The Secret of the Guarantors for the Giving of the Torah: Out of the Mouths of Babes and Sucklings

Lesson No. 21 | Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Parashas Balak, 5, 6, 7, 8 Tammuz 5755 (Continued in 22)

At the time of the Giving of the Torah, Hashem demanded...

Moshe Rabbeinu received the Torah directly from the world of Atzilus (the World of Emanation), from those supernal "infants"—the Cherubim. It is brought down in the Tanna D'Vei Eliyahu (which actually contains all the holy books hidden within it, and if we were worthy, we would see this inside it), regarding the verse:

"And He placed the Cherubim before the Garden of Eden"

What is the meaning of "before the Garden of Eden"? That they were created before the Garden of Eden. In truth, the Cherubim preceded the entire act of Creation, all of existence, and all the Sefiros (Divine emanations). When we now perform a bris (circumcision) for a baby, a tremendous illumination is revealed in the world, an illumination directly from the world of Atzilus, from the very roots of Creation.

The Demand for Guarantors at Mount Sinai

Regarding this, we say in Tehillim (Psalms):

"Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings You have established strength, because of Your adversaries, to silence the enemy and the avenger"

Midrash Tehillim describes that when Hashem sought to give the Torah to Israel, He saw that the world could not exist without the Torah. If He were to wait another thousand generations, the world would simply be destroyed. On the other hand, Hashem said to Israel: "I am giving you such a holy Torah, but who says you will guard it and not soil it in mud and mire? Bring Me guarantors that you will fulfill the Torah, and then I will give it to you."

Israel said: "Alright, we will bring the holy Patriarchs—Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov." Hashem said to them: "They themselves cannot be guarantors, because I hold 'debts' against them."

To what can this be compared? To a person who goes to borrow money. The lender said to him: "Bring me a guarantor." He went and brought a person who himself owed money to the lender. The lender said to him: "What kind of guarantor did you bring me? He himself is a debtor to me! If only he would pay his own debt, and yet you brought him to be a guarantor for you? Bring me someone who owes me nothing, who has never had any debt with me."

The Secret of "We Have Sinned With Our Fathers"

So too, Hashem said to Israel: "Why did you bring Me Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov as guarantors? How many debts I hold against them!" We must understand—Heaven forbid that the Patriarchs sinned. Rather, it is written in Tehillim:

"We have sinned with our fathers, we have committed iniquity, we have done wickedly"

The sefer "Asarah Maamaros" explains: Know that when Avraham asked, "How shall I know that I will inherit it?" (Genesis 15:8), it was because of me! The holy Patriarchs included within themselves all the souls until the end of all generations. I was spiritually gestating within Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov. Not only did they not merit to rectify me, but I, with the harsh and wicked sparks within me, actually caused them to sin!

Therefore, Hashem said: "The Patriarchs cannot be guarantors, because harsh sparks were gestating within them which they could not overcome. Give Me guarantors who owe Me nothing." And regarding this, Moshe Rabbeinu said in his rebuke before entering the Land:

"Not with our fathers did Hashem make this covenant, but with us—we who are here today, all of us alive"

The covenant was made with us, with those who stood at Mount Sinai, and not based on the Patriarchs.

The Fetuses Accept the Guarantee

Israel asked: "Who are those who have never committed a sin in their lives and owe You nothing? For is there a tzaddik on earth who does good and never sins?" Hashem said to them: "The infants! Bring Me all your infants; I want to speak with them."

Immediately, they brought before Him all the infants and all the pregnant mothers. The Midrash describes a tremendous wonder: Suddenly, the wombs of all the pregnant mothers became transparent like a shining glass mirror. The fetuses and infants saw Hashem, and He began to speak with them directly.

Hashem said to them: "Do you agree to be guarantors for your fathers? Know that if they do not fulfill the Torah, you will be held accountable for them and punished." All the infants and fetuses answered: "Yes!"

The Mesiras Nefesh (Self-Sacrifice) of the Infants

Midrash Tehillim says: At that moment, all the fetuses disconnected from the umbilical cord that bound them to their mothers. Hashem went through the Ten Commandments with them, utterance by utterance. He asked them: "'I am Hashem your God...' Do you agree to this utterance? Do you agree to be stoned, burned, and slaughtered if your fathers do not accept this utterance?" The infants answered: "Yes!"

So He asked them regarding "You shall have no other gods," regarding Shabbos, and regarding every single utterance. The infants accepted upon themselves all the punishments of the Torah with love, and cried out: "We want to see the holy Torah already, and we are ready to die for our fathers!"

This is the secret of the verse, "Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings You have established strength." In the merit of the mouths of the infants who signed the guarantee, the Torah was given. After the Ten Commandments, all the infants reconnected to the umbilical cord, opened their mouths, and began to sing a song of praise. From here we learn how immense is the holiness of Jewish children, who precede us by light-years of holiness and purity even from the womb.

Part 3 of 4 — Lesson No. 21

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