I
n last week’s parshah,
Hashem gave the
Children of Israel the
Torah at Mount Sinai.
This included the Ten
Commandments. In this
week’s parshah, we read
more about the details
of many of the laws and
mitzvot.
This week mainly focuses on the laws
of how the Israelites should live after
they enter the Land of Israel and create
a society there. These kind of mitzvot
are called civil laws. Here are some
examples about the kind of mitzvot we
learn in Mishpatim: we have laws about
slaves and when they must be freed;
laws about what happens if someone
damages your property or hurts you;
laws of social responsibility, justice and
compassion — how we must treat each
other every day; and also some laws
about Shabbat and the festivals.
At the end of the parshah, the Covenant
of the Torah (which is like a contract
between God and the Jewish People) is
“signed” in a symbolic ceremony with
sacrifices. The people agree to their part of
the covenant with the words “We will do
and we will hear.” Moses then climbs to the
top of Mount Sinai, to sit with God for
40 days and 40 nights.
The two words we read toward
the end of our parshah — na’aseh
ve-nishma, “We will do and we will
hear” — are among the most famous
words in the Torah. They are what our
ancestors said when they accepted the
covenant at Sinai. They are the opposite
in spirit to the many other stories of the
people’s complaints, sins and rebellions
during the wilderness years.
WHAT DO THE WORDS MEAN?
Let us examine what the words na’aseh
ve-nishma actually mean. Na’aseh is
straightforward. It means, “We will
do.” It is about action, behavior, deed.
But nishma is not so clear. It could
mean “We will hear.” But it could also
mean, “We will obey.” Or it could mean
“We will understand.” These multiple
options suggest that there is more than
one way to decode the phrase na’aseh
ve-nishma. The Rabbis offered these
interpretations:
1. The view of the Talmud (Shabbat
88a) and Rashi is that it means “We
will do and then we will hear.” This
suggests that the people accepted the
covenant even before they heard what
was in it. They said “we will do” before
they knew what it was that God wanted
them to do, which showed their total
faith in God.
2. Rashbam suggests it means “We
will do [what we have already been
commanded until now] and we will
obey [all future commands].” The
Israelites’ statement looked both back
and forward. The people understood
Rabbi Lord
Jonathan
Sacks
SPIRIT
A WORD OF TORAH
We Will Do and We Will Hear
PHOTO BY ANASTASIYA BADUN ON UNSPLASH
42 | FEBRUARY 8 • 2024 J
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