2021/5781

One of the most well-known parts of Parashat Mishpatim is our telling Hashem “Na’aseh V'Nishma” and accepted the entire Torah without even knowing what was in it, on blind faith alone. Or, at least, that is what we learn in elementary school. It becomes less clear when you carefully examine the Pesukim. Na’aseh VeNishmah is found at the very end of the Parshah, after the Aseret HaDibrot and after the Parashah’s many Mitzvot. Some Mefarshim, such as Rashi, hold that the principle of “Ein Mukdam UMe’uchar BaTorah,” that the Torah was not written chronologically, applies here, and that we said Na’aseh VeNishmah before receiving the Aseret HaDibrot. Others, such as Ramban, hold that that principle does not apply here, and Na’aseh VeNishmah occurred after not only the Aseret HaDibrot, but after all receiving of the Mishpatim. This raises a question. What is the role of blind faith according to Ramban? Bnei Yisrael accepts the Torah only after learning of the Mishpatim. There is a question often raised after someone tries convincing you to believe something; namely, should you really listen to them? What if they told you that the California wildfires were caused by Jewish space lasers? Or that a group of Jews controls every government with the goal of world domination? However ridiculous and anti-Semitic, these things cannot really be disproved. But that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t have any faith. There are other things, like the importance of family, that cannot be proven either. So how do you know when to believe and when not to? You know when to believe in something if it will lead to good things. If something advocates actions that will lead to more life, then it is good, and you should believe it. If it instead advocates ostracizing or scapegoating people, punishing people for what they did not do, then one should not believe it. And that is why Na’aseh VeNishmah had to be at the end of Mishpatim. Judaism has many aspects that require faith. Many Mitzvot are Chukim, Mitzvot without any reason for existence that we humans can comprehend. But Hashem needed Bnei Yisrael to accept them. So how did He do it? Before teaching Bnei Yisrael the Chukim, He taught Bnei Yisrael the Mishpatim. A Mishpat is a Mitzvah that is readily understandable to us humans, such as not murdering or withholding charity. True, they might not be scientifically provable, but Bnei Yisrael knew that they were good, so they accepted them. That is why the first Mitzvah in Mishpatim is emancipating slaves; it was something that a generation of freed slaves would most readily realize was good. Bnei Yisrael now saw that Judaism told them to do good things, so they were now ready to accept the rest of the Torah, even though it did not make as much sense, even though they had not learned yet. In the end, it seems that Rashi is correct. There was a lot of faith at Har Sinai.