Protection & Promotion
Adapted by Channie Koplowitz Stein
The most seminal event in Jewish history is recorded in Parshat Yitro, God's revelation to us as we stood at the foot of Mount Sinai. The scene was terrifying: "The entire people saw the thunder and the flames, the sound of the shofar and the smoking mountain... [After God spoke the first two utterances] They said to Moses, 'You speak to us... Let God not speak lest we die.' Moses said to the people, 'Do not fear, for in order lenasot etchem/to test you/to elevate you has God come, so that awe of Him shall be on your faces, so that you shall not sin.' " The obvious questions are how was this a test, what exactly was it meant to test, and what was its purpose. Further, what is the connection between the two definitions of lenasot, testing and elevating?
The Ramban begins by citing Rambam that the trembling of Bnei Yisroel at this point, at hearing God's "voice" and surviving would strengthen them to survive any future challenges to their faith, for now they have heard the true voice of God. The Ramban then presents a different nuance to the test. Ramban explains that since this experience has removed any doubt about Hashem, Hashem wanted to see if we would observe His commandments through love, and resist the human temptation to sin.
Citing Rav Yechezkel Levenstein, Letitcha Elyon focuses on our emotional experience at Sinai. The emotions we experienced at hearing the sounds, at hearing God's voice, at seeing the smoke—the physical sensations created an emotional experience that we draw upon throughout our lives to strengthen our faith. The command to remember our standing at Sinai is not meant to be merely intellectual, or simply like a child obeying its parent without understanding. We are tasked with re-experiencing our emotions at that time, just as we are commanded to re-experience our personal redemption from Egypt.
In The Soul of Emunah, Rabbi Schmeltzer presents a simple analogy. When one consumes and enjoys a delicacy, one knows how tasty it is even without knowing the list of ingredients. We need no further proof. Without actually experiencing its taste, with just the list of ingredients, we may retain speculation about the taste of the finished dish even if intellectually the ingredients seem to create a tasty dish. Our souls experienced Sinai emotionally as well as intellectually. We know of Hashem's existence in the world and in our lives. As the Novominsker Rav explains, the mitzvah to remember Sinai is not just to remember the commandments, but to remember the experience as well. It is that fear and awe that will prevent us from sinning. If we incorporate that fear and awe into our lives, it will permeate all our attitudes and postures, from how we sit when we study Torah to how we focus when we perform mitzvoth or engage in tefillah. It is not a matter of knowing Hashem is with me at all times; we must feel His presence beside us.
Withstanding this test now, at Sinai, would become embedded within us as part of our spiritual DNA, adds Rabbi Kofman citing the Kedushat Levi. It would become part of our permanent connection to Hakodosh Boruch Hu for all eternity, through all generations. If one can maintain that all day, every day, one is sure to get compassion and Divine assistance in his life.
Why did Hashem choose to give us the Torah under these frightening circumstances instead of through a soft and gentle touch, asks the Novominsker Rav? Because Yiras Shamayim, the fear and awe of Heaven is the absolute necessity for a relationship with Hashem and Torah. When one lives with this sense of fear and awe of Heaven, one remains inspired by Hashem's constant presence, a knowledge that generates joy in one's life.
The entire purpose of Torah and Torah study is to bring us closer to the Giver of the Torah. It is this awe of Heaven that will bring us closer to the Giver of the Torah.
Our medrash tells us that when Hashem created the world, he originally sought to create it on the basis of din/strict judgment. Realizing that Man is prone to sin, He then joined rachamim/compassion to din so that mankind and the world could survive. In Mishchat Hashemen, Rabbi Kofman asks if it is possible that Hashem had originally erred, or changed His mind? Citing the Alshich Hakadosh, Rabbi Kofman explains that Hashem wanted mankind to earn its just rewards by proper behavior and mitzvah observance rather than through a gift, for earning the rewards through one's own effort elevates a person while a charitable gift usually demeans a person. While exact judgment could be a proper yardstick for the most righteous of individuals, Hashem wanted everyone to receive His bounty. He therefore included a measure of compassion so that ordinary men and women could be worthy of His blessings. Nevertheless, it still behooves us to measure each of our actions against the guidelines of Hashem's wishes. We should test ourselves constantly and ask ourselves if our behavior passes the judgment of the right and correct path. We should be like a "well rooted tree" that gets its sustenance from the water of Torah and the will of Hakodosh Boruch Hu. It is the Sinai experience that keeps us in this mindset.
When a person lives his life according to the principles of the Torah, there is no contradiction between his life and Torah. In essence, he becomes a living Torah, teaches us Rabbi Hurwitz. You are not on that level? Rabbi Dessler suggests that you train yourself to act as if you are on that level. [In modern vernacular, we say, "Fake it until you make it." If you keep acting in accordance with this mindset, it becomes your norm, and you would eventually "make it."CKS] Try saying "Baruch Hashem," "Im Yirtzah Hashem" and "B'Ezras Hashem" regularly. While it may feel strange at first, eventually these phrases that bring awareness of Hashem into your routines become the norm of our speech.
Rav Walkin recognizes that we all have ups and downs in our lives. There are times when we have complete clarity of Hashem's presence, similar to the clarity we experienced at Sinai. When we experience those epiphanies, we must embrace them and keep them front and center in our lives, for these experiences will change our lives and keep us from sin.
At Sinai, we witnessed Hashem's revelation to each of us. How great were we in Hashem's eyes that He deigned to appear to each of us personally. If Hashem valued each of us so highly, we too must value ourselves, writes Rabbi Wolbe. We must focus on our strengths without comparing ourselves to others, for each of us is a unique individual, with unique talents and a unique mission. Hashem gave each of us a personalized experience at Sinai lenasot/to elevate us so that we appreciate our own individual greatness. With this in mind, we should act and speak appropriately, and not stoop to levels below the station of kings, of beloved children of Hakodosh Boruch Hu.
Just as Hashem is unique, so has He created each of us unique. No one like me has ever existed before, with my path to glorify Hashem's Name, and no one like me will exist in the future, writes Rabbi Brazile. We each have our own unique song, with its own unique notes. We must believe that the entire world was created for me, and its continued existence depends on my actions.
What stops us from reaching our potential? Our lack of clarity, a clarity we had before Adam's original sin. We reached that clarity again at Sinai, and we each have the ability even today to attain that clarity again by connecting to the inner royalty Hashem has implanted within us.
Rav Dovid Cohen suggests that the purpose of our experience at Sinai was to inculcate within us a strong faith through two complementary aspects. We were meant to develop both yirah/awe-fear and ahavah/love for Hakodosh Boruch Hu. Together they form the foundation of faith. Citing the Gr"a, Rav Dovid notes that the first two of the dibrot/commandments actually encompass all the mitzvoth of the Torah. The first, recognizing that Hashem is our God Who took us our of Egypt, encompasses all the positive commandments and represents all we do through love of Hakodosh Boruch Hu. The second, admonishing us to have no other gods, encompasses all the negative commandments and represents our obedience out of fear and awe. Therefore, it was sufficient for Bnei Yisroel to hear just these two commandments directly from Hashem. These two together epitomize the dual meaning of lenasot -- both to test and to elevate Bnei Yisroel, each enabling us to avoid sin.
Rabbi Hurwitz points out the synthesis of these two emotions. When one truly fears the Almighty, nothing else exists but Him. With his mind so focused on his Creator and His Torah, nothing can sever his relationship with God, a relationship that fills him with tremendous joy. He fears nothing else. Because He loves me, I want to make Him proud and not disappoint Him.
In Tiv Hatorah, Rabbi Gamliel Rabinowitz explains further how yirah and ahavah are connected in our service to Hashem. Every challenge we face tests our yirat Shamayim/fear of Heaven. If we fail, we are embarrassed, but if we pass, we feel greater. Then your relationship with yourself and with Hakodosh Boruch Hu both become stronger. Even if you've refrained from sinning out of fear, you should still congratulate yourself that you have become greater by overcoming the challenge. Thus, your fear has now created greater love both of Hashem and of self.
We are told that all Jewish souls, both alive then and in the future, were at Sinai and experienced the Divine revelation. Each Jewish soul was imprinted with both awe and love of Hashem, and each receives its uniqueness that elevates him and should bring him joy. Our task is to tap into that experience.