dsc@mtgzz.UUCP (d.s.chechik) (02/04/86)
Dvar Torah - Parshas Mishpatim
The end of this weeks parasha contains some of the events
leading up to the giving of the Torah. The passuk says,
"Vayikach sefer habris, vayikrah b'aznai ha'am, vayomeru,
kol asher diber hasem na'ase venishma'. And moshe took the
book of the covenant, and spoke it to the ears of the
people, and they answered, all that HASHEM said, we will do
(Na'ase) and we will hear(Nishma). Rashi tells us that what
was read to the jews was the torah up to the point that they
received the torah and the laws that they received before
the giving of the Torah at Mt. Sinai.
One question that can be asked is why did the jews answer
Na'ase before they answered Nishma? Isn't the normal course
to hear before doing?
The Talmud in Tractate Shabbos states, 'Rabbi Sima'ee
explained: when the jews prefaced Na'ase (we will do) to
Nishma (we will hear), 600,000 angels descended and gave
each jew 2 crowns, one for Na'ase and one for Nishma'. The
talmud appears to say that the fact the jews said both
Na'ase and Nishma would not have been sufficient for them to
get the crowns, the order was important. Why?
One answer given by the Bais Halevi is as follows. That
there are two reasons one can learn Torah, one is so that
one will know to how to perform the Mitzvos, all jews either
men or women are obligated to learn enough to be able to
perform his responsibilities. Men have an additional
obligation in learning torah; learning for the fulfillment
of the Mitzvah to learn Torah. Had the jews answered Nishma
Venaase, it would have seemed that they were only agreeing
to learn in order to know what to do. Since they answered
Na'ase Venisma, they were making a pledge to learn for both
purposes and so were worthy of 2 crowns, one for learning
for the sake of practice and the other for learning for its
own sake.
The Talmud in Tractate Nedarim discusses the reason for the
destruction of the first temple. The navi (Yirmiyahu) Why
was the land destroyed? and hashem answers Al azvam es
torasi (because my torah was let go). The talmud says that
the jews of the first temple did in fact learn torah.
However, they did not make a Beracha (blessing) on the torah
first. What is it that the talmud is trying to tell us
about blessings before learning. Is the birchas hatorah
which is said every morning so stringent that if not said,
can bring about the destruction of the temple and the exile
of the jewish people?
The bais halevi explains that the talmud is relating to us
the differences between the two types of learning. Why
didn't the scholars in the temple era make a blessing? The
talmud in Menachos tells us that blessings are recited only
on Mitsvos which are whole mitzvos in themselves. For
example circumcision, blowing the shofar, etc., Actions
which are merely the preparation for the completion of a
Mitvah do not require a blessing. E.G., building a Sukah.
The people of the first temple did not learn to accomplish
the mitzvah of learning so that their learning was only
preparation for a mitzvah and they therefore did not recite
a blessing. The talmud tells us that it was for the sin of
not learning for it's own sake that the jews were exiled.
The talmud there (in Nedarim) also asks, why are the
children of Talmidei Chachamim (scholars) often not Talmidei
Chachamim (and quite the reverse)? The answer given is that
these scholars do not make a beracha before they learn.
Given our explanation of not making birchas hatorah, we can
very easily understand the Mida Keneged Mida, (measure for
measure) with which hashem punishes the scholars who do not
learn to fulfill the mitzvah of learning. Mankind studies
various topics in order to know what to do. Since these
scholars study torah with the same objective, they show no
more respect for torah than for any other profession and
their children no more likely to follow in their footsteps
then if they would work at something else.
To find out what happened to the crowns, tune in next week
for Ki Sisa (Tisa for you sfardit folk).
Dovid Chechik
AT&T Information Systems Laboratories
Middletown, New Jersey
(201) 957-5677
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