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 Shabbat Parashat Tetzaveh| 5763Moreshet ShaulFrom the works of Hagaon Harav Shaul Yisraeli zt”l
Drasha for Purim - Courtesy of R. Yisrael Sharir
Bnei Yisrael accepted the Torah twice. The first time, at Har Sinai, it was accompanied by Divine sounds and sights. It was preceded by the miracles of the Exodus, including the splitting of the sea, and by the daily miracles of the desert. Despite all this, Chazal (Shabbat 88a) tell us, Bnei Yisrael accepted the Torah only through coercion.
The same gemara indicates that Bnei Yisrael accepted the Torah willingly at the time of Achashveirosh. Let us contemplate the contrast. Bnei Yisrael were in a foreign land, under the dominion of a capricious king, who at any moment, could and almost did, bring about their annihilation. Specifically at this time, when Hashem's presence was concealed and even salvation came in hidden ways, Bnei Yisrael reaccepted the Torah in a willful manner. How do we understand this?
After 400 years of enslavement, Bnei Yisrael go out free with their eyes set on the Promised Land. They are free, independent, and able to chart their own course… just like any other nation. They can appoint their own leaders, decide on national ceremonies, and make up their own constitution. The thought passes through their minds: "Maybe we should learn from the national practices of other countries, in order to live among the nations as equals among equals. Why do we need miracles, when we can now live naturally? Why do we need a Torah from the heavens? Who says that it is feasible to follow it, or that it will fit the needs of our new land? Maybe a Torah from the land will work better than a Torah from the heavens." The Torah counters: "Like the days of the heavens on the earth" (Devarim 11:21).
Let us examine another scenario. Jews find themselves in exile again, in Babylon. "How can we sing Hashem's song on a foreign soil?" (Tehillim 137:4). But as time goes on, exile becomes more tolerable. The kingdom shows signs of accepting the Jews. Mordechai even sits in the gateway of the king. Jews are invited to partake in national celebrations and can enjoy instead of crying on the rivers of Babylon. Even if the Persian celebration is on the 70th anniversary of the destruction of Judea, it still seems better to them to be a part of a stable empire than to be a tiny, vulnerable, independent state. All of a sudden, though, the Jews are forced to wake up. A tyrant rises meteorically to power and gets the king to agree to a brilliant plot to have a popular uprising undo the Jewish nation. Where is the liberalism of Persia? Where is the appreciation of the entrepreneurial, Jewish people? Finally, the Jews of Shushan and beyond understand that they cannot depend on the world for national success. Only their unique, spiritual strength, rooted in the eternal Divine covenant with the forefathers and the nation at Sinai is dependable.
The nation that escaped Egypt but still suffered from the idolatrous mindset was not ready to fully internalize the lesson of "na'aseh v'nishmah." Only a nation, reawakened by reality from a false fantasy, learned to fully appreciate the spiritual legacy of the nation and reaccept the Torah.
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