“רש”י: “אני ד’ אלוקיכם – אני הוא שאמרתי בסיני (שמות כ’ ב’) אנכי ד’ אלוקיך, וקבלתם עליכם מלכותי, מעתה קבלו גזרותי...”
Rashi: “I am Hashem, your God- It is I who said at Sinai, ‘I am Hashem your God’, and you accepted (then) my kingship upon yourselves. Now, accept upon yourselves my decrees…”
Hakadosh Boruch Hu introduces the laws of arayos – illicit relations – with the declaration: “אני ד’ אלוקיכם” – I am Hashem your God. Seemingly, this would be an appropriate preface to any and all of the Mitzvos. Why does it appear specifically in reference to the prohibitions of arayos?
Rashi writes that “אני ד’ אלוקיכם” is a reference to Klal Yisroel’s original קבלת מלכות שמים – acceptance of Hashem’s kingship – at Sinai. They are now being told to take that kabbalah one step further: to accept not only His kingship, but His “decrees” as well. But still we can ask, why was this kabbalah obligatory specifically with regard to the arayos? Aren’t all issurim, such as the prohibitions of eating non-kosher or wearing shatnez, decrees of Hashem? And furthermore, what is the distinction between accepting Hashem’s malchus and accepting His decrees? Certainly, Klal Yisroel accepted Hashem’s commandments at Sinai; otherwise, any kabbalas malchus would be meaningless.
͠ ͠ ͠
Accepting Malchus Shemayaim is not only a matter of “personal interest”, of obligating oneself. “אין מלך בלא עם” – There can be no king without a nation. By accepting Hashem’s kingship, we play a critical role in His Malchus: we provide for the Borei Olam a nation to rule over. His role is to lead, to make laws, to govern; our “contribution” is the nation itself. As an illustration: a Rosh Yeshiva opens a new yeshiva. He builds a beis medrash, dormitory and dining room. He hires staff and prepares shiurim and shmuessen. But still, he has no yeshiva: he needs bochurim. He goes on a recruiting trip and finds twenty bochurim who are willing to come. They made the Yeshiva.
This is the difference between the prohibitions of arayos and eating non-kosher or wearing shatnez. Not wearing shatnez is one of the laws of Hashem’s kingship; He is our King, and so we follow His laws. The laws of arayos are different. The fundamental topic of the issurei arayos is in what manner and form are the members of Hakadosh Boruch Hu’s nation to be brought about. That relates to our contribution to the malchus. In the mashal above, the Rosh Yeshiva can say wonderful shiurim, even make rules, but the bochurim determine who they are, and that goes a long way in determining what type of yeshiva it will be.
The chiddush of “אני ד’ אלוקיכם” is that here too, we must contribute to the malchus in the way that He sees fit; even though He (so to speak) needs us. Yes, we “provide” the nation, but we have to mold the nation according to His ratzon. Thus, it is referred to as a “decree” because it relates primarily to how we create the malchus, and still, He directs us.
͠ ͠ ͠
The giving of the laws of the arayos was the occasion of a second kabbalas malchus; not only are we a part of Hashem’s malchus, we create the malchus according to His decrees. This holds true not only with regard to how we marry and become parents, but also to how we fashion ourselves. “כל אדם שיש בו גסות רוח כאילו בא על כל העריות” – A man who possesses a crude and arrogant spirit, it is as if he procreated with all of the arayos. (Sotah 4b) Our responsibility is to create Yisroel, as Hakadosh Boruch Hu desires Man to be. Arayos is a violation of that responsibility, and equally so is to pervert our own form, our “צורת האדם”. This is the role we must play in Malchus Shemayim, to create our children, and ourselves.