Parshas Mishpatim 5785
- Torah Tavlin
- Feb 19
- 2 min read
ויקח ספר הברית ויקרא באזני העם ויאמרו כל אשר דבר ה' נעשה ונשמע ... (כד-ז)
Klal Yisroel accepted the Torah with the words “Naaseh v’Nishma.” A host of Malachim then came down and placed two crowns on each Jew’s head representing this Kaballah. Just a few posukim earlier (כד-ג) the Yidden already said "כל הדברים אשר דבר ה' נעשה", only they did not say the word “Nishma” yet. Why did they not receive the “Naaseh” crown earlier and just add the “Nishma” crown after, when they said the word? Why did they receive both crowns at once?
During World War II, the Allies bombed locations all throughout Germany. One location that was hit was a road that the Nazis had forced Jewish prisoners to build during the war. The Nazis devised a cruel game. Jews were ordered to jump over the craters created by the bomb. R’ Yisroel Spira zt”l, the Bluzhever Rebbe, was among the Jews in line to jump. There was also a Yid there who had lost his faith, who was certain he was about to fall to his death. When it was the Rebbe’s turn, he leapt across the abyss. He was not young, yet miraculously he landed on the other side. A moment later, the other man landed next to him.
“Rebbi,” he said excitedly, “I am young and barely made it across. How did you do it?” The Rebbe replied, “As I jumped, I stretched out my arms and suddenly I saw my father and my Zeides standing on the other side with outstretched arms. I grabbed their arms and they pulled me over. But my friend, how did you get over?” The man replied, “I held onto you!”
R’ Moshe Feinstein zt”l explains that saying Naaseh just means “We will do.” We will translate and explain the Torah any way we want to and we may totally distort the Mitzvos and their understanding. Nishma, however, means “We will listen” to our Mesorah, to our parents and our Rabbeim, and learn how they properly explain the Torah. The Nishma is a prerequisite for the Naaseh because first we need to understand the proper explanation of the Torah and then we can properly keep its laws. Our Mesorah is our lifeline because it is only through that connection that we may keep the Torah and Mitzvos properly.