The Call of the Day - Naaseh Venishma
Bamidbar - Shavuos
On the 5th of Sivan, the day before Matan Torah, the Jewish people declared their acceptance of the Torah with the cry of נעשה ונשמע
The Gemora praises the greatness of this statement of faith and acceptance. Hashem describes it as the secret of the angels. As a reward for their declaration, Hashem sent down 600,000 angels to place two crowns on the head of each Jew, one corresponding to Naaseh and the other to Venishma.
What is so powerful about these words and their connection to Matan Torah?
We usually understand the greatness of this phrase to be the absolute surrender to accept and fulfill the Torah, even without understanding its concepts. This is in contrast to the nations of the world who conditioned their acceptance on first understanding what the Torah contained. This surrender is emphasized in saying Naaseh - we will do.
But to say that this was the power of Naaseh Venishma cannot be.
These immemorial words appear at the end of Parshas Mishpotim, which gives more comprehensive account of the lead-up to Matan Torah and Moshe’s ascent on Har Sinai. But on a closer look, we find that the Jewish people had already declared their willingness to accept the Torah on two prior occasions.
In Shemos 19:8 we read And all of the nation answered together “all that Hashem has said we will do (Naasseh)”. Subsequently in Shemos 24:3 it says And the nation responded with one voice and they said “all of the words which Hashem has said we will do (Naaseh)”.
Yet at neither of these points did Hashem decide to give the Torah. Nor did He praise their declarations. Whilst the Kabolas Ol of “just doing it” is a great thing, this was not the secret of the angels which Hashem was waiting to hear.
Only when Bnei Yisroel finally said All that Hashem has said we will do and we will hear (Naaseh Venishma) are they praised for their words.
There are two levels on which we connect to Torah;
Naaseh emphasizes the surrender to observe without condition. This is the service of Kabbolas Ol. Kabbolas Ol means our steadfast commitment to observe Hashem’s Mitzvos even without the intellectual or emotional appreciation of their meaning and intent. Kabolas Ol is “because I (Hashem) say so.”
Venishma emphasises the need to study and learn. It encapsulates the importance of cultivating a meaningful intellectual appreciation and emotional bond with the Torah and its Mitzvos that we are keeping.
When Bnei Yisroel answered Naaseh, Hashem did not give the Torah because the integral component of Venishma was missing. Kabbolas Ol and blind surrender are honourable qualities, but they only serve as the foundation to something greater.
Whilst Hashem primarily desires our obedience, He wants our hearts and minds to be involved: Not to keep the Torah purely because we have been commanded, but to develop a personal bond and feeling for the Torah. Through this, the Torah becomes our own, something we genuinely desire to study and observe from within ourselves.
But Venishma is clearly not enough either.
On closer analysis of the Gemora, Hashem’s praise of the Jewish people was because they prefaced Naaseh to Venishma, that they verbalized both elements of embracing the Torah and in that deliberate sequence. Naaseh - they surrendered themselves to accept and fulfill Hashem’s will. Venishma - they would devote themselves to the study of Torah, to learn its depths and to develop a deep love for the Torah and Mitzvos.
Prefacing Naaseh to Venishma was to proclaim that even in their pursuit of feeling and understanding, their observance was not and never would be contingent on their ability to feel and understand. Even when lacking inspiration they would have the foundation of Kabbolas Ol on which to rely.
Naaseh, is the foundation on which we build a deeper, personally meaningful relationship with Torah and Mitzvos. Kabolas Ol ensures that even in such times when we don’t feel this deeper experience, we will do what must be done, until the inspiration comes back.
This Shabbos, Erev Matan Torah, lets reflect on our recommitment to Torah, both in our Naaseh and Nishma. Then we will certainly receive the Torah once more, Besimcha Ubipnimius.
The Gemora praises the greatness of this statement of faith and acceptance. Hashem describes it as the secret of the angels. As a reward for their declaration, Hashem sent down 600,000 angels to place two crowns on the head of each Jew, one corresponding to Naaseh and the other to Venishma.
What is so powerful about these words and their connection to Matan Torah?
We usually understand the greatness of this phrase to be the absolute surrender to accept and fulfill the Torah, even without understanding its concepts. This is in contrast to the nations of the world who conditioned their acceptance on first understanding what the Torah contained. This surrender is emphasized in saying Naaseh - we will do.
But to say that this was the power of Naaseh Venishma cannot be.
These immemorial words appear at the end of Parshas Mishpotim, which gives more comprehensive account of the lead-up to Matan Torah and Moshe’s ascent on Har Sinai. But on a closer look, we find that the Jewish people had already declared their willingness to accept the Torah on two prior occasions.
In Shemos 19:8 we read And all of the nation answered together “all that Hashem has said we will do (Naasseh)”. Subsequently in Shemos 24:3 it says And the nation responded with one voice and they said “all of the words which Hashem has said we will do (Naaseh)”.
Yet at neither of these points did Hashem decide to give the Torah. Nor did He praise their declarations. Whilst the Kabolas Ol of “just doing it” is a great thing, this was not the secret of the angels which Hashem was waiting to hear.
Only when Bnei Yisroel finally said All that Hashem has said we will do and we will hear (Naaseh Venishma) are they praised for their words.
There are two levels on which we connect to Torah;
Naaseh emphasizes the surrender to observe without condition. This is the service of Kabbolas Ol. Kabbolas Ol means our steadfast commitment to observe Hashem’s Mitzvos even without the intellectual or emotional appreciation of their meaning and intent. Kabolas Ol is “because I (Hashem) say so.”
Venishma emphasises the need to study and learn. It encapsulates the importance of cultivating a meaningful intellectual appreciation and emotional bond with the Torah and its Mitzvos that we are keeping.
When Bnei Yisroel answered Naaseh, Hashem did not give the Torah because the integral component of Venishma was missing. Kabbolas Ol and blind surrender are honourable qualities, but they only serve as the foundation to something greater.
Whilst Hashem primarily desires our obedience, He wants our hearts and minds to be involved: Not to keep the Torah purely because we have been commanded, but to develop a personal bond and feeling for the Torah. Through this, the Torah becomes our own, something we genuinely desire to study and observe from within ourselves.
But Venishma is clearly not enough either.
On closer analysis of the Gemora, Hashem’s praise of the Jewish people was because they prefaced Naaseh to Venishma, that they verbalized both elements of embracing the Torah and in that deliberate sequence. Naaseh - they surrendered themselves to accept and fulfill Hashem’s will. Venishma - they would devote themselves to the study of Torah, to learn its depths and to develop a deep love for the Torah and Mitzvos.
Prefacing Naaseh to Venishma was to proclaim that even in their pursuit of feeling and understanding, their observance was not and never would be contingent on their ability to feel and understand. Even when lacking inspiration they would have the foundation of Kabbolas Ol on which to rely.
Naaseh, is the foundation on which we build a deeper, personally meaningful relationship with Torah and Mitzvos. Kabolas Ol ensures that even in such times when we don’t feel this deeper experience, we will do what must be done, until the inspiration comes back.
This Shabbos, Erev Matan Torah, lets reflect on our recommitment to Torah, both in our Naaseh and Nishma. Then we will certainly receive the Torah once more, Besimcha Ubipnimius.