In this week’s Torah Portion, Parshas Yisro, The Giving of the Torah on Mt. Sinai is discussed.

 

There is a famous teaching of the Rabbis regarding the preparation of the Israelites prior to receiving the Torah; the verse states: “And Yisrael camped there opposite the mountain”; upon which Rashi comments: “As one person with one heart (mind). But all the other encampments were with resentment and dissention.” This means that a prerequisite for receiving the Torah is unity of the people. About the Torah it is written. ‘Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace.’ (Mishlei, Proverbs 3:17) Since the Torah is a Torah of peace, it cannot dwell amid resentment and dissention.

As is well known, our Sages state (Devarim Rabbah 7:8) that were the Jews to have been lacking even one individual, the Divine presence would not have been revealed at the Giving of the Torah as implied by what is written; ‘and be ready against the third day; for the third day the LORD will come down in the sight of all the people upon Mount Sinai.’ The Medrash continues with a narrative concerning Rabi who was about to begin a Torah discourse in the academy and announced, “Go see if everyone has arrived!” Where did he learn to inquire if the entire congregation were present before commencing his lecture? From the Giving of the Torah at which Hashem said: `Assemble Me the people, and I will make them hear My words’.

 

Rabbi Shalom Shwadron zt’l (the famous Maggid of Jerusalem) explained that the Torah was given only to the Jewish people as a whole. One shouldn’t think that now that the Torah has been brought down from the heavens to this world, he will toil in it for his own benefit and not share it with others. This is what the Medrash above is alluding to with relating the incident with Rabi; although it is impossible to teach all the people together as it was at the Receiving of the Torah, still each individual that is added to the community transforms the community to a ‘Klal Yisroel’, a totality of the Nation of Israel. Each individual is not a separate entity – each man for himself, rather he is one part of a whole –‘As one man with one heart”!

 

This idea is brought out beautifully by a personal incident in which Rabbi Moshe Plutchok, a member of the faculty at Yeshiva Derech Chaim was involved. Reb Moshe used to spend the summer vacationing in the Catskills. Every day he would study in a summer Kollel. One summer, a person named Mr. Avrohom Greenstein started coming to the Bais Hamedrash. He brought along his Artscroll Gemara and sat down to learn with joy and happiness. He learned and learned and he enjoyed doing so. You couldn’t tell that, unfortunately Mr. Greenstein had terminal cancer. He would come every morning and chant the words of the Gemara…H’aishs niknas…Rava Amar …Abaya Amar…he kept on learning and was always happy.

 

One day close to the end of the summer, uncharacteristic of his usual high spirits, Mr. Greenstein came into the Bais Hamedrash, broken, sad, and listless. He was almost in tears.

 

Reb Moshe asked him. “You’re always so happy…What’s wrong? All summer long you were a source of tremendous chizuk (inspiration) to us…we gained so much from you. Why so sad?

He replied, “Reb Moshe, do you really think that the Ribono Shel Olom is interested in my words of Torah? I have to break my teeth to get through a Blatt Gemara…do you think He is really interested in that?

 

Reb Moshe soothed him by repeating a story he recently heard.

 

The famous orchestra conductor, Arturo Toscanini (1867-1957) was a revered musician; he was recognized as one of the masters of music of that time. In his eighties he retired. Someone wanted to write a biography of Toscanini and used to spend much time with the Master interviewing him and writing about his life.

 

One day while the biographer was with Toscanini, there was a symphony performance broadcast on the radio. Toscanini, who had once led this symphony wished to listen to the broadcast. As he listened, he commented to the biographer that this particular music piece was made up of 120 instruments, including fifteen violins, but he could only discern fourteen; one violin was missing. The biographer looked at him in astonishment and wondered, “how can he tell”?

 

He investigated the matter and indeed, one violin was missing…it seemed that one violinist put his instrument down on his seat and left in the middle of the performance…he thought he could get away with it; He probably thought, “What’s one violin in an orchestra of 120 instruments including 15 violins…?”

 

But the great master listening on the radio could tell that one violin was missing.

 

“So too”, he told Mr. Greenstein, “when we read the Gemara, even if we ‘have to break our teeth’ to say it, the Master of the world is listening to each piece in His orchestra…He is listening to all the music we play for him… the Torah of the greatest scholars, the smallest learners and even the little children. This is the orchestra of the Ribono Shel Olom. If somebody is missing, the Ribono Shel Olom takes notice….you, Avrohom., are part of the ensemble, without your learning the concert is incomplete…it is lacking. your words of Torah …your maasim tovin… your tzedakah… cheesed ….Middos Tovos…. are all part of the Symphony of the Torah! Hashem is indeed deeply interested in your learning!”

 

These words made a deep impression on Mr. Greenstein and revived his spirit.

 

The more Jews who study Torah, who pray, who serve Hashem in their unique way all contribute to the Jewish people as a whole and bring the redemption closer.