When Hashem went to the nations of the world to offer them the Torah, they each asked what was written in it. To each nation, Hashem stated the law which challenged their individual essence and that they would find hardest to keep: Do not murder; Do not have illicit relations; Do not steal.[1] Each nation, besides the Jewish Nation rejected the Torah. The Jewish People, however, did not ask what was contained in the Torah, they dedicated themselves to it, regardless of what was written thererin.[2]
The question is asked, since the prohibitions of murder, illicit relations, and theft are anyway forbidden to the nations of the world as part of the seven mitzvos that all mankind are bound by,[3] what did they gain by rejecting the Torah? Based on the answer to this question, we can gain a deeper understanding of what was offered at Mount Sinai, why the nations rejected it and why the Jewish People accepted it.
Rav Dovid Cohen answered that although the nations of the world were indeed obligated to keep the seven mitzvos, which included the list of prohibitions we stated above, it remained a list of rules and consequences — but nothing more. To live by rules and the threat of punishment is one thing, but to dedicate themselves to a framework of Torah was something else. If they would agree to accept the Torah, that would mean connecting to the will of Hashem and developping a relationship with Him. This, they were unwilling to do.[4]
With this, we can understand what the Jewish People accepted at Mount Sinai. They were not simply accepting a set of laws encumbent upon them, they were welcoming the opportunity to develop a relationship with Hashem through His Torah and mitzvos. By proclaiming that they will keep the Torah without knowing what is in it, they were declaring their desire to fulfil Hashem’s will regardless of any other factor. As such, it did not matter what was written inside, for they did not view the Torah as a contractual document which set out the rules and punishments of life, rather, they viewed it as a marriage contract which established the depth of the relationship that was about to be developed.
As we approach Shavuos, we have the opportunity to re-accept the Torah in the same framework. Not as a set of rules to follow and fulfil, but as a means of coming close to the Creator of the world.
chag sameach
Moshe
[1] Sifri, V’Zos Haberacha, 2.
[2] Shemos 24:7.
[3] Sanhedrin 56a.
[4] Adding to this point, Rav Moshe Tuvia Dinkel explained that whereas the nations of the world are obligated not to kill, for instance, the Jewish People take this “law” as a sign of Hashem’s true will, and thus forbid embarrassing someone, which is akin to killing them (see Bava Metzia 58b).
