The Ten Commandments and the Giving of the Torah • Parshat Yitro from the Gaon

Why was it enough for the Children of Israel to stand before Mount Sinai even without receiving the Torah? And what is the meaning of "And Israel encamped there opposite the mountain"? Insights into the weekly Torah portion from the Gaon and Tzaddik Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a (may he live long and good days)

The Limbs Cry Out the Ten Commandments:

"Had He brought us close to Mount Sinai and not given us the Torah, it would have been enough for us (Dayenu)." Everyone was waiting before the Giving of the Torah—voices, torches, lightning—everyone said explicitly that reaching Mount Sinai would have been enough for us. We would have managed, so what is the meaning of "and not given the Torah"? Rather, on that day, the moment we arrived at Mount Sinai, the People of Israel already heard all the Ten Commandments; every single limb proclaimed all the Ten Commandments. Just as with Avraham Avinu (our forefather Abraham), whose kidneys flowed like springs of wisdom. Every limb in Avraham proclaimed its specific commandment to him: the eyes said it is forbidden to look [at forbidden things], the mouth said it is forbidden to speak [evil], the ear said it is forbidden to hear [gossip], the hands said it is forbidden to touch where it is forbidden to touch, and the feet said it is forbidden to go where it is forbidden to go. Thus, every single commandment makes its own voice heard.

So, the moment the People of Israel arrived at Mount Sinai, they already heard all the Ten Commandments. "Had He brought us close to Mount Sinai and not given us the Torah, it would have been enough for us"—they were already like Avraham, Yitzchak (Isaac), and Yaakov (Jacob), where every limb spoke its own Torah, spoke its own mitzvah (commandment); they heard the Ten Commandments. And when the 6th of Sivan arrived, they had already cried out "Na'aseh V'Nishma" (we will do and we will hear) beforehand.

Reaching True Nullification:

The secret of the Ten Commandments is "And Israel encamped (Vayichan) there opposite the mountain"—that the People of Israel became "as one man with one heart!" Rashi says "as one man with one heart"—one man has only one heart, not two hearts. They reached total bittul (nullification), Ayin (nothingness)—"I do not exist, I am not here, I do not exist." The main thing is to reach bittul; this is a person's work, that he should not even know he exists at all. If he feels that he exists, Hashem (God) have mercy!

The Avnei Nezer (Rabbi Avraham Bornsztain of Sochaczew) says that regarding the Egyptians it is written, "And Egypt was journeying after them"—they saw Egypt with "one heart." What is "one heart"? To destroy, kill, and annihilate. So for the nations, it is "with one heart as one man" to destroy the People of Israel. But with the Jews, it is different, says the Avnei Nezer; for the Jews, "And Israel encamped there" means "as one man." Among the People of Israel, everyone is nullified to the other, everyone wants the success of the other, the good of the other, to make the other happy, and not to cause the other any pain. "And Israel encamped there opposite the mountain"—everyone must feel the pain of the other, what hurts the other, and not do anything that causes them any sorrow in the world. This is what the Avnei Nezer says: by the Egyptians it says "with one heart as one man," but by the People of Israel it says "as one man with one heart." This is also what the Sfas Emes (Rabbi Yehudah Aryeh Leib Alter of Ger) says, that "one man with one heart" means a person's entire work is to be "one man!" To be batel b'metzius (nullified in existence). Specifically now before the Giving of the Torah, a person must be "dust and ashes," and then he becomes the foundation of the world. A person should cling to his inner root, "I am but dust and ashes," having nothing in him but dust, possessing a truly broken heart and a truly contrite heart. This is called "as one man with one heart"—that he is at one heart with everyone. At the Giving of the Torah, "one man" feels bittul (nullification) toward every single Jew. And this is what Rabbi Yitzchak of Vorki says: "And Israel encamped (Vayichan) there opposite the mountain"—that everyone found favor (chen) in the eyes of his fellow. What is "Vayichan"? There, the People of Israel is from the language of "chen" (grace/favor); each found favor in the eyes of his fellow. Through this, the Giving of the Torah took place.