable lesson. Rav Shach explains that “Na’aseh” or acceptance to do the Torah and fulfill God’s commandments is one level that a person reaches. Albeit this is a lofty level, it basically implies that a person accepts upon himself to do what he is told, but does not indicate any particular enthusiasm. “Nishma” on the other hand, exudes a connotation of a people who are not happy performing the bare minimum, but are eager to hear more of what God wants, and to perform His service above the letter of the law. This attitude comes from the true belief that the Torah is our entire existence, not merely a lifestyle. Rav Shach explains that this attitude was what really earned the Jews all the wonderful things that we described. Parenthetically, based on this explanation, we can understand why the Gemorah said that the angels excel in this attribute. The angels perform God’s will with great enthusiasm, as if their entire existence is based upon their service of their master, which indeed it is.

The Midrash Rabah in Vayikra teaches us an interesting aspect about the life of Dovid Hamelech. The Midrash says that each and every day, Dovid would wake up and think about the numerous tasks which he was responsible to take care of in his running of the kingdom. But when he would leave his house in order to deal with his royal obligations, he would find, oddly enough, that his feet would not carry him to where he intended to go, but instead he found himself in the Beis Midrash learning Torah each and every day. The renowned Rosh Yeshiva of the Chofetz Chaim Yeshiva, R’ Hanoch Leibowitz would ask a very powerful question. How could Dovid Hamelech ignore his responsibilities? We know that the Torah teaches us that if there is a task which cannot be performed by any other person, a Jew may not ignore that task, as that is the will of God for him? How then could Dovid have such a cavalier attitude toward his duties?

R’ Hanoch answers in equally powerful form. R’ Hanoch explains that while it is true that a Jew has a responsibility to do the things that truly cannot be done by others, but all to often we find our Yetzer Hara convincing us that we have obligations that can only be done by us when this is not completely true. R’ Hanoch learns that Dovid Hamelech was teaching us that he inculcated in his heart such a powerful desire to learn Hashem’s Torah, and do the will of his Creator, that his desire for spirituality rivaled his desires of his Yetzer Hara to the point that when he left his house, he headed straight for the Beis Hamidrash. Meaning to say although Dovid certainly had all the desires that we have to “take care of business”, his cultivated such a strong desire for learning that it outdid his desire for other things, ergo his feet led him straight for the Torah.

This principle of R’ Hanoch can be easily demonstrated if looks at the business world. When one meets a person in business who is making a lot of money, all of a sudden he doesn’t have so many Mitzvos that cannot be performed by anyone else. All of a sudden, all those “Mitzvos”, he reasons to himself, can easily be performed by other people. What happened between the Beis Midrash and Wall Street? The answer is obvious. His desire for money allowed him to see clearly what was true all along – that he wasn’t as needed as he previously thought, and people could get by without him.

May we all merit to accept upon ourselves to study the Torah beyond our means, and to study with great enthusiasm as if our lives depend on our study!