Sicha, Shabbos Parshas Shemini 5731
A. Dayeinu
In the Passover Haggadah we read the “Dayeinu” song (Source 1), in which we praise G-d for the chain of miracles He performed for the Jewish people during the period of the Exodus from Egypt. The song expresses the idea that each of these miracles, even on its own, would have been worthy of special gratitude (Source 2).
The commentators ask: what praise is there in the statement, “Had He brought us close to Mount Sinai and not given us the Torah, it would have been enough for us?”
To understand this, we first raise another question: Why does the author of the Haggadah list the virtues in a negative form, “Had He… and not…,” instead of presenting them directly and positively? For example: “That He took us out of Egypt, brought us close to Mount Sinai, and gave us the Torah” (Source 3).
The explanation is as follows:
Sometimes a person experiences a chain of events that ultimately leads to something good, such as financial profit. In the end, what matters most is the result—that you earned the money. The steps that led to it matter less. With regard to the Torah, however, this is not the case. Every stage and detail has eternal significance. Therefore, the arrival at Mount Sinai is not merely a preparation for the main event that followed, the giving of the Torah. It possesses an independent virtue of its own.
Accordingly, if the author of the Haggadah had written the sequence of miracles in a short, straightforward way, it might imply that it was merely a chain of events whose final stage is the main one. Therefore it is expressed as “Had He brought us close to Mount Sinai and not given us the Torah, it would have been enough for us,” in order to emphasize that each detail possesses tremendous significance on its own.
B. The Beginnings of Hatred
The Gemara explains that the name Mount Sinai alludes to the fact that since the revelation at Sinai, sin’ah—hatred—towards the Jewish people began. In our Divine service, this means an attitude of distance, and even “hatred,” toward the materialism of the world.
Drawing close to Mount Sinai expresses the idea that it is impossible to be engaged in Torah study and holiness while at the same time immersed in materialism. This idea is similar to the law that when a student learns Torah from his teacher, he must stand before him with awe and reverence, with complete devotion to the Torah (Source 4).
From this we learn the precise order of Divine service: we must first must draw close to Mount Sinai in the sense of “turn away from evil” (sur me’ra), refraining from becoming immersed in the materialism of the world. From there we progress to “do good” (aseh tov), accepting the Torah and studying it.
However, we need not wait until reaching complete perfection in “turning away from evil” in order to begin studying Torah. Nevertheless, the very act of distancing ourselves from evil is a key step on the path toward receiving the Torah.
C. Jewish Unity
Another element of virtue in drawing close to Mount Sinai is that on the day the Jewish people arrived there, they stood united, in a uniquely powerful way. Even if we had merited only this unity, Dayeinu.
From this we derive a lesson: we must strengthen love and unity among the Jewish people. Even before bringing a fellow Jew closer to Torah and mitzvot, we must first love and unite with him.
