פרשת יתרו וקבלת התורה
This week’s Parsha describes the purpose of the creation of the universe – the Jews’ reception of the Torah. Chazal teach us that the Torah was created many years before the world, and the world was only fashioned on the condition that the Jews would accept the Torah. The commentaries mention that when we read this week’s Torah portion, it is very appropriate to reaccept the Torah upon ourselves, and renew our dedication to the complete fulfillment of learning and keeping the Torah just as our ancestors did so many years ago. In order to do this, let us examine closely the verses which lead up to, and describe the events which took place at Mount Sinai.
Firstly, we find that the verses portray in great detail the preparations which Hashem told the Jews to take in order to be ready for the acceptance of the Torah. The Ohr Hachaim Hakadosh mentions that the verse says, “And the Jews traveled from Refidim, and they camped in the Sinai desert facing the mountain”. We can derive from here three methods which are instrumental in allowing a person to adequately prepare himself for the acceptance of the Torah. Firstly, Chazal learn out from the word “Refidim”, which also means to be weakened, that because the Jews did not sufficiently exert themselves regarding the material they learned in Mara – namely the laws of Shabbos and other various laws – they needed to travel away from this poor trait of “Rifyon” or weakness by the time they got to Sinai. We see from here how necessary it is to completely and totally occupy oneself with the Torah in order to properly acquire it. The Gemorah in Berachos (63) says that the Torah will only survive in the mind of one who is willing to kill himself for it. On a practical level, the way we would display this level of commitment would be by: A. Getting up on time every day. B. Coming on time to the Yeshiva. C. Learning consistently throughout the day, taking only breaks which are necessary. And D. By giving over our entire mental strength to understand and hold in what we have learned. The Talmud says that each and every day, a voice comes out from the Heavens and says, “Woe to those who insult the Torah by not learning it”. How careful we must be to not insult the One who gave us such a precious gift by not taking full advantage of that gift!
The second lesson that the Ohr Hachaim says we learn from this verse is that it says that the Jews camped in the Sinai desert. Chazal learn from this verse that the Torah can only exist in one who makes himself like a wasteland. The Ohr Hachaim explains that there are many things we can learn from a barren region which can aid us in understanding this Chazal. Firstly, in a wilderness, there is literally nothing going on. If a person wants to be able to effectively acquire the Torah, he will only be able to do this if he has fostered an attitude of complete humility. Only when a person has erased any self-aggrandizement from his heart will he be able to accept Hashem’s word. This makes perfect sense when one considers that if he has his own ideas, it is difficult to accept any other ideas. Furthermore, a conceited person will find it very difficult to accept his peers’ opinions and rebuke, which make up around 10 of the 48 components which are essential in acquiring the Torah. In fact the commentaries on that Mishnah actually say that all 48 ways stem from humility. The Gemorah in Pesachim (66) says, anyone who experiences conceit, if he was wise, his wisdom will leave him, if he was a prophet, his prophecy will recede. It is clear how integral modesty is, which is learned from the desert, when it comes to one who wishes to obtain Torah.
The other aspect of a desert which is helpful in teaching us how to acquire Torah is that a desolate tract is completely devoid of any life. When a person wishes to study Torah, and inculcate it into his heart, he will really only see success if he is willing to abandon all other pursuits while he is studying. The Torah has to be his sole focus, or he will be unable to sufficiently instill it in his consciousness. Included in this idea, includes the willingness to abandon one’s creature comforts for the sake of Torah. The Ramban says that this is why the verse makes it a point to tell us that the Jews camped specifically opposite the mountain. Couldn’t they have stayed at a local hotel nearby? After all, they had just harvested millions of ounces of gold from the Egyptians at the sea and they were certainly financially stable. Couldn’t they have found more comfortable accommodations? The Ramban explains that the Torah is teaching us that by definition, focusing on one’s comforts detracts from the ability to focus on the Torah. A person has to be willing to study Torah no matter what the circumstances are around him. This is not to say, necessarily, that one should run away from comforts, (although sometimes this too is necessary), but that certainly placing an emphasis on one’s pleasures will take away from one’s ability to focus on the Torah.
And the third lesson the Ohr Hachaim mentions is that the verse uses a singular language which Chazal interpret to mean that the entire Jewish people at the time were like one man with one heart. In simple terms, they were all getting along. This status is imperative for proper Torah study. Only in a peaceful environment, when the Jews are getting along with each other, can they be equipped to plumb the depths of the Torah, which because it is God’s word, who is the absolute One, is cohesive by nature and based on the very foundation of peace.
R’ Gedalya Sher adds to this magnificent Ohr Hachaim by saying that sometimes, these three prerequisites to acquire Torah can seem a bit daunting to say the least. How can we inspire ourselves to want to be humble, and to kill ourselves for the Torah, and to free ourselves from all other pursuits, and to make peace with all those around us in order to be able to attain a true understanding of the Torah? He claims that a closer inspection of the previous verse that the Ohr Hachaim quoted will yield a powerful insight which will aid us in this arena. The verse says, “And they traveled to Sinai, and then from Refidim, to Sinai”. There is an extra “Sinai” there. He explains that this is coming to teach us that sometimes you have to get to Sinai, before you actually get there. Meaning – in order to inspire ourselves to embark on the arduous journey of acquiring the Torah, which has in it all the challenges that we mentioned, one needs to look ahead at what it would mean to acquire the Torah, to be motivated to take the above mentioned challenges upon oneself. We can do this by looking at a Torah giant, or looking at the beauty, depth, and holiness of the Torah itself, and this will generate in us a powerful desire to have that beauty for ourselves, and we will be willing to do anything to receive it. R’ Chaim Kamil used to add to this that an even more powerful impetus than visiting the giants of our generation, is imagining ourselves as a Gadol, and what we would look like if we were replete with Torah.
I would just like to conclude with a moving story which brings out a lot of the points we have discussed. There is a famous Rosh Yeshiva in the Negev Yeshiva who is known worldwide as a huge Masmid, and who is very diligent in his studies. He learns all three Sedarim in his own Yeshiva, and can always be found in the Beis Midrash. One day, he told one of the boys to organize a ride for him to go to a certain far off town, because he wanted to visit someone there who was sitting Shiva. When the boys heard this, they of course immediately packed up and ordered a bus to go with their Rebbe to visit who he deemed worthy enough to leave learning. When they arrived at this small town, they followed the signs to go visit a very simple looking family. The Rosh Yeshiva explained to the surprised parents of the boy who had just passed away, that their son was his Rebbe. He explained that many years ago during one Bein Hazmanim, the Rosh Yeshiva was once traveling on a bus, and he saw their recently deceased son on that same bus, and while other people were looking out the window, or chatting with their friends, this boy was incessantly looking into his Gemorah, and did not look up for one minute. The Rosh Yeshiva, who had been watching this boy for some time with great interest, walked over to him and asked him how it was that he was able to learn to avidly. The boy responded that he had accepted on himself to always learn one page of Gemorah a day, and no matter what happened, he felt like he could not sacrifice that time. When the Rosh Yeshiva heard this, he decided on the spot to rededicate himself to his own personal learning, with greater strength and intensity, and to never allow himself to be weakened. “So you see”, he concluded, “Your son truly was my Rebbe and he is the one who allowed me to become a Rosh Yeshiva”.
May we all merit to reaffirm our dedication to the Torah with all our vigor!