In Parshas Yisro, seven weeks after leaving Egypt, as the nation stands around the foothills of Har Sinai, the greatest Revelation known to mankind occurs, as Hashem gives the Bnei Yisrael the Torah. Matan Torah infused the spiritual life-blood into our nation as a whole, and into each individual, and it is this gift of Torah that continues to sustain us, from then, to today.
The purpose of Yetzias Mitzrayim (the Exodus from Egypt) was two-fold, and the dual purpose was revealed to Moshe even before he became leader, when Hashem first appeared to him at the Burning Bush. The Revelation to one (Moshe) at Chorev (Shemos 3:1 [Chorev is another name for Har Sinai]) would become the template for the Revelation to an entire nation.
After Hashem called out to Moshe at the Sneh and introduced Himself (keviyachol), stating that He had heard the outcry of the Children of Israel, Hashem said to Moshe:
וּדְבָשׁ חָלָב זָבַת אֶרֶץ-אֶל ,וּרְחָבָה טוֹבָה אֶרֶץ-אֶל ,הַהִוא הָאָרֶץ-מִן וּלְהַעֲלֹתוֹ ,מִצְרַיִם מִיַּד לְהַצִּילוֹ וָאֵרֵד -
And I have come down to save them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up from that land, to a good and broad land, to a land flowing with milk and honey (Shemos 3:8)... From the first moments of Moshe’s mission, it was revealed to him that the nation was going to be going to the land that, with the conquer and conquest under Yehoshua, would become Eretz Yisrael.
Furthermore, Hashem declared: הַזֶּה הָהָר עַל ,הָאֱלֹקֹים-אֶת תַּעַבְדוּן ,מִמִּצְרַיִם הָעָם-אֶת בְּהוֹצִיאֲָ -
When you take the nation out of Egypt, you will serve G-d on this mountain (ibid., v.12). Toras Yisrael betroths us to Hashem, ennobles us as individuals, elevates our nation to be mesugal and kadosh (precious and holy, cf.Shemos 19:5-6), connects us to each other, and gives instruction, purpose and meaning to our lives.
Am Yisrael.
Eretz Yisrael.
Toras Yisrael.
I pen these words in Yerushalayim on Monday evening, ohr la’yom 13 Shevat 5785. It seems that everywhere you walk in J’lem (and beyond), there are (bumper-type) stickers in memory of the fallen in this war. Operation Swords of Iron was launched by Israel in response to the Simchas Torah 5784/Oct. 7, 2023 invasion and massacre. The stickers can be found plastered on the walls of bus stops, the gate of Sha’ar Yafo, light poles around the city, benches, check-points, and so on and so forth. Every turn brings you face to face with the pictures of the fallen, their smiling faces, names, and a message, slogan or pasuk on the sticker.
Quoting statistics and numbers after a while, R”L, becomes far less meaningful than seeing countless smiling faces of young, brave, committed, dedicated fallen soldiers all over the city.
