34:9 “וסלחת לעוננו ולחטאתנו ונחלתנו”
“And You shall forgive our iniquity and our error, and make us a portion.” Rashi explains that “ונחלתנו” is requesting that Hakodosh Boruch Hu make Klal Yisroel His unique portion, that Hakodosh Boruch Hu should rest His Shechina upon Klal Yisroel and not on other nations of the world. What does Hakodosh Boruch Hu forgiving Klal Yisroel for their iniquities and sins, have to do with making them a portion? The following Divrei Torah will expound on this topic and support the P’shat offered in the closing paragraph.
שמות רבה – 43:3 “ויחל משה”
Moshe Rabbeinu pleaded before Hakodosh Boruch Hu, his G-d. Rebbe Yehuda says that “ויחל” means Moshe became ill, “חלה” – when Klal Yisroel committed the sinful act of making an Eigel. Rebbe Nechemia says that Moshe Rabbeinu offered a gift before Hashem, for the expression of “ויחל” means to present a tribute. This is as it says in Tehillim 45:13 “ובת צר במנחה פניך יחלו” and in Malachi 1:9 “ועתה חלו נא פני א-ל ”, where we see that this word means tribute. The Rabbonon say that “ויחל” means that Moshe sweetened – he made the bitter into sweet.
ישא ברכה – 34:9 “וסלחת לעוננו ולחטאתנו ונחלתנו”
“And You shall forgive our iniquity and our error, and make us a portion.” Rashi explains that “ונחלתנו” is requesting that Hakodosh Boruch Hu make Klal Yisroel His unique portion, that Hakodosh Boruch Hu should rest His Shechina upon Klal Yisroel and not on other nations of the world. What does Hakodosh Boruch Hu forgiving Klal Yisroel for their iniquities and sins, have to do with making them a portion?
The Shemos Rabbah 43:3 says that Moshe Rabbeinu said after the Chet Ha’eigel, that Hakodosh Boruch Hu gave Klal Yisroel a gift. What was the gift that the Midrash is referring to? The main Tikun for the Chet Ha’eigel is through Shabbos Kodesh, as the Gemara in Shabbos 118 says, “כל המשמר שבת כהלכתו אפילו עובד עבודה זרה כדור אנוש מוחלין לו” – Whoever heeds Shabbos according to Halacha, even if one served Avodah Zara like the generation of Enosh, he will receive an atonement. This is what we say in Shemoneh Esrei Shabbos morning, “ישמח משה במתנת חלקו...ושני לוחות אבנים הוריד בידוו וכתוב בהם שמירת שבת וכן כתוב בתורתך” – why do we need to mention that Moshe brought the Luchos down “in his hands”? It is a reference to Moshe Rabbeinu breaking the Luchos, that he brought the Luchos down, and threw them down with his hands. Through heeding Shabbos, which was written on the Luchos, like that which we know, רפואה קודם למכה, the way to get back what Klal Yisroel lost by the breaking of the Luchos is through Shabbos Kodesh. “וכן כתוב בתורתך” – for it is written about Shabbos Kodesh in the Torah, and that is the Tikun for the Chet Ha’eigel. When the Posuk says, “ונחלתנו” – it is referring to the gift that Hakodosh Boruch Hu gave Klal Yisroel, the gift of Shabbos Kodesh. This is what Rashi is saying, that Klal Yisroel wanted that unique gift that is only for Klal Yisroel, and that is Shabbos Kodesh. The request to Hakodosh Boruch Hu is that He forgive Klal Yisroel for their sins – how, through ונחלתנו, through having this unique gift of Shabbos Kodesh that Hakodosh Boruch Hu gave us with great desire and love. Klal Yisroel want that the Shechina should only rest upon them, and not the other nations of the world. We know that Shabbos is only for Klal Yisroel, as the Gemara in Sanhedrin 58b says that a Goy who heeds Shabbos is Chayiv Misa, for it is only for Klal Yisroel. Shabbos is the day for the Shechina to rest upon Klal Yisroel.
