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
N

