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These
divrei Torah were adapted from the hashkafa portion of Rabbi Yissocher
Frand’s Commuter Chavrusah Tapes on the weekly portion: #1280 The Shul
Kiddish Shabbos Morning: Two Interesting Shailos. Good Shabbos!
There is an
interesting Ohr HaChaim haKadosh in Parshas Yisro. Parshas Yisro contains
the narration of the giving of the Aseres Hadibros (Ten Commandments) on
Har Sinai, which is the most fundamental event in the history of the
Jewish people, even more fundamental than Yetzias Mitzrayim (the exodus
from Egypt). And yet, the first part of the parsha (and the source of the its name)
is about Yisro and the method he proposes to Moshe Rabbeinu for
streamlining the process by which the people resolved disputes and
received answers to their questions. The Ohr HaChaim asks: Why does the
setting up the judicial system suggested by Yisro precede Kabalas HaTorah?
The Ohr HaChaim
answers that the Ribono
shel Olam wanted to relay a message to that generation and
every subsequent generation. Hashem
is informing us that there are plenty of smart people in the non-Jewish
world and it behooves us to take advantage of their wisdom and expertise.
We should not think
that Hashem
gave the Torah to the Jewish people because they were so smart. We might
have chauvinistically claimed that others are not worthy of receiving and
dealing with the Divine Wisdom contained in the Torah. The Ohr HaChaim
points out that there are many very smart—even brilliant—non-Jews in the
world.
The last time I
checked, Bill Gates is not Jewish. Warren Buffet is not Jewish either.
You can go through history and find brilliant non-Jews in every generation.
Michelangelo was not Jewish. Neither was Aristotle. There are plenty of
great people in the world who are not Jewish. Some are very, very smart.
The Ohr HaChaim
says that it is instructive that a story of a non-Jew who takes stock of
the situation, and proclaims, “You are doing this all wrong!” precedes
Kabbalas Hatorah (the Revelation at Sinai). This demonstrates that we
were not chosen for our brains. The Ribono
shel Olam chose us to be His people as part of a Divine
Kindness, and because of His love for our patriarchs. We were chosen for
our yichus
(lineage). We are the descendants of Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov whom
the Ribono shel Olam
loved.
There is another
lesson here, beside the fact that brain power was not the reason why we
merited Torah:
There is a parallel
parsha to Parshas Yisro, and that is Parshas Devorim. At the beginning of
Sefer Devorim, the Torah recounts this whole story. Moshe complains that
he is overburdened with his duties of leadership: “How can I alone carry
your contentiousness, your burdens, and your quarrels?” (Devorim 1:12).
This is then followed by the solution to his challenge: “Provide for
yourselves distinguished men, who are wise, understanding, and well known
to your tribes and I shall appoint them as your heads.” (Devorim 1:13).
To which the people respond positively: “The thing that you have proposed
to do is good” (Devorim 1:14).
Rashi there (Pasuk
14) sheds a somewhat negative light on the people’s acceptance of the
plan: The people’s response should not have been “Great idea!” Their
response should have been “Moshe Rabbeinu, we want you!” “We are willing
to wait in line for four hours, if necessary, because we want to learn
Torah from you!” Moshe was suspicious, Rashi adds, that perhaps the
people were so enthused about the proposal because they thought they
would be able to bribe or otherwise gain the favor of these “district
judges” who they felt would perhaps not be as incorruptible as Moshe
Rabbeinu.
So, perhaps this
parsha, which seems so positive in Parshas Yisro (everyone was happy;
great idea!), was not such a slam-dunk best policy solution. Even if at
the end of the day, Moshe would have had to convince the people “No. This
is a good idea.” – at least their initial response should have been “We
do not like the idea because, Moshe Rabbeinu—we want you!”
I saw a very
interesting insight into this comment of Rashi in the sefer Yad HaTorah.
The reason that Rashi provides why they should have said that they prefer
to learn Torah from Moshe was “Because you pained yourself for this” (nitzta’arta aleha).
You were on that mountain for forty days and forty nights without eating
bread or drinking water. Therefore, your Torah is superior because you
suffered over it. It was not brain power that made Moshe’s Torah superior
to that of his students. It was his shvitzing
over it.
It was not brain
power in Parshas Yisro which caused Hashem
to choose us and it was not brain power in Rashi in Parshas Devorim which
should have caused them to prefer Moshe’s Torah over that of his
disciples.
This is a key
lesson. The way a person acquires Torah is not through brain power. It is
not necessarily acquired by the smartest kid in the class. It is be
acquired by the person who shvitzes,
who works the hardest.
The Ponnevezer Rav
said a fantastic thing. Why were there people in Europe who, compared to
today (with rare exceptions), were such great gedolim? We do not have someone like
Rav Chaim Ozer. We do not have a Rav Meir Simcha of Dvinsk or a Rav Chaim
Soleveitchik of Brisk. This is not to knock anyone, but is this because
they were so much smarter in pre-war Europe? The Ponnevezer Rav answered
that the reason they were so much bigger was because they shvitzed for it.
They were moser nefesh
for it.
Today, we sit in
air-conditioned Batei
Midrash. We have everything at our fingertips. It is
beautiful. I am not belittling it. The amount of Torah today exceeds what
existed in Europe. Europe was not utopia. But the gedolim emerged as a
result of their shvitzing.
Rav Shach—before he
arrived to Eretz Yisroel—owned one shirt. He washed the shirt on Erev
Shabbos so he would have something clean to wear for Shabbos. He slept on
a bench in the Beis Medrash. There were days when he literally starved
for lack of food. That does not exist today. The key to Torah acquisition
is not brain power, but rather the pain and effort that a person endures
in the acquisition of Torah.
Moshe Lost His Job to Emphasize That the
Mesorah is Exact
The pasuk says, “…thus
say to the House of Yaakov and tell the Children of Israel.” (Shemos
19:3) Rashi comments “in this language and in this sequence.” Hashem tells Moshe
to give over His message precisely as he is being told it. Similarly, two
pesukim
later, Rashi comments on the expression “…These are the words that you
shall speak to the Children of Israel” (Shemos 19:5): “Neither more nor
less.”
We would think that
there would be no need to tell Moshe Rabbeinu. “Say it this way – neither
more nor less, this is exactly how you need to say it!” Is it not obvious
that Moshe Rabbeinu should and will transmit Hashem’s ‘script’ to Bnei Yisrael exactly
as Hashem
tells him? What is Rashi saying here?
Rav Yaakov
Kamenetsky addresses this issue in his sefer. The principle he sets forth
is basically an idea found in the Droshas haRan. There is a very famous
teaching of Rav Nissim ben Reuven of Girona (1320-1380). Why is it that
Moshe Rabbeinu, the leader of Klal
Yisrael, had a speech impediment? We would think that the
person who took the Jews out of Mitzrayim, gave them the Torah, and led
them for forty years in the wilderness should be articulate. At least we
would assume he should be a good speaker!
The Droshas haRan
writes that Hashem
wanted Moshe to have a speech impediment because He wanted that the
people should accept him and listen to him, not because of his ‘golden
tongue’ or because of his oratorical skills. Therefore, he was the leader
of the people, not because of his power of speech but because he was
Moshe Rabbeinu – the messenger of Hashem.
When the Ribono shel Olam
told Moshe “I want you to give Torah to Klal Yisrael,” He emphasized “I do not
want a ‘sales job’ over here.” There are people who are born salesmen.
Someone walks into a car dealership wanting a stripped-down Corolla and
walks out with a Lexus that has every single feature. Why? Because a
slick salesman sold him a bill of goods. It is the same when you go buy a
refrigerator. You want a basic model refrigerator. You wind up buying a
model with an ice-maker that takes your blood pressure and does
everything for you! Slick salesmen!
The Ribono shel Olam is
emphasizing to Moshe: I do not want any sales jobs over here. I want them
to accept the Torah as it is. “This is it.” Therefore, “nothing more and
nothing less.”
Rav Yaakov uses
this idea to answer a question that troubles all the meforshim. Moshe
Rabbeinu made one slip-up in his life. He hit the rock rather than speaking
to it (according to Rashi’s interpretation of the aveira (sin) of Mei Merivah).
Essentially, Moshe Rabbeinu was fired for that! Because of that one
slip-up, Moshe was unable to be the one to continue to lead Bnei Yisroel
into Eretz Yisroel! Rav Yaakov explains why. It was vital that the Torah
be transmitted exactly as given by Hashem.
Once there is any addition or subtraction or modification to the word of Hashem, people can
start speculating – “well, maybe other parts of it are not from Hashem either! Maybe
this is Moshe’s own editorial comment.” To bring home this crucial idea
that precisely the entire Torah is from Hashem, the one time that Moshe did do
something not EXACTLY as commanded, he lost his job.
This Torah is the
Word of G-d. It is not the word of Moshe Rabbeinu and not the word of
anyone else. It is the Dvar Hashem.
Transcribed by
David Twersky; Jerusalem DavidATwersky@gmail.com
Edited by Dovid
Hoffman; Baltimore, MD dhoffman@torah.org
This week’s
write-up is adapted from the hashkafa portion of Rabbi Yissochar Frand’s
Commuter Chavrusah Series on the weekly Torah portion. A listing of the
halachic portions for Parshas Yisro is provided below:
- # 042 Kiddush: To Sit or Not to Sit
- # 085 Christianity in Halacha
- # 133 Honoring In-Laws
- # 180 The Mitzvah of Kiddush for Men and
Women
- # 226 The Fearless Judge: A Difficult Task
- # 270 Parental Wishes vs. Staying in
Israel
- # 316 The Reading of the “Aseres Hadibros”
- # 360 Dolls and Statues: Is There An
Avodah Zarah Problem?
- # 404 Making a Bracha on a Makom Neis
- # 448 Lo Sachmod
- # 492 Eating Before Kiddush
- # 536 Newspapers on Shabbos
- # 580 Women and Havdalah
- # 624 Resting Your Animal on the Shabbos
- # 668 Kiddush B’mkom Seudah
- # 712 The Kiddush Club
- # 756 The Kosel Video Camera
- # 800 Avoda Zara and The Jewish Jeweler
- # 844 Yisro and Birchas Hagomel
- # 888 What Should It Be – Hello or Shalom?
- # 932 Saying The Shem Hashem While
Learning – Yes or No?
- # 975 Kiddush on Wine: Absolutely
Necessary?
- #1019 Unnecessary Brachos
- #1063 Ma’aris Ayin: The Power Lunch In A
Treife Restaurant
- #1106 Must You Treat Your Father-in-Law
Like Your Father?
- #1149 Kiddush Shabbos Day – On What? What
Do You Say?
- #1192 I Keep 72 Minutes; You Keep 45 – Can
You Do Melacha for Me?
- #1236 “I Want Your House and I’ll Make You
an Offer You Can’t Refuse”: Muttar or Assur?
- #1280 The Shul Kiddish Shabbos Monring:
Two Interesting Shailos
- #1281 Kiddush Shabbos Day – Must Everyone
Drink the Wine?
- #1324 Saying Kaddish: All Aveilim Together
or Each One Individually on a Rotating Basis?
- #1368 Davening For Personal Needs on
Shabbos?
- #1412 Must One Keep Their Father’s
Minhagim or What Bracha Do You Make on Potatoes
- #1456 I Haven’t Accepted Shabbos Yet, You
Have. Can I Make Kiddush For You?
- #1500 The Case of the Son-in-Law Who Wants
More Support Money From His Father-in-Law.
A complete
catalogue can be ordered from the Yad Yechiel Institute, PO Box 511,
Owings Mills MD 21117-0511. Call (410) 358-0416 or e-mail tapes@yadyechiel.org or visit http://www.yadyechiel.org/ for
further information.
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