והנה Behold, the Jewish people merited the Giving of the Torah through their suffering during the Egyptian exile, [because of their labor with] mortar and bricks.1 [At Sinai,] they [declared their willingness to receive the Torah and stated their commitment] “We will do” before “We will listen.”2
“We will listen” represents a commitment to comprehend G‑d’s will; “We will do,” a commitment to carry it out. Ordinarily, a person would listen to what he is being commanded, understand the demands being made of him, and then make a commitment. The uniqueness of the pledge made by the Jewish people at Mount Sinai is that they declared “We will do” before “We will listen,” i.e., they promised to obey before knowing what they would be commanded to do. This represents a state of utter bittul, giving oneself over to G‑d without considering the consequences (Shabbos 88a).
[Both of these aspects
The years of servitude in Egypt and the commitment “We will do and we will listen.”
were necessary,]
For they each contributed to the bittul experienced by the Jewish people.
for it is impossible for [G‑d’s] infinite light to be revealed and drawn down except in a place characterized by bittul.viii
Until this point, the maamar had stated that the Torah was “an analogy for the Primary Being of the world,” i.e., a means to connect to G‑d, like an analogy that makes it possible for a student to grasp the analogue.
This connection was the fundamental new development brought about by the Giving of the Torah. Indeed, the people possessed knowledge of the mitzvos before the Giving of the Torah. As our Sages state (Yoma 28b), as a result of their prophetic vision, the Patriarchs fulfilled all the mitzvos before the Torah was given and our people continued studying the teachings they transmitted throughout the exodus in Egypt. What then did “the Giving of the Torah” accomplish? It made possible a connection between G‑d, the Giver of the Torah, and the Jewish people, its students.
Nevertheless, for this connection to be achieved, it was necessary for the Jewish people to attain a state of bittul, self-nullification. In part, this was accomplished through their years of servitude in Egypt where the oppression wore away their pride and self-concern. And, as the Alter Rebbe proceeds to explain, the process was completed by the continuous expression of Divine love which humbled them with awe and motivated them to declare “We will do” before “We will listen.”
וזהו This is [the intent of the Jews’ promising] “We will do” before “We will listen.” [Such a commitment] expresses the aspect of bittul, the utter nullification of one’s own will, as if he does not have an independent will at all. Instead, he desires only what is G‑d’s will. This is what is meant by [the term] “service,” as it is written:3 “And you shall serve Him.”
The commandment to serve G‑d implies the acceptance of Him as Master and the subjugation of one’s own will to His.
שהעבד [Theoretically,] a servant does not have an independent thought process; he does only what his master tells him. Declaring “We will do” first, [i.e., expressing] this level of bittul, made it possible for “We will listen” [to be fulfilled on a higher plane], i.e., for the people to accept the revelation and the light from G‑d’s Infinity.ix
I.e., the commitment “We will do” elevated “We will listen” to a higher level, enabling the Jewish people to grasp not only levels of G‑dliness accessible to human intellect, but also G‑d’s infinity — the level identified with “the Primary Being of the world” mentioned previously — which ordinarily cannot be grasped by mortal minds.
In his notes to this maamar, the Tzemach Tzedek connects this concept with our Sages’ statement (Shabbos 88a) that because the Jews declared “We will do” before “We will listen,” the angels granted them two crowns, one associated with “We will do” and one associated with “We will listen.” Because “We will do” was stated first, “We will listen,” i.e., intellect, which is generally lower than a crown, was elevated to the level of a crown, i.e., an encompassing light.
אך In order for the Jewish people to reach this level of bittul —declaring “We will do” before “We will listen” — [a catalyst from Above was necessary]. Since the Jews were still on a low level after their exodus from Egypt,x
As the Zohar Chadash, Parshas Yisro, relates, in Egypt, the Jews were mired in 49 levels of impurity. Although the Exodus elevated them, they were unable to ascend to such a high level of commitment on their own.
how was it possible for them to reach such a great level of bittul?This was accomplished through [G‑d] “hold[ing] the mountain over them like a tub,” i.e., this represents “His right hand [that] embraces me,” Shir HaShirim 2:6.
This phrase, like the entirety of Shir HaShirim, its source, is an analogy describing the love relationship between G‑d and the Jewish people.
the revelation of the sublime love from Above to the Jewish people, as it is written:4 “‘I loved you,’ declares G‑d.”xi This love embraced the Jewish people and surrounded them from every side, even from their backs, to the extent that it did not allow them to turn away, compelling them to stand face to face with Him. [The intent is that] the sublime love aroused the love that exists within the souls of the Jewish people
As stated in Tanya, ch. 18, every Jew possesses an essential love for G‑d that transcends understanding.
until they reached the level at which they declared “We will do” before “We will listen.”
Hence, although the declaration “We will do and we will listen” represents a high level of commitment to G‑d, this commitment was not the result of the Jews’ own efforts, but rather came in response to the arousal from Above.
וכמ"ש This is the intent of the verse:5 “As water reflects a face to another, so too, the heart of one man reflects that of another man.”
The simple meaning of the verse is that a person’s feelings reflect the feelings that are shown to him. If one shows love to a person, he will respond with love. If one shows anger, he will respond with the same (see Tanya, ch. 46). As the Alter Rebbe proceeds to explain, the same motif operates on a higher plane. We respond to and emulate the emotions that G‑d shows us, as it were.
“The heart of man” [refers to the heart of] the sublime man, [the level] referred to by the phrase:6 “the likeness of a man upon the image of the Throne.”
This “likeness of man” refers to the emotional qualities of Atzilus.
[This connotes] the 248 positive commandments which are “the 248 limbs of the King” and the 365 negative commandments which are the 365 sinews.7 [The love from Above is projected] “to another man,” to [the form of] man that exists in the realms of Beriah, Yetzirah, and Asiyah, as [alluded to by] the phrase:8 “The appearance of their faces; among them was the face of a man.”
Yechezkel had a vision of the Divine chariot which is interpreted as referring to the manifestation of G‑dliness in the world of Beriah. One of the angels carrying the chariot had “the face of a man.” This is “the man of Beriah” referred to above. “The man of Beriah” responds to the emotional qualities radiated forth from the “likeness of man” (i.e., the emotions) of Atzilus.
[The relationship between the sublime man of Atzilus and the created man of Beriah]
And, as a result, man as he exists on this material plane,
follows the motif: “As water reflects a face to another.” Through the revelation of the sublime love, as implied by the phrase “I loved you,” love is aroused [on man’s part] and ascends upward. This represents the ascent of the Jewish people to such an extent that their souls expire, [yearning] for G‑d.xii
When the object of a person’s love can be grasped by his conscious powers, it generates satisfaction and contentment. When, however, a person is possessed with a love for something beyond the limits of his comprehension, he yearns and wants. His soul desires to rise above those limits.
ולכן For that reason, [i.e., because they possess a love for G‑d so great that] their souls will expire (kalos hanefesh), the Jewish people are referred to as [G‑d’s] bride (kallah), as it is written:9 “My sister, my bride, how much better is your love than wine!” [This potential was expressed at the Giving of the Torah, when] “their souls expired at every Divine utterance.”10 At each of the Divine utterances [of the Ten Commandments], the souls of [the Jewish people] expired in utter bittul to [G‑d’s] infinite light.xiii
Each one of the Ten Commandments represented a different expression of transcendent Divine energy that motivated an all-encompassing love for G‑d, a love so great that the souls of the Jewish people could not be contained within their bodies and they expired. G‑d then returned their souls to them through the medium of the dew through which the dead will be resurrected.
וזהו This is the intent of the statement that G‑d “held [the mountain over them like a tub].” “The mountain” refers to the sublime love.xiv
In his notes to this maamar, the Tzemach Tzedek explains this point, based on our Sages’ statement (Pesachim 88a) that Avraham, the personification of kindness, referred to the Beis HaMikdash as “a mountain.” See also Torah Or 2c, et al.
“A tub” surrounds and encompasses, [referring to the Divine light that is sovev kol almin, encompassing] all the worlds. [The revelation of this love] inspired the love of the Jewish people [to G‑d].xv
וזהו This is the [deeper] explanation of our Sages’ statement that “from this event, there were [grounds for] a great protest [concerning the acceptance] of the Torah.” For this arousal in their hearts to receive the Torah — to the extent of giving over their souls and expressing [utter] bittul, declaring “We will do” before “We will listen” — did not come from their own initiative, through their choice and their own will. Instead, it was aroused by a revelation from Above. The love [G‑d expressed to the Jewish people] awakened a will and love [for Him] within them.
Hence, the Jews could protest that they acted “under duress,” as it were. They could not have helped express an all-encompassing love for G‑d.
ואע"פ Nevertheless, the Jewish people “did accept [the Torah] in the era of Achashverosh” with their complete will. At that time, the entire Jewish people gave over their souls on their own initiative, without an initial arousal from Above;
Their commitment was one of mesirus nefesh, giving over their souls entirely to G‑d to the point of self-sacrifice, despite the fact that
[there was no] revelation of [G‑d’s] “right hand that embraces.” For, at that time, [G‑d] “hid His face” (following the motif of “a time to distance oneself from embracing”),11 as our Sages stated:12 “What is [the allusion to] Esther in the Torah? ‘I will certainly hide My face on that day.’”
The Hebrew terms translated as “certainly hide,” hastir astir, use the same root letters as the name Esther. In her time, G‑d’s providence was hidden.
Thus [the Jews’ commitment stemmed from] an arousal from below on their own initiative. This is what was meant by saying that they accepted [the Torah] with a complete will.
Summary
The previous section explained that the Torah enables a person to connect to G‑d’s Essence. A necessary prerequisite for such a connection is bittul. Therefore before the Jews received the Torah, they had a) to endure the suffering of the Egyptian exile, and b) to negate their will through stating “We will do” before “We will listen.” That commitment, particularly the fact that “We will do” was stated before “We will listen,” expresses complete bittul.
Now, at Mount Sinai, the Jews were compelled to express this bittul, as it were, as indicated by our Sages’ statement that G‑d “held the mountain over them like a tub.” In a spiritual sense, this means that He revealed His love for them so powerfully that they had no option other than responding with love. Accordingly, it could be said that the bittul the Jews expressed was incomplete because it did not come from their own initiative. This was complemented by the commitment made by the Jews at the time of Haman’s decree when they dedicated themselves to G‑d and His Torah without being prompted by an arousal from Above, for G‑d hid His face at that time.
