פרשת משפטים

In this Parsha Bnei Yisrael is accepting many mitzvot upon themselves and being told their rewards and punishments. In this parsha “Na’aseh V’nishma” is said, which means we will do and we will hear.  Here’s an English translation of the pasuk, “And they said, “Everything Hashem says, we will do and we will hear.”  There are many different ways to understand,and different things to understand about this declaration made by the Jewish Nation before they received the Torah. One Friday evening as the Shabbat meal began, the Kotzker Rebbe tried to explain Na’aseh V’nishmah and said, “The world is filled with wise and learned men, researchers and philosophers, who spend their time pondering and philosophizing about the verity of Hashem’s existence and function.  How much can they really grasp? How much can they truly understand? The answer- no more than the limits of their own intelligence.  The Jewish people, however, were given tools, the mitzvot, with which they can reach far beyond their own personal limitations.  This is the whole truth in the meaning of the words: “Na’aseh V’nishmah”, if we have tools with which to act, then we will be able to hear, to understand, to attain anything, even in the highest realms beyond our normal capabilities.

I think we can all easily appreciate what a difference it makes to have the correct tools.  For example, the total number of stars visible to the naked eye under the best conditions is at most 2,500. Now, with some assistance from the proper tools, sensitive telescopes, it is estimated around seventy billion stars come into view.  Another example, Shabbat, the Talmud tells us, is 1/60 of the world to come.  Any number, no matter how large, is minuscule compared to infinity, and 1/60 of eternity is still a huge trip away from the world to come.  Only by keeping Shabbat can one ever hope to understand what that really means. Shabbat is the tool that helps us understand what it will be like when Mashiach comes.

Another question about Na’aseh V’nishmah is why everyone said these words in plural form.  One explanation is that they made not one commitment, but two.  One was to personally observe the Torah, while the other was to help his friend observe and keep the Torah faithfully.   When Bnei Yisrael stood by Har Sinai and said Na’aseh V’nishmah, Hashem immediately cherished them and He sent two angels to each one of them. One angel gave each Jew a sword and the other angel placed a crown on his head. The crown testified to our high status and the sword represented that we needed to fight for what we believe in, and help our fellow Jew observe the mitzvot even in hard times.

The reason it is so important to help those around us observe mitzvot is because we ourselves are influenced by the behavior of our peers. When others accept additional mitzvot upon themselves, we are inspired to follow their lead. In contrast, if our peers share a bad habit of ours, we may use their poor actions to justify our own rather than change our behavior. We need to take charge and make the first step be a positive influence on our friends. Perhaps this was included in our declaration of Na'aseh V'nishmah, we will do and we will hear. Whenever I do, I am not only doing for myself but also for those around us. When we do the right thing, we influence everyone around us to do the right thing, hence the plural, “Na’aseh V’nishma”.  We should always try to influence people around us to do the right thing and to say together, “Na’aseh V’nishma”.  

Shabbat Shalom,

Michael Finkelstein