The kabbalah of the yoke of Torah and mitzvos is the acceptance of an entirely new life—one imbued with profound meaning that permeates every dimension of existence. By virtue of this kabbalah, our entire worldview and way of life must be absolutely different from that of a world devoid of Torah and mitzvos. Each year anew, the day of Matan Torah presents us with an essential challenge: to prepare ourselves properly by asking what foundational tools we must develop in order to be truly worthy and capable of such a kabbalah.
The moment Klal Yisrael heard the voice of Hashem speaking to them, they were instantaneously elevated to a sublime and incomparable higher world. They stood physically at the foot of the mountain, yet their neshamos soared upward. It was an awesome revelation of how far a human being can ascend and how much he can attain. We must now ask ourselves: Is it still possible today to feel a sense of belonging to a higher world?
The Uniqueness of Shemiah
Kabbalas HaTorah took place specifically through the medium of shemiah—listening and hearing. What distinguishes shemiah from all other senses is that we can hear what is occurring even beyond our immediate surroundings, much like overhearing words spoken from behind a mechitzah. Unlike the sense of touch, which requires direct contact, or even sight—which, despite its ability to perceive great distances, can be blocked by the smallest barrier—hearing can connect us to an entirely different realm, even if the connection remains somewhat indistinct.
At Matan Torah, we heard with our own ears words that are, in essence, beyond all human comprehension. At that singular moment, our shemiah was accompanied by re’iyah—clear, direct perception of the highest order. But ever since the neshamah returned to the body, we no longer experience that sense of belonging through direct perception. The entire avodas hachayyim—our life’s work—is to strive to internalize what we heard then, and to reconnect with those lofty and exalted levels that were revealed at Sinai.
Developing Larger Ears
For this avodah, we must employ that very power of shemiah which is capable of touching a world beyond ordinary comprehension. We must cultivate “large ears”—ears that listen and understand that there is always far more than what is immediately apparent. Every individual, according to the depth of his Torah knowledge and personal refinement, is called upon to seek a deeper layer of meaning even in matters that appear utterly simple—out of an inner sense and feeling that before us lies a world far richer and greater than it seems.
Upon reflection, we recognize that the entire Torah is an expansion of the Aseres HaDibros proclaimed at Sinai. One example among many is the obligation to hear within the dibbur of “Lo signov”—which addresses the kidnapping of a person (Sanhedrin 86)—also the prohibition against stealing money (Mechilta, Shemos 21:6).
Today, however, the entire thrust of our chinuch runs contrary to this. Our ears grow ever smaller. We seek only precise, narrow definitions and formulas, and whatever is not absolutely compelled by the text we dismiss at once. Even worse, we tend to take every new idea and bring it back to a familiar, already-known place. When something novel is presented to us, we take it merely as reinforcement of what we already know and understand, rather than hearing it as something genuinely new and different—something deep and altogether unfamiliar.
Yirah as the Goal
The ultimate purpose of Matan Torah was, as the pasuk states, “so that awe of Him shall be upon your faces, so that you will not sin” (Shemos 20:16). The quality of yirah emerges from a clear perception that even in matters which appear simple, there is more than anything we have yet grasped or attained. We must approach every dimension of our lives with the understanding that we belong to a world far beyond anything we have thus far comprehended. We must not reduce everything to the familiar and the known. Rather, we must strive to rise and attach ourselves to the higher levels to which we have belonged ever since Kabbalas HaTorah.
Hearing Others with Large Ears
This principle applies equally to Torah learning, to a person’s relationship with himself, and to interpersonal matters. We must not hear the words of others in a superficial or shallow manner. We must listen to what they say with the understanding that within their words lie immense depths—whole worlds of inner life that can only be perceived with large ears.
When we observe the gedolei olam reviewing the same material again and again with vitality and passion, we must understand that this is not mere repetition or reinforcement of the known. Rather, it is learning born of the recognition that fresh and novel revelations are continually being uncovered—things that had never before come to light.
As we now prepare to receive our sacred Torah anew, we are obligated to approach every aspect of our lives with “large ears”—ears that yearn to rise and attain beyond what has been attained until now, ears capable of hearing within simple matters new and profound messages, even when those messages are not explicitly compelled by the text and do not merely reinforce what we already know. All of this must flow from the fundamental understanding that we forever belong to a place far higher and more elevated than where we currently stand — each person according to his own madreigah.