This week’s Parshah contains within it, an entire ‘book’. Bracketed off by two reversed letter “NUNs”, we have two verses. Why are they marked out by the letter ‘nun’ reversed?
The Talmud tells us that these two verses are put here – out of place – in order to interrupt the flow of the narrative and create a split between the various sins and resulting misfortunes that occur here in succession. To avoid having three sins reported back-to-back, which would create a established pattern, and give the impression that the Jews had become habitually evil, this brief passage was inserted.
The first sin was, “they journeyed from the mountain of Hashem”. It was time – after nearly a year at the foot of Mount Sinai – to move on from the place where they received the greatest gift ever given to man – the Torah. But in place of leaving with reluctance and gratitude for all they had gained at Mount Sinai, the people left with too much alacrity, “like a child running away from school”.
Let us now address the two ‘nuns’ that provide the ‘breathing space’ between the sins. The Me’am Lo’ez suggests that the two ‘nuns’ – now turned backwards refer figuratively to the Jews turning their back on their previous alliance with Hashem which they expressed in their pledge “Na’aseh v’Nishmah” – “all that Hashem said we will do and we will listen”. As we read how they turned away from Mount Sinai with too much enthusiasm – in fear of receiving any more commandments – we are presented with the ‘nuns’ with their back’s to us, because this is exactly what we had done with our hasty turning away from Mount Sinai. In order to reverse these ‘nuns’ it is therefore incumbent upon us to reaffirm our mantra of “Na’aseh v’Nishmah”.
We are told that at the time the Jews uttered those words Hashem said, “Who revealed this secret – one that the angels use – to my children?” What exactly is the great secret of saying “Na’aseh v’Nishmah”? Let me share a beautiful understanding I came across in writings of the great Reb Yisroel Salanter.
Reb Yisroel parallels the decision to accept the Torah with the cry of “Na’aseh v’Nishmah” to a debate between Beis Shammai and Beis Hillel over whether it would have been better for man to have not been created. The two sides of the debate are; on the one hand if man acts righteously then man will gain eternal reward in the Next World and it would have been worth it. However it is very probable that creation will cause him great harm, for as we see, the majority of people stumble and transgress. From this human perspective it would have been better not to have been created. Indeed this is the view that prevails – from a logical point it is better to have not been created!
Acceptance of the Torah presented the two sides of this debate. Accepting the Torah was creating a new reality in the world. Do we accept the Torah and its 613 Mitzvahs whose reward is incalculable or do we refuse the Torah and avoid the probable harm of punishment for violating it? With the cry of “Na’aseh v’Nishmah” – accepting the deal blindingly without even knowing the contents – the Jews “walked in wholesome perfection”. Yes it was a rash decision – but they accepted it. Just as from a human perspective creating mankind was not a good thing yet the Almighty did it, so too they would agree to the Divine Will even though accepting the Torah entailed the risks that defied human logic.
Having understood that what happened when we accepted the Torah was that we relied on the Superior Wisdom of Hashem in place of our limited intellect, Reb Yisroel explains a verse describing the Yom Tov of Shavuos, “You shall observe these ‘chukim’ – statutes (commandments which Hashem did not reveal the underlying reason for)”. The commentators are bothered as to why Shavuos is singled out – not Pesach or Succos – as being a ‘chok’ – an unexplainable law. Furthermore they note that there is no specific commandment on Shavuos to which the verse could be referring to.
Said Reb Yisroel; the Yom Tov of Shavuos is indeed a ‘chok’. The acceptance of the Torah – from the human intellectual perspective – is not a reason for rejoicing. On the contrary it was the acceptance of a deal which makes no sense – the risks are too great. Rather – we relied on the Superior Wisdom of Hashem which is exactly what a ‘chok’ is. Pesach and Succos mark times of redemption and miracles and do not contradict our logic so we rejoice with understanding. But acceptance of the Torah is a non-intellectual decision!
This is perhaps how to understand why the acceptance of “Na’aseh v’Nishmah” was the secret of the angels. Angels have no intellectual prowess with which to grapple. What we achieved when we accepted the Torah was to negate our intellect and therefore we acted like angels.
May we merit to constantly take the plunge of accepting the ‘chok’ – the statute that this is the Torah – as we surrender our intellect to that of the Divine, and in doing so merit to reverse the ‘nuns’ to the emphatic cry of “Na’aseh v’Nishmah” and the fulfilment of the blessings (sung as we take the Torah out and when we return it to the ark) contained within the ‘nuns’ with the coming of Moshiach when we can truly see the “foes scattered” and “Hashem’s tranquil resting amongst the Jews”.
Good Shabbos, Yaakov