Gracious Gift
Adapted by Channie Koplowitz Stein
Bnei Yisroel have accepted the Torah, the Torah has been transmitted to Moshe Rabbenu, and Moshe is about to descend Mount Sinai and return to Bnei Yisroel. “And Hashem gave to Moshe when He finished /kechaloto speaking with him on Mount Sinai the two Tablets of Testimony...”
Our commentators are puzzled by the placement of the word kechaloto. While the simplest translation renders it as “when he finished”, the literal translation is awkward. This adverbial phrase would more fittingly come at the beginning of the sentence, i. e. “When He finished speaking, Hashem gave...” or at the end of the entire verse. Rashi therefore understands the word to be related to a bride, to (ch)kallah. Rashi therefore explains that Hashem gave Moshe the Torah as a gift, as a bride is to her groom. Just as it would be impossible to fully know and appreciate one’s spouse in a short period of time immediately after the wedding, so would it have been impossible for Moshe to have learned all of Torah in just forty days and nights. Therefore, Moshe’s knowledge and understanding of the Torah was an actual gift Hashem gave him so that he could then transmit that knowledge to Bnei Yisroel. Later commentators draw upon this rendering to provide beauty and depth to the study of Torah, often compared to a bride of Bnei Yisroel.
The Ibn Ezra understands this gift and places it in the perspective of Moshe himself who, at the end of his life, after having been a prophet of Hashem for over forty years, tells Hashem, “You have begun to show Hashem Your greatness.” Didn’t Moshe see Hashem’s greatness earlier? Only now, after the redemption from Egypt, the splitting of the Sea, receiving the Torah and studying personally with Hashem is Moshe beginning to see the greatness of Hashem?
The Gemorrah tells us that Moshe learned Torah each day while on Mount Sinai, but each morning he forgot what he had previously learned. In the end, knowledge of the Torah was Hashem’s gift to Moshe for his effort, rather than a result of his own study. Both Rabbi Munk and Rabbi Schorr see here encouragement for anyone of limited intelligence [and when it comes to understanding Torah, that applies to all of us] that even Moshe Rabbenu could not grasp knowledge of Torah but required Hashem to give him that gift.
Speaking of heaven, there is a famous medrash that that says the angels thought the appropriate place for the precious Torah was in heaven, with them, not with man who would neither understand it nor appreciate it. The angels debated Moshe who challenged them with questions about specific mitzvoth. For example, “Do you have parents whom you can honor?”
If the answers are so obvious, why did the angels think that Torah belonged in heaven with them? Rabbi Schwab z”l in Maayan Beit Hashoevah discusses this question in depth. We tend to think that Torah is relevant only to man on this earth. However, notes Rabbi Schwab z”l, Torah is applicable to all worlds and all spheres, but the understanding and application changes with the circumstances of that particular universe and circumstances. We can understand this idea even by examining how the same law applies to many different circumstances in our own world. For example, “Thou shalt not murder,” also means “thou shalt not embarrass someone in public, or prevent a Rav from teaching. Similarly, the mitzvoth would have different interpretations in heaven. The angels would understand the concept of parents differently from the way we understand it, and redemption from Egypt would imply different circumstances.
When Hashem taught Moshe the Torah, He taught it to him on all levels. Finally, He taught Moshe how Torah relates to man. This was the lowest level, the finish, the challoto. Hashem gave Moshe the luchot/Tablets on that level, the level appropriate for mankind. Hashem sends His words down in distilled form. “He gives snow like fleece, He scatters frost like ashes. He hurls His ice like crumbs...” (Tehillim 147)Moshe brought down Hashem’s word in a form that we could tolerate and that we can relate to, not in a form that would destroy us. Those luchot speak of Shabbat and parents, of murder and theft, human ideas.
Rabbi Pincus z”l reminds us that we are told Hashem Himself wears tefillin. Obviously, the tefillin He “wears” are not the tefillin we are commanded to wear. While the mitzvoth are distilled down for human understanding and human observance, the Torah itself is never watered down. We learn the same Torah here on earth as Hashem learns in heaven. It is with this understanding that we can say that whenever someone learns Torah, it is as if Hashem is sitting with him as his Chevrusa/study partner, or even contracting Himself so that He can enter into the mind of the one studying Torah. As Rav Moshe Stern says again, Torah is beyond human understanding. Only Hashem can give us the gift of understanding.
This is the point Rabbi Pincus z”l makes by citing the blessing in ShemonahEesreh, “Atah chonen l’adam daas…/You graciously endow man with wisdom.” This is the only blessing in which we thank Hashem for a gracious gift rather than make a request. Therefore, says Rabbi Zaidel Epstein z”l, we must pray to Hashem to grant us knowledge of Torah as we study. Then Hashem responds commensurate with our effort, writes Rabbi Schorr. We face challenges and tests not only in Torah study, but in all areas of life and behavior. Hashem always responds in direct measure to our struggles, but the response may be directed at an area different from the one we prayed about. Our effort is not constrained by time or space, and Hashem will draw upon it when He knows we will need it most.
Just as Torah is a gift, so is Shabbat. Hashem had a special gift in His storehouse, Shabbat. This was a gift within a gift, for the gift of Shabbat was inscribed within the gift of the luchot, writes Rabbi Weinberger z”l in Shemen Hatov. Just as we toil in Torah, but the understanding and knowledge is a gift from Hashem, so too do we toil for six days, and then Hashem gives us Shabbat, like the gift of a bride to her groom. Shabbat is unlike the holidays that occur through our effort, on dates we determine and establish. In contrast, Hashem gives us Shabbat every week regardless of our effort. Nevertheless, we must take the first step to merit Hashem’s assistance. Only after Bnei Yisroel proclaimed their acceptance of Torah with na’aseh venishma did Hashem teach Moshe the Torah and allow him to bring it down to us, writes Rabbi Wolbe z”l.
Hashem was the teacher not only of Moshe Rabbenu, writes Rabbi Friefeld z”l, but of each of us who toil and struggle with Torah study. When we put in the effort, Hashem Himself enters our mind and helps us understand, for Hashem gave us our brains to perceive the great truths of the world so that we may come close to Him. Hashem is the chevrusah/study partner of all who toil in Torah.
But how do we understand this gift of Torah as a bride? After all, a groom must give something of value to acquire his bride He must give money or the traditional ring. It is more of a transaction than a gift. But, writes Rabbi Druck in Aish Tamid, the transaction is really merely symbolic, for no amount of money can represent the bride’s real value and worth. Just as the ring is merely a symbol of the groom’s commitment and investment, so too must one invest himself in Torah study to receive the Torah as a gift. Even though the chatan took the initiative, chose her and “acquired” her, writes the Birkat Mordechai, , he must still consider her a true gift from Hakodosh Boruch Hu, just as Torah learning requires our taking the initiative and making the investment for Hashem to gift us with understanding.
Actually, Torah can be compared to marriage, writes the Ohel Moshe. Both require commitment not just when it’s convenient, but also when it’s challenging. The groom sees the beauty of the bride, but then covers her face again, accepting her even for future, unforeseen challenges. Torah life must also be committed to, even when we don’t understand or are facing challenges. Further, adds Rabbi Pincus z”l, Torah study should be done out of love for Hakodosh Boruch Hu rather than as a struggle arising from obligation, and one should cleave to Torah as he cleaves to his wife, adds Rabbi Sternbach. Look at these luchot, adds Rav Aharon Kotler zt”l, as a bride and groom look at each other under the marriage canopy, with a connection of love. In fact, Rabbi Weinberger z”l points out, the word kallah is related to kilyon einayim/longing. Just as a bride looks longingly at her husband, so should a talmid chacham long to continue leaning Torah.
That longing implies that we never feel satiated with Torah, writes Rabbi Wolbe zt”l. We should feel like the ocean who, although all the rivers flow into it, the ocean is never full. The heart is the holiest part of a person, and it naturally yearns to be closer to God. All the Torah should enter your heart, but your heart must remain as boundless as the ocean, for the purpose of Torah is to know Hashem not only intellectually, but emotionally, loving Torah, always longing for more Torah, and living a Torah life. Only with a true love of Torah would you be willing to review it over and over again, teaches us Rabbi Chayim Mordechai Katz z”l.
Mishnat Rabi Aharon provides a metaphor for the love of Torah. When Yaakov blessed Ephraim and Menashe, he blessed that they “be as fish within the land.” What does this blessing mean? Why did Yaakov want his descendants to resemble fish? Fish live their lives surrounded by water, yet, when it rains, fish rise to the surface and thirstily drink in the new raindrops as they fall from the sky. [Ask a fisherman. He will tell you it is easier to fish after a rainfall when the fish have risen from the deep and are close to the surface. CKS] So must we be, always thirsty for more Torah and new Torah insights.
Just as the wedding ceremony unites the bride and groom, so does the Torah unite Bnei Yisroel with Hakodosh Boruch Hu culminating in the celebration of Shabbat each week. As Rabbi Weinberger z”l points out, the wedding is just the beginning, a preparation for the bride and groom to begin building a Jewish family. Similarly, the six days of the week are meant to be a preparation for the holy Shabbat. And, as Rabbi Elazar Menachem Man Shach zt”l adds, just as the wedding is meant to be a springboard for growth rather than the end goal, so are Torah study and mitzvah observance meant to help us grow in our essence and character. True, deep love between a husband and wife takes years to develop, as does true growth through Torah.
True Torah study should not be approached as a curriculum to be completed, but should arouse in us a desire to learn even more. Moshe, even at the end of his life, felt that he was just beginning to study Torah, writes Rabbi Schlesinger in Areshet Sefateinu.
There’s a connection between studying Torah and helping and rejoicing with a chatan and kallah, as Rashi hints at, writes Rabbi Kreizer in Ish Lere’eihu. Therefore, one of the greatest mitzvoth is hachnosat kallah, helping a couple get married and rejoicing with them. When our souls go up to heaven, we will be asked if we were involved with creating children. While we may think that this refers mostly to a husband and wife bringing children into the world, it also refers to helping other people bear children through our efforts in arranging shidduchim, or helping a struggling couple celebrate their marriage or build their home.
At the end of Hashem’s teaching Moshe the Torah for forty days, Hashem sends Moshe back to Bnei Yisroel with the message that love, growth, and a fulfilling life is the goal of Torah as it is the goal of every newly married couple. This is the gift Hashem has given us as He sent Moshe back to Bnei Yisroel with the luchot that encompass all the Torah for the enrichment of mankind.