“ויראו את אלקי ישראל ותחת רגליו כמעשה לבנת הספיר וכעצם השמים לטהר.”
רש”י: כמעשה לבנת הספיר – היא היתה לפניו בשעת השעבוד לזכור צרתן של ישראל, שהיו משועבדים במעשה לבנים.
Rashi: “Like a brickwork of sapphire. This was before Him at the time of the enslavement, to remember the troubles of Israel, for they were enslaved in brick-work.”
The actual nature of the livnas hasapir is far beyond our comprehension, but there are still valuable lessons to be gained from a simple reading of Rashi. “זכירה” – remembrance – implies that the matter at hand is significant for the person who remembers; I remember something if it is important to me. The implication here is that the suffering of Yisroel was important from the vantage point of the Borei Olam Himself.
The livnas hasapir caused the Borei Olam to remember the enslavement of Yisroel. The suffering of Yisroel alone was not enough; it was necessary for there to be something that was found “before Him”, which corresponded to that suffering. Only then did the suffering of Yisroel take on its full importance for the Borei. This means that the livnas hasapir served so to speak as a conduit through which our suffering became a matter of importance for Him.
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If we apply this model to our interactions with others, we can gain a valuable insight into how to be “נושא בעול עם חבירו” (literally, to bear a burden with our fellow man). It is not enough to simply think “Oy vey, that’s terrible.” You may feel bad, but is your fellow’s suffering important for you? It’s not possible to immediately and completely place yourself in another’s shoes. Rather, you need a “conduit” like the livnas hasapir; something that is “before you”, a part of your life.
Identify an experience of your own that is similar to what the other person is experiencing. (The similarity may not be readily apparent – think deeply.) This can be the livnas hasapir by which you remember his pain because it is an experience which exists for you. Use it as a stepping stone towards true “נושא בעול”.