From: Netvort@aol.com
Sent: Friday, February 16, 2007
4:02 AM
To: JoshHoff@aol.com
Subject: Netvort : parshas
Mishpotim, 5767
Bringing it
Down
By Rabbi Joshua (pragmatically known as The Hoffer) Hoffman
At
the end of last week's parsha, Yisro, after the Jewish people experience the
divine revelation at Mt. Sinai, we are told that they saw the sound, the flames,
and the rest of the effects occurring in that area, and that they trembled and
kept their distance. They then tell Moshe that he should address them, rather
than God, lest they die. Seeing and hearing this, Moshe told them, "Do not fear,
for in order to exalt you ('lenasos eschem") has God come, so that His fear
shall go before you, so that you shall not sin (Shemos 20:17)." He then
approaches the thick darkness around the mountain, and receives a further
message from God, with a series of commands concerning the prohibition of making
images of silver and gold. And the obligation of making an altar, and how to
walk up its ramp. After these commands are recorded, the Torah goes on to the
next parsha, Mishpotim, which consists largely, although not exclusively, of the
Torah's code of civil law. We need to understand why Moshe's message to the
people, including the several commandments which he conveyed to them, follows
after the revelation at Mt. Sinai, and why the Torah then goes on to present the
laws that are found in parshas Mishpotim. Understanding these points will, I
believe, will give us an insight into the nature of the laws we find there.
Our translation of the phrase 'lenasos eschem' as 'to exalt
you' follows Rashi's interpretation. However, Ramban finds difficulty with
Rashi's approach, because there was no one to witness how the nation became
exalted. Ramban himself offers a number of different explanations of the phrase,
and concludes by saying that he prefers to explain the phrase as meaning ' to
test you.' After God had removed any doubt from their minds about Him,
through granting them a very high level of prophecy at Mt. Sinai, he now wanted
to see if they loved Him and desired His commandments. I would like to use
Ramban's explanation as a starting point, but refer back to what he says in
parshas Vayeira concerning the tests of Avrohom, and then explain our verses
with the background of those tests in mind.
In parshas
Vayeira, Ramban says that God does not test someone in order to find out whether
he can withstand the test. Rather, God wishes to activate that potential which
the person has thus far held within himself. My teacher, Rav Aharon Soloveichik,
zt"l, further explained the Ramban to mean that God tests a person in order to
convince him that he does, indeed, have that potential, and can conduct his life
in accordance with it. Although the Ramban says this in regard to the test of
the akeidah, there was a further test that Avrohom had to undergo, according to
Rabbeinu Yonah, and, possibly, it appears, according to the Ramban himself.
Rabbeinu Yonah, in his commentary to Avos, writes that the final test that
Avrohom was subjected to was the need to purchase a burial plot for Sarah, even
though God had promised the land to his descendants. Why was there, indeed, a
need for any further test following the akeidah? Didn't the angel of God tell
him that he had reached the level of fear of God, which, as the Maharsha
explained based on Rav Yosef Albo's categories in his Sefer HaIkkarim, refers to
the awe and reverence of God, which is a result of the love of God? What more
could be expected from Avrohom after reaching this level? Rav Eimelech Bar Shaul
explained, in a eulogy he gave for Rav Betzalel Zolty, that Avrohom needed to
descend from the plateau he had reached at Mt. Moriah and bring the level he had
reached there into play in the affairs of his daily life. Thus, after leaving
the mountain, he went on to display the ultimate level of chesed, or kindness,
by attending to the burial of his wife, despite the fact that it entailed
expending a great deal of money for a plot of land that God promised to his
descendants. With this explanation in mind, we can now better understand the
verses at the end of Yisro, and the reason for presenting the laws in parshas
Mishpotim at this moment in time.
As we mentioned, according to
Ramban, after the nation experienced prophecy at Mt. Sinai, God wished to test
them to see if they loved Him and desired His commandments. The commandments
that are mentioned at the end of parshas Yisro are prohibitions of making gods
of silver or gold, the requirement to build altars on which to serve God, and a
prohibition of taking long strides when walking up to the altar. All of these
commands and prohibitions, it seems, are related to one's relationship with God
as manifested in the mishkan. Rashi explains that the prohibitions of making
gods of silver and gold relate to the service in the mishkan, telling the people
that although the aron, or holy ark, will have cherubs on top of it, they are
not allowed to decide to make such images on their own in order to worship God.
The people are then commanded to build altars on which to serve God, and,
finally, they are told that they must not ascend to the altar on steps, so as
not to uncover their nakedness. Rashi explains, that even though the
kohain doing the service will be wearing linen pants ('michnesei vad),
still, using steps would requre taking long strides, which is close to
uncovering of nakedness. Rashi then cites the Mechiltas saying that if one must
exercise such care in regard to the altar, which is made of stone and has no
feelings, how much more does he need to exhibit respect for his fellow human
being. I believe that this stress on the dignity of man, in the context of our
service of God on the altar, is the key to understanding the transition from the
end of parshas Yisro to the laws in parshas Mishpotim.
Rabbi
Avigdor Nebenzahl, in a sicha to parshas Mishpotim, writes that the civil laws
recorded in this parsha are rooted in recognition of man being made in God's
image, and the consequent need to take extraordinary measures to preserve his
dignity and maintain his rights. Following this approach, we can suggest, that
after the experience of Mt. Sinai, God instructed the people as to how they
should serve him in the mishkan, and, then, instructed them as to how to serve
him in everyday life. Observing the laws of parshas Mishpotim is, in fact, a way
of acknowledging God's presence in this world by preserving the dignity of the
people whom He created in His image. Thus, not only by serving God in the
mishkan are the people being presented with an opportunity to express their love
of God, but also, in their everyday encounters with their fellow man, they are
given the opportunity to recognize the image of God within each person, and
thereby express their love for Him in a concrete way. Viewed in this way, the
civil laws presented in parshas Mishpotim can be seen as a commentary to the
first statement in the Decalogue in parshas Yisro, "I am the Lord your God Who
brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage (Shemos
20:2)."
Please address all correspondence to the author (Rabbi
Hoffman) with the following address - JoshHoff @ AOL.com.
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