וַיְדַבֵּר יְדֹוָד אֶל משֶׁה בְּמִדְבַּר סִינַי בְּאֹהֶל מוֹעֵד בְּאֶחָד לַחֹדֶשׁ הַשֵּׁנִי בַּשָּׁנָה הַשֵּׁנִית לְצֵאתָם מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם לֵאמֹר:וְאֵת כָּל הָעֵדָה הִקְהִילוּ בְּאֶחָד לַחֹדֶשׁ הַשֵּׁנִי וַיִּתְיַלְדוּ עַל מִשְׁפְּחֹתָם לְבֵית אֲבֹתָם בְּמִסְפַּר שֵׁמוֹת מִבֶּן עֶשְׂרִים שָׁנָה וָמַעְלָה לְגֻלְגְּלֹתָם
(במדבר א:א,י”ח)
“Hashem spoke to Moshe in the Sinai desert, in the Ohel Moed on the first day of the second month, in the second year after the exodus from the land of Mitzrayim, saying… They assembled the entire community on the first day of the second month and (all the people) were registered by ancestry according to their paternal families,” (Bamidbar 1:1,18).
When klal Yisroel received the Torah the nations of the world were full of envy and protested to Hashem, “What right does klal Yisroel have to receive the Torah more than the other nations?” Hashem silenced them and told them, “Bring Me your book of ancestry… just as My children brought their book of ancestry and were counted accordingly.” It is for this reason that Bnei Yisroel were counted in the beginning of the Sefer Bamidbar immediately after the pasuk, “these are the mitzvos that Hashem commanded,” (the last pasuk in Vayikra) because it is only through their pure ancestry that they received the Torah (Yalkut Shimoni remez 684).
Zera Shimshon asks on this yalkut that the fact that Hashem didn’t just ignore the nations of the world but told them to bring their book of ancestry implies that there is some validity to their argument that Bnei Yisroel don’t deserve to receive the Torah. What fault did they see in Bnei Yisroel that could be an obstacle to their receiving the Torah?
He explains that the nations of the world argued to Hashem two reasons why Bnei Yisroel didn’t deserve to receive the Torah.
Firstly, the nations claimed that Bnei Yisroel’s declaration of, “We will do and we will listen—Naaseh v’nishma,” was not at all pure and they said it only to give themselves a sense of self-worth! They claimed that since Yaakov was Eisav’s younger brother, he felt inferior to him and he felt alone and despised between the other nations. Therefore, they argued that Bnei Yisroel proclaimed, “We will do and we will listen—Naaseh v’nishma,” only to show that they are also someone significant. Only they accepted the Torah, despite the difficulties, to keep it while all the other nations who were offered the Torah rejected it because it was too hard for them to keep. They acted like a boy who was told by a teacher whom he detested that he would never succeed, and he eventually became exceptionally dedicated and diligent—not out of genuine work ethic, but fueled by a burning desire for revenge, determined to prove the teacher wrong. Since Bnei Yisroel’s intent was not at all pure, they don’t deserve to have received it.
Their second argument was the fact that Bnei Yisroel acted differently than the other nations and accepted the Torah shows that they are bold and arrogant and a nation with such a trait like chutzpah doesn’t deserve the Torah. The Torah—they claimed—should be given to a nation that has sterling middos.
Hashem didn’t just ignore these arguments because on the surface they seem to be valid arguments. However, looking a little deeper, they were very wrong.
Hashem told them to bring their book of ancestry because their claim that Yaakov—the younger brother—only accepted the Torah to show that they are not just the baby brother but also important, is totally off. They completely overlooked a crucial historical fact: Eisav sold the bechorah to Yaakov. Therefore, Yaakov became the older brother, and so there is no need for him to prove himself.
The argument that boldness disqualifies one from receiving the Torah is also built on a superficial and overly simplistic look at people and, therefore, is far from the truth. No character trait is inherently good or bad; their value depends on the context in which they are applied. Take compassion, for instance. While compassion is generally considered a great and positive trait, one for which even Avraham Avinu is praised, it can be detrimental in certain situations. For instance, a doctor who feels too much compassion for a patient with a severely infected, gangrenous leg and, consequently, refuses to perform a necessary amputation. In this scenario, the doctor would be doing more harm than good.
This is also how it is concerning boldness. On the surface, boldness might look like a personality flaw, but rebuking people who do things wrong is a vital part of keeping society in general and klal Yisroel, in particular, on track. Given in the right way, it can provide clarity, reinforce standards and prevent people from falling deeper and deeper. However, it isn’t so easy because the wrongdoer will try to deflect the criticism any way they can to protect their own self-image—oftentimes by claiming that the one criticizing has tainted lineage (like we find concerning Pinchas and Zimri). Therefore, Bnei Yisroel who have the boldness to rebuke—plus they have pure lineage so the one doing wrong will be forced to accept the rebuke—are the perfect nation to receive the Torah!
What can we take from this? Several things… But the key point is that we must realize no one is perfect—including ourselves—and that we have the power to change. Therefore, we should embrace constructive criticism, instead of defending all our actions and putting down those who point out our misdoings just to save face. We must remember—as the Zera Shimshon points out—our entire claim to the Torah is based on the fact that Hashem sends people with the power to chastise, allowing us to constantly strive for improvement and perfection. By accepting and internalizing tochacha (rebuke), we open ourselves to becoming the best versions of ourselves and which, in turn, improves the world and gives great nachas to Hashem!
(Adapted from Zera Shimshon, parshas Bamidbar, derush No. 3)
This week’s divrei Torah are being sponsored by Dovid Yaakov ben Chana. In the merit of his sponsorship, Hashem should speedily grant him and his mother, Chana bas Rivka, prosperity and good health.
