Renewing Sinai Through Yearning

מצות זכירת מתן תורה שדרשו חז"ל מה להלן ברתת ובזיע כו'

There is a mitzvah to remember the Giving of the Torah, as Chazal expounded that just as there at Har Sinai it was 'with trembling and quaking,' so too whenever one recalls it.

The Torah commands us to recall the Giving of the Torah, and Chazal teach we must recapture the awe and trembling of that original moment.

פי' ההיקש שבכח האדם ע"י הזכירה והשתוקקות לדביקות התורה יכול לעורר התלהבות

The meaning of this comparison is that it lies within a person's power, through remembering and yearning for dveikus to the Torah, to arouse within himself that same fiery enthusiasm.

A person can rekindle the original fire of Har Sinai through actively remembering it and yearning to cling to the Torah.

כענין שאמרו הדברים שמחים כנתינתן

This is along the lines of what Chazal said, that the words of Torah should be joyous to him as on the day they were given.

Torah should feel as fresh and joyful to us as it did on the very day it was given.

דכתיב קול גדול ולא יסף מתרגמינן ולא פסק וכ"כ את הדברים כו' דבר כו' א"כ קהלכם

For it is written, 'a great voice that did not cease' (Devarim 5:19), which Onkelos renders as 'and it did not stop' — and similarly it is written, 'these words... He spoke... to your entire assembly' (Devarim 5:19).

The pesukim hint that the voice of Har Sinai 'never ceased' — it continues to resonate.

פי' גם עתה בכל עת שמתאספין ביחד לש"ש

This means that even now, at every time that Bnei Yisrael gather together for the sake of Shamayim, that revelation is still active.

Whenever Bnei Yisrael gather for a holy purpose, the power of that original revelation is still present.

וכמו התאספות כל א' כל רצונותיו וכוחותיו לעבודת הבורא ית' אף שא"י לקיים בפועל רתת וזיע כמו בהר סיני אעפ"כ הכנה אז הי' לכל בנ"י לדורות

And like the gathering of each individual — collecting all his desires and his powers toward the avodah of the Creator, may He be blessed — even though he cannot literally enact the trembling and quaking as at Har Sinai, nevertheless that moment instilled a preparation for all Bnei Yisrael for all generations.

When a person gathers all his desires and energies toward serving Hashem, he taps into the preparation Har Sinai planted in every Jew for all generations, even without literally reliving its trembling.

והנה למה הי' צריך הבורא ית' לתת התורה באופן זה שיצתה נשמתן של ישראל והלא הבורא ית' לא יפלא ממנו כל דבר והי' יכול לדבר עם בנ"י באופן טבעי ג"כ כי הוא כל יכול

Now, why did the Creator, may He be blessed, need to give the Torah in such a manner that the neshamos of Bnei Yisrael departed from them — when nothing is beyond Him, and He could have spoken with Bnei Yisrael in a natural way as well, since He is all-capable?

Hashem could have given the Torah gently and naturally, so why did He give it in a way so overwhelming that their souls left them?

אבל רצה להראות לדורות שא"א להתקרב אל התורה רק ע"י מסירת נפש

Rather, He wished to show all the generations that it is impossible to draw close to the Torah except through mesirus nefesh.

He did so to teach all future generations that one can only truly approach the Torah through self-sacrifice.

וא' המרבה וא' הממעיט כפי מה שבוחרים בדרכי אבותינו וחפצים למס"נ בעבור התורה זוכין לעורר כח מעמד הר סיני

And whether one does much or one does little, according to how they choose the paths of our forefathers and desire mesirus nefesh for the sake of the Torah, they merit to arouse the power of the standing at Har Sinai.

Whatever the quantity of one's avodah, by choosing our forefathers' path and being ready for mesirus nefesh for Torah, one reawakens the power of Har Sinai.

והנה מרע"ה מחבב עמידת הר סיני לבנ"י מי גוי גדול כו'

And behold, Moshe Rabbeinu cherished the standing of Bnei Yisrael at Har Sinai, saying, 'For what great nation is there...' (Devarim 4:7).

Moshe Rabbeinu treasured the experience of Bnei Yisrael standing at Har Sinai and praised its greatness.

ולכאורה יפלא כי מרע"ה הי' שכינה מדברת מתוך גרונו תמיד ובנ"י שמעו פעם א' דיבור הקדוש בהר סיני והי' צריך להיות חביב להם ביותר

At first glance this is puzzling, for the Shechinah spoke constantly from within the throat of Moshe Rabbeinu, whereas Bnei Yisrael heard the holy utterance at Har Sinai but a single time — so it should have been more precious to them than to him.

This is puzzling: Moshe had the Shechinah speaking through him constantly, yet Bnei Yisrael, who only heard once at Sinai, should have cherished it even more than he did.

אבל האמת זה סימן מובהק מי שניתוסף לו בכל עת יותר חשק ורצון ואהבה אל התורה ע"י רוב התעסקות בה

But in truth this is a clear sign: one in whom there is added, at every time, ever more desire and will and love for the Torah through his great occupation with it —

The true measure is this: one whose desire and love for Torah keeps growing the more he engages in it —

הוא סי' שלומד לשמה באמת כענין מילתא אלבישייהו יקירא ולכן מרע"ה מה ששמע יותר מהשי"ת נתלהב בכל עת יותר ויותר כמ"ש במדרש ויחי שדגים חיותן במים מצפין לכל טפה כאלו לא טעמו טעם מים כן בנ"י לתורה ע"ש

this is a sign that he is truly learning lishmah, along the lines of 'something a person toils in is precious to him.' Therefore Moshe Rabbeinu, the more he heard from Hashem, the more he became enflamed at every time — as the Midrash on Vayechi states, that fish, whose vitality is in water, await every drop as though they had never tasted the taste of water; so too are Bnei Yisrael toward the Torah, see there.

this proves he learns lishmah, for what one toils in becomes precious; thus Moshe, who heard most, was enflamed most, like fish who thirst for every drop of the very water they live in.

ואפשר שזה הי' מחלוקת בנ"י עם מרע"ה שהם אמרו אם יוספים אנחנו לשמוע כו' שיראו שעי"ז יבא הדבר לרגילות ויפלו מהתלהבות שלהם וכפי מדרגתם הי' אמת דבריהם והסכים הקב"ה עמהם

And it is possible that this was the dispute of Bnei Yisrael with Moshe Rabbeinu — for they said, 'if we continue to hear...' (Devarim 5:22), fearing that through this the matter would come to feel routine and they would fall from their enthusiasm; and according to their level their words were true, and the Holy One, Blessed is He, agreed with them.

Bnei Yisrael feared that hearing more directly would make it routine and cool their enthusiasm — and at their level this was true, and Hashem agreed.

אבל מרע"ה כפי מדרגתו ידע שכל מה ששומעין יותר יתרבה התלהבות יותר כנ"ל:

But Moshe Rabbeinu, according to his level, knew that the more one hears, the more the enthusiasm increases, as explained above.

But Moshe, at his higher level, understood that more hearing only intensifies the fire of love for Torah.

Summary: The Sfas Emes teaches that the mitzvah to remember the Giving of the Torah is a charge to recapture the trembling and fiery enthusiasm of Har Sinai, for the 'great voice' of that revelation never ceased and is reawakened whenever Bnei Yisrael gather for the sake of Shamayim and gather all their inner powers toward avodah. Hashem deliberately gave the Torah in an overwhelming manner that caused their neshamos to depart, in order to teach all generations that one draws close to the Torah only through mesirus nefesh. He then resolves why Moshe Rabbeinu cherished Har Sinai more than Bnei Yisrael, even though the Shechinah spoke through Moshe constantly while they heard only once: the true sign of learning lishmah is that one's love for Torah keeps growing the more he engages with it, like fish who thirst for every drop of their own water. This explains the dispute between Bnei Yisrael, who feared that hearing more would breed routine and cool their enthusiasm — true at their level — and Moshe, who at his higher level knew that more hearing only kindles ever greater love.