Asher bochar bonu mikol ho'amim venosan lonu es
Toroso
This brochoh is perplexing. Chazal said (Avoda Zora
2b) that Hashem offered the Torah to all the nations, and
only after they refused to accept it, He gave it to Yisroel.
If so, how can we make the brochoh, "Who chose us from
all the nations and gave us His Torah?" What kind of choice
did He make choosing Yisroel if He had previously offered it
to all the nations?
In fact, Chazal said that the Torah was given in seventy
languages, so that all the nations could read it
(Sotah 33a). However, loshon hakodesh is
different from the rest of the languages, for the Torah hints
to the Oral Law in this language. All the droshos of
Chazal are based on loshon hakodesh, as they are
learned from the words of the Torah in loshon
hakodesh. However, the Oral Law is not hinted to in the
Torah when it is translated into any one of the other seventy
languages.
Therefore, we say in the brochoh: "Who chose us from
all the nations," for Hashem wanted to give the Torah to all
the nations in their language. Nevertheless, He chose us to
give the Torah in loshon hakodesh—"and He gave
us His Torah"—in the language in which it was written
On High: Loshon hakodesh. (Marpeh Loshon, Rebbe
Refoel HaCohen of Hamburg)
***
Asher bochar bonu mikol ho'amim, venosan lonu es
Toroso
The Eitz Yosef asks the same question: Chazal said
that Hashem went around to all the nations and offered them
the Torah and they did not accept it, until Yisroel accepted
it (Avoda Zora 2b). If so, how can we say, "Who chose
us from all the nations and gave us the Torah?"
He answers that in the future the nations will contend to
Hashem: "Did you suspend the mountain over us like a barrel
and we did not accept it? Yet, this is what You did for
Yisroel!" (Ibid.). This is the means by which Hashem
chose us from all the nations—He suspended the mountain
over us like a barrel, which He did not do for any other
nation.
*
However, it is possible to resolve the Eitz Yosef's
difficulty based on the words of the Sefer Chassidim:
"All of Yisroel are guarantors, one for the other. If one Jew
would have protested, the Torah would not have been given to
them" (Siman 233).
From his words we see that the entire klal Yisroel
needed to accept the Torah — as one man with one heart.
If Klal Yisroel were not a unique nation by itself,
but rather were only a portion of a larger nation, they could
not have accepted the Torah. For example, if they were a part
of the nation of the larger group the sons of Shem (Semites),
or Avrohom's sons, or even Yitzchok's sons, and Hashem asked
them if they wanted to accept the Torah, then even if all of
Yaakov's descendants said, "Na'aseh venishmoh," the
Torah could not be given to them since the rest of Yitzchok's
descendants, i.e., Eisov's descendants, did not accept it.
The agreement of Klal Yisroel alone to accept the
Torah was sufficient only because Hashem separated Klal
Yisroel as a separate people and called them a unique
title, "Bnei Yisroel," while they were still in Egypt.
This is the meaning of the brochoh: "Who chose us from
all the nations," meaning, already in the days of old He
chose us as a separate nation, and only as a result of this
choice, "He gave us His Torah." For without this, we would
not have been able to accept it even if we wanted to.
(Zera Yaakov, HaRav Shlomo Zalman Zaleznik, Rosh
Yeshivas Eitz Chaim)
***
Shetargileinu beSorosecho — May You accustom us to
Your Torah
Rebbe Yehonoson Eibshitz writes: "The main thing is to pray
to Hashem that He should condition our hearts with a nature
to fulfill His Torah. For Hashem will heed the call of one
who prays to Him and will inscribe in his nature to be wary
of transgression, just as Am Yisroel is conditioned by
nature not to eat pig, repugnant creatures, or lowly crawling
insects. "It is repugnant to you and it shall not be eaten."
"They assist [with Heavenly assistance] one who comes to
purify himself." Therefore, he should also pray to Hashem
that keeping the Torah should be inscribed in his heart as
second nature, so that his heart will never turn astray."
(Yaaros Dvash)
***
Shetargileinu beSorosecho
In the root of a Jew's soul there is the will and desire for
the Torah. If he does not realize his potential, it is only
because he accustomed himself to the opposite things.
Consequentially, everything follows habit. As the Gra wrote:
"When a man accustoms himself to wasted words (devorim
beteilim) and mockery, he continues to be attracted to
them with such a strong desire that it is difficult to
extricate himself from them" (Mishlei 1).
On the other hand, when a man accustoms himself to study
Torah, he becomes attached to it and drawn after it with a
strong desire, until the point where he cannot exist without
it.
This is what a man prays for and asks: "May You accustom us
to Your Torah." (Siach Yitzchok)
***
Shetargileinu beSorosecho
"May You accustom us"—"May we do the mitzvos like a
second nature, and not turn astray from them, and they will
be like our nature to eat and drink, without which we cannot
survive, so too, may He accustom us to a matter of a mitzvah
so that we cannot survive without it." (Sefer
HaMinhagos)
***
Shetargileinu beSorosecho
One of the chassidim once asked the Admor Ra'M of Gur:
What is the meaning of the prayer, "May You accustom us to
Your Torah?" Habits have a negative connotation, for anything
that becomes habitual loses its flavor. However, concerning
the words of Torah it is said: "Every day they should be new
in your eyes" (Voeschanon 6:6).
The Admor answered: This is a habit like eating. Even though
one eats everyday, he does not lose interest in eating.
Rather, he eats each time with an appetite and renewed
desire. (Likutei Yehuda)
***
He relates his word to Yaakov, His statues and judgments
to Yisroel, He did not do so for any other nation, such
judgments — they know them not
"He relates his word to Yaakov"— The word
maggid, relates, connotes exactness of the words and
their explanation, as the Chazal derived from the
posuk: "Vesaggeid, and you shall relate, to
Bnei Yisroel" (Shemos 19:3), "tell them the exact
details of the matters that they may obey" (Shemos
Rabbah 28). Therefore, the posuk did not use the
language of amiroh, saying, or dibbur,
speaking. Rather, maggid, tell and explain the exact
details of the matters and the judgments—to Yaakov and
Yisroel alone, for only they were given the Oral Law.
"He did not do so for any other nation"— The Torah was
not given to the nations of the world. The reason is, "And
such judgments — they know them not." They do not know
how to properly explain the Torah's judgments that are
written in explicit verses; they are not capable of
understanding deeply the essence of the matters. (Rebbe
Azariyah Piggo, Binah LeItim)
