MEVASER TOV

Essays on the weekly parsha by the Biala Rebbe shlita

Rav and Av Beis Din of Lugano, Switzerland

Available at: mevasertovweekly@gmail.com

Shavuos, Year 1 (5770) Issue # 31

This week’s issue is dedicated to as a merit for the recovery of

Ephraim Yaakov ben Bluma Tzipora Tzirel
among all the sick people of Israel.
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- SHAVUOS 5769 -

 TORAH FROM SINAI 

1.
Those Present at Har Sinai

The entire nation of Israel stood together as one on Har Sinai to receive the Torah, as
our Sages infer from the verse, “Hashem descended on Har Sinai before the eyes of the entire
nation.”1 From here we learn that if even one Jew had been absent, Bnei Yisrael could
not have received the Torah.2
In seeming contradiction, the Gemara states that anyone who can sin without shame
can be sure that his ancestors were not at Har Sinai.3 There we received the noble
characteristics indicative of the Chosen Nation, such as mercy, kindness and shame.4
Anyone who is so brazen as to sin without shame lacks the traits that were instilled in
the souls of all those present at Har Sinai, and in the souls of their descendants for all
generations to come.5 Therefore, his ancestors were undoubtedly absent at Har Sinai.
Some suggest that this refers to the descendants of converts, whose forefathers did
not stand on Har Sinai,6 yet this is surely untrue, since the Gemara elsewhere states that
the souls of all future converts did indeed stand on Har Sinai.7

1
Shemos 19:11
2
Mechilta, Yisro
3
Nedarim 20a
4
Ran: Nedarim, loc. cit.; Yevamos 79a
5
Rashi, Devarim 29:14
6
Shita Mekubetzes, Nedarim
7
Shabbos 146a
  Mevaser Tov – Shavuos 

What then is the resolution of this apparent contradiction? Is there such a thing as a
Jew whose ancestors did not stand on Har Sinai? If so, is there any way for him to
correct this deficiency, by somehow reenacting the Kabbalas HaTorah that occurred on
Har Sinai?

2.
Desire for Torah

Although Klal Yisrael as a whole professed a genuine desire to receive the Torah,
proclaiming, “Na’aseh v’nishmah – we shall do and we shall listen,” there were some for
whom this proclamation was insincere, as the verse states, “They were deceitful to Him
with their mouths, and with their tongues they betrayed Him. Their hearts were insincere.”8
Over the course of the generations, these souls slipped away from the fold, either
abandoning Torah observance or embracing foreign ideologies.
In contrast, when the other nations refused to accept the Torah, as the Gemara
discusses,9 there were some individual gentiles who wanted to accept it, but were scared
or ashamed to go against their peers. Over the course of time, these souls drifted
towards the Torah and eventually converted to Judaism. In both cases, it was neither
the overt acceptance or refusal of the Torah that made a lasting impression, but the
sincere desire of the heart.
This point is illustrated by the Gemara which states that mankind was tainted by the
filth of the primordial snake, which first convinced Chava to eat from the Tree of
Knowledge and then defiled her. This impurity remained until Bnei Yisrael stood at Har
Sinai, where they were uplifted unto the level of angels and cleansed of all their
impurities. Since other nations did not take part in Kabbalas HaTorah, they retained this
impurity. The Gemara then adds that future converts, although absent in body, were
present in soul and were thus similarly purified.10
Rashi explains, “Everyone who stood at Har Sinai was sanctified, purified, and
healed of every imperfection. Even the blind and the lame were healed.”
Without the purity they obtained at Sinai, it would have been impossible for Bnei
Yisrael to observe the Torah, which is the ultimate expression of holiness. For this
reason, it was necessary for the souls of the gentiles who would one day convert to be
present, in order that they too could benefit from this purity and be able to one day
observe the Torah. Thereby, they too could become clean vessels to host the presence of
the holy Shechinah, which rests upon all those who study Torah.
This purity was extended to all those who sincerely desired the Torah, whether or
not they were present in body. The Jews who did not want the Torah were not availed
of this purity, and were therefore unable to ever really connect to the Torah’s holiness.
These were the ancestors of the shameless ones. They were physically present on Har
Sinai, but did not receive its elevating influence. As the Baal Shem Tov taught, man is

8
Tehillim 78:36-37; Bamidbar Rabbah 7:4
9
Avodah Zarah 2b
10
Shabbos 145b

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not found at his physical location, but in the place of his thoughts and desires. Here too,
all those who had a true desire for Torah, whether or Jew or gentile, were present in
spirit at Har Sinai.

3
Like Ministering Angels

Hashem personally instills the Torah’s wisdom in our hearts and minds as we study,
as the verse states, “Hashem grants wisdom. From His mouth is knowledge and
understanding.”11 As such, every instance of Torah study entails a certain element of
Kabbalas HaTorah. However, the profundity of Kabbalas HaTorah on Har Sinai was
much deeper than ordinary Torah study, as is evident from the Gemara which states
that when a child learns Torah from his grandfather, it is as if he receives it from Sinai.12
This implies that normally, studying Torah is not exactly like “receiving it from Sinai.”
Similarly, the Midrash states, “Anyone who toils in Torah in earnest, is considered to
have personally received it on Har Sinai.”13 Evidently, one who just learns Torah,
without toiling to understand its deeper meaning, is not considered to have received it
from Sinai.
Elsewhere, the Gemara states, “One who purchases a Sefer Torah in the market is
considered like one who snatches mitzvos from the market, while one who writes a
Sefer Torah himself is considered to have received it from Har Sinai.”14
Furthermore, the Talmud Yerushalmi relates an incident in which fire descended
from Heaven to surround the Sages as they studied. They then explained that since they
studied with the same joy that our forefathers experienced at Sinai, they merited to have
holy fire descend upon them, just as it descended on Har Sinai.15
From all these sources we see that there is an aspect of Torah study that parallels
Kabbalas HaTorah on Har Sinai, but not all Torah study has this advantage. What
exactly is the distinction between ordinary Torah study, and study that merits a
revelation of the holy fire that descended on Har Sinai?
The Midrash states:

When HaKadosh Baruch Hu descended on Har Sinai to grant the

Torah to Bnei Yisrael, six hundred thousand angels accompanied Him,
corresponding to the six hundred thousand mighty Jews. They crowned
each Jew with a crown bearing Hashem’s Name. During that entire time,
until the incident [of the Golden Calf] occurred, they were valued in

11
Mishlei 2:6
12
Kiddushin 30a
13
Yalkut Shimoni, Devarim 26:938
14
Menachos 30a
15
Cited in Tosefos, Chagigah 15a s.v. Shuvu

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  Mevaser Tov – Shavuos 

Hashem’s estimation like the ministering angels. The angel of death had
no power over them, nor did they need to excrete waste like mortal
men.16

As Hashem prepared them to receive the Torah, He elevate them to the level of
angels by purifying their bodies and souls of all blemish and purity. Our Sages tell us
that Torah study has the power to heal the physical body of any malady.17 Indeed, as
they stood at Har Sinai, the holiness of the Torah healed the blind, the lame, the deaf,
and the foolish from all their ailments.18
If Torah can heal our physical bodies, then how much more so can it heal our souls.
When it is received as it was on Sinai, with burning desire to do Hashem’s will, its holy
fire scours the soul of all spiritual maladies, all negative character traits and false
ideologies, and leaves us as pure and holy as the ministering angels.

4
The Cleansing Fire

As Bnei Yisrael travel through Golus, we are inevitably influenced by association

with our neighbors, and pick up the mannerisms of the countries where we sojourn, as
the Rambam writes: “The nature of man is to be drawn after the his peers in thought and
deed, and to act according to the manner of his countrymen.”19 As a result, we adopt
impure desires and philosophies that contradict the holy Torah.
As the generations pass, the impurity of the Golus intensifies and its corruptive
influence on Bnei Yisrael steadily increases. If we wish to maintain the holiness and
purity that is our legacy as the Chosen Nation, our only recourse is to cleave to the holy
Torah with all our hearts and souls, and thus draw down from Heaven the cleansing fire
that descended on Har Sinai to purify our ancestors from the influence of the primordial
snake. This same fire can cleanse us from the negative influence of Golus.
However, as we noted above, not every instance of Torah study has the advantage of
“Torah from Sinai.” To the degree that a person concentrates on his studies with all the
resources of his heart, mind and soul, toiling to understand its deepest secrets, he is
cleansed of all undesirable traits and bodily ailments, and elevated to the loftiest
spiritual level. For this reason, the Taz notes that the beracha recited over Torah study
does not read, “Blessed are You … Who commanded us regarding the words of Torah,”
but “ … Who commanded us to toil in the words of Torah,” since toiling in Torah is an
indispensable part of its study.20

16
Pirkei D’Rebbe Eliezer, chapter 47
17
Eiruvin 54a
18
Mechilta, Yisro
19
Hilchos Dei’os 6:1
20
Taz, Orach Chaim 47:2

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Similarly, group study has a greater influence on the soul than individual study, as
we find in the Gemara, that group study is more important than the sacrifices of the Beis
HaMikdash, whereas individual study is less important.21
Lastly, we find that the Torah’s influence depends on the purity with which it is
studied, as the Gemara states:

The world is sustained only in the merit of the breath that exudes
from children who study Torah. Rav Papa asked Abaye, “What about
our own study?”
“We cannot compare the breath of Torah study that comes from those
without sin, to our own,” Abaye answered.22

As we discussed, those who ancestors were absent at Sinai remain tainted with the
filth of the primordial snake. They thus lack the mercy, kindness and shame from sin,
which should be natural to any Jew. However, they can still avail themselves of the
cleansing fire of Sinai, by studying Torah in a manner that reenacts Kabbalas HaTorah,
with concentration, joy, communal unity and purity from sin. Thereby, they too are
purified and elevated to the level of angels.
Lastly, the most important condition of all, the very essence of Kabbalas HaTorah at
Har Sinai, is a sincere desire to accept the Torah. Since Chag HaShavuos is the festival
of Kabbalas HaTorah, on which we receive the Torah again each year, it is an opportune
time to nurture a keen desire for Torah. To the extent that a person truly desires the
Torah he receives his portion in it, and with it all the blessings of the Torah, as the Divrei
Binah would often say, “May we merit to receive the Torah with both hands – Length of
days in its right hand, and in its left hand wealth and honor.23”
And may we merit to learn Torah from the lips of Moshiach, with the coming of the
Righteous Redeemer soon and in our days, Amen.

21
Megillah 3b
22
Shabbos 119b
23
Mishlei 3:16

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Rav Avraham Moshe
Shavuos May 16 3 Sivan For the recovery of Ephraim Yaakov ben
Bluma Tzipora Tzirel
Beha’aloscha May 26 13 Sivan
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Label ben Moshe