Part 2
"A mitzvah induces another mitzvah and an aveiroh induces another aveiroh, since the reward of a mitzvah is another mitzvah while the reward of an aveiroh is another aveiroh" (Ovos 4:2). It seems from the Mishnah that a person whose neshomoh has not been sullied by cheit and has remained pure as when it was initially created by the Creator, cannot possibly be so blind as to sin. How can such a person not see the truth? However, when a person sins he makes his neshomoh materialistic and dims his clear view of matters. An aveiroh induces another aveiroh, since the sullied neshomoh aspires to cheit. It is oblivious to the truth. On the other hand, doing a mitzvah further purifies the neshomoh and returns it to its root as a part of the Divine. Such an unblemished neshomoh naturally desires to do other mitzvos, and this is what is meant by a mitzvah inducing another mitzvah.
When Klal Yisroel lived in Egypt, their nearness to the Egyptians exerted a materializing influence on their neshomos in the worst possible way, and they reached the forty-ninth gate of tumah. The middas hadin argued to HaKodosh Boruch Hu, "Both of these peoples are idol worshipers [together with other aveiros]. In what way are they different from each other?"
From a spiritual perspective am Yisroel should not have been redeemed. HaKodosh Boruch Hu looked deeper, into the depth of their hearts, and found a small seed underneath the thick peel. Although it was not enough reason to redeem the Jewish nation, the seed could be planted, watered, and cultivated until it would sprout into a towering tree with many fruits. To cultivate this seed Hashem elevated us one level after another.
The first stage was the makkos in Egypt, which imparted to am Yisroel knowledge of Hashem's existence. "Go to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart, and the heart of his servants, that I might show these My signs before him, and that you may tell in the ears of your son, and of your son's son, what things I have done in Egypt, and My signs which I have done among them, that you may know that I am Hashem" (Shemos 7:1-2).
Through this chinuch our nation was later zocheh to be moseir nefesh and bring the blood of the korbon Pesach and the blood of milah, as the Haggodoh mentions: "I said to you, `In your blood you shall live'" (Yechezkel 16:6).
On the night of their exodus from Egypt they were zocheh to "with great awe — this refers to the revelation of the Shechinah." This further elevated them, and later when Hashem split Yam Suf they saw the Divine kingship. Chazal (Shir HaShirim Rabbah 2:36) write that "[Bnei Yisroel] pointed with a finger . . . [and said,] `This is my Lord and I will praise Him.' (Shemos 15:2)." Chazal (Shemos Rabbah 23:18) indicate that they beheld even more than the nevi'im, and Moshe Rabbenu, when he asked Hashem "Show me Your glory" (Shemos 33:18), even then was not zocheh to such a revelation. HaKodosh Boruch Hu told him, "You cannot see My face, for no man shall see Me and live" (ibid., 20). The splitting of Yam Suf was a moment of spiritual abundance that allowed bnei Yisroel to remain alive and see His kingship on such a high level that they could totally accept His dominion over them.
The aim of this enormous lovingkindness of taking am Yisroel out of the tumah of Egypt, of cultivating and enlightening them in such a miraculous way, was to prepare them to receive the Torah: "When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve Elokim on this mountain" (Shemos 3:12). To receive Torah they had to first reach a level of "We shall do and we shall hear."
We are overwhelmed after somewhat contemplating what happened then. Hashem raised and edified us in such a spectacular way: He extricated us from the forty-nine gates of tumah and elevated us to the forty-ninth gate of kedushoh, the highest level a mortal can reach in this world. All this was done within a mere fifty days!
We are obligated to mention yetzias Mitzrayim twice each day so that twice a day we can reflect about the colossal greatness Hashem has given us. This is the reason why HaKodosh Boruch Hu did not write in the Torah "I am Hashem your Elokim Who created the heavens and the earth," but rather "I am Hashem your Elokim Who took you out of the land of Egypt" (a kushya cited in the Ibn Ezra), since Hashem raised us and enlightened us so that we would be fitting to receive His Torah. Let us examine ourselves and see whether we actually live according to this greatness.
Am Yisroel did not straightaway receive the Torah after the splitting of Yam Suf since their neshomos were not yet completely purified from the tumah of Egypt. They needed to pass through the Sefiras HaOmer period to cleanse their souls from any remnant of that impurity, so they could reach the level of "We shall do and we shall hear" (see the Zohar, parshas Emor, pg. 99a, where am Yisroel not yet being sufficiently cleansed is given as the reason they had to wait until they received the Torah).
All of the marvelous revelations in the exodus from Egypt and the splitting of Yam Suf had a basic aim: To show am Yisroel the kingship of Hashem and to what degree sin is a contradiction to that kingship, so they would purify their neshomos entirely and afterwards attain the level of "We shall do and we shall hear."
To the same degree that there was Divine abundance at the exodus from Egypt and the splitting of Yam Suf, so was there a great Divine abundance, which helped cleanse the neshomos of the Jews, during the sefirah prior to Matan Torah (see the Zohar, parshas Emor, pg. 99b and 97b where this explanation is obvious).
According to the above, the Ramban's statement (Vayikra 23:36) that Shavuos is like Shemini Shel Pesach (the eighth day of Pesach), and therefore Chazal call it Atzeres (a time of gathering) and the days counted in between are like chol hamoed, is understandable. On every day of the sefirah the Jewish Nation left one gate of tumah and entered one gate of kedushoh until they reached the forty-ninth gate of kedushoh, which is the level of "We shall do and we shall hear."
During Sefiras HaOmer one should check himself daily to see whether he has on that day left one gate of tumah and drawn near to one gate of kedushoh. According to many Rishonim the time of Sefiras HaOmer is mide'Oraisa, since it is a purging of all the tumos of Egypt and arriving at perfect taharoh and receiving the Torah. This is why the mitzvah is relevant even today mide'Oraisa.
The zman matan Toroseinu (the time of receiving our Torah), as we say in Shemoneh Esrei, not only commemorates our past receiving of the Torah, but is a present receiving of the Torah, too. This point is emphasized in the Zohar, Chazal, and the seforim hakedoshim, and it is unnecessary to elaborate on it.
To be zocheh to a Matan Torah we must feel that "We shall do and we shall hear." To the same degree that we strengthen this conviction and refine it, so will we have a Divine abundance of Matan Torah. Such a Divine abundance is limitless and is similar to an enormous river in which the amount of water is immeasurable. A person can remove from such a river as much water as he wants until he runs out of vessels. Likewise, our kabolas HaTorah is dependent upon how prepared we are to seize this abundance.
The principal perfection of man is dependent on the main mitzvah we were commanded, which is Talmud Torah. The first Mishnah in Pei'ah, that we say every morning, writes: "Talmud Torah is equal to all [other mitzvos]," and Torah study's preeminence is mentioned many other times in Chazal. Besides "We shall do and we shall hear" in connection to observing the entire Torah, we must accept on ourselves a special "We shall do and we shall hear" for Talmud Torah. Such a recognition includes having a genuine desire to toil over Torah studies and a resolute decision not to be mevateil Torah. To the same degree as we adopt "We shall do and we shall hear," so will we be zocheh to toil over the Torah, understand the Torah's truth, and remove disturbances to studying Torah.
"Concerning all korbonos, cheit is mentioned (the so'ir that we were commanded to bring on the Yomim Tovim is called in the Torah a se'ir chattos) but on Atzeres cheit is not written. HaKodosh Boruch Hu said to them, `Since you have accepted upon yourselves the Torah's yoke I consider it as if you never sinned before'" (Yerushalmi, Rosh Hashanah 4:8). Accepting the Torah's yoke elevates us to another reality, and in our new reality there is no possibility of sinning. Through our "We shall do and we shall hear" the Torah considers us as if we have never sinned, and on this day the yetzer hora will be annulled from those who accept the Torah.
May Hashem, Who gave the Torah to am Yisroel, help us accept it according to His desire, and through the strength of a proper kabolas HaTorah may we soon be zocheh to see how "the earth shall be full of the knowledge of Hashem, as the waters cover the sea" (Yeshaya 11:9).
