OU TORAH Parshas Mishpatim By Rav Moshe Twersky, HY"D
Parshas Mishpatim is the second week of reading about Matan Torah. It is therefore fitting to continue with this theme, particularly regarding the exalted nature of learning Torah, and with a specific focus on the endeavor of persevering in one’s Torah learning through trying times. As a starting point, consider the commentary of the Netziv on last week’s parsha (Harcheiv Davar, 19:18-19), regarding the Torah’s statement, “and the entire Sinai mountain was smoking because Hashem had descended upon it in fire; its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace…the sound of the shofar blast got stronger.” The smoke emanating from the mountain, explains the Netziv, alludes to Jewish suffering throughout the long exile, and the shofar blast is a reference to Klal Yisrael’s ironclad commitment to learning Torah. Almost counterintuitively, the more difficult the galus becomes, the more that Torah scholarship comes to fruition. Even under the harshest conditions, Klal Yisrael thrives in and through the Torah. It is not a coincidence that the primary Talmud, Talmud Bavli, was formed specifically in the diaspora. Taking this concept yet one step further, the Netziv asserts that, had the Jewish People forever remained in Eretz Yisrael amidst calm and tranquility, the Oral Law would never have flourished as much as it ultimately did. It is precisely the difficulties and hardships of galus, underscores the Netziv, that brings about such an excellence of Torah scholarship. From a purely logical assessment, this phenomenon may defy explanation, yet it is a fact that we can observe with our own eyes!
Parshas Mishpatim is the second week of reading about Matan Torah. It is therefore fitting to continue with this theme, particularly regarding the exalted nature of learning Torah, and with a specific focus on the endeavor of persevering in one’s Torah learning through trying times. As a starting point, consider the commentary of the Netziv on last week’s parsha (Harcheiv Davar, 19:18-19), regarding the Torah’s statement, “and the entire Sinai mountain was smoking because Hashem had descended upon it in fire; its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace…the sound of the shofar blast got stronger.” The smoke emanating from the mountain, explains the Netziv, alludes to Jewish suffering throughout the long exile, and the shofar blast is a reference to Klal Yisrael’s ironclad commitment to learning Torah. Almost counterintuitively, the more difficult the galus becomes, the more that Torah scholarship comes to fruition. Even under the harshest conditions, Klal Yisrael thrives in and through the Torah. It is not a coincidence that the primary Talmud, Talmud Bavli, was formed specifically in the diaspora. Taking this concept yet one step further, the Netziv asserts that, had the Jewish People forever remained in Eretz Yisrael amidst calm and tranquility, the Oral Law would never have flourished as much as it ultimately did. It is precisely the difficulties and hardships of galus, underscores the Netziv, that brings about such an excellence of Torah scholarship. From a purely logical assessment, this phenomenon may defy explanation, yet it is a fact that we can observe with our own eyes!
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