The Secret of the Guarantors for the Giving of the Torah: From the Mouths of Babes and Sucklings
Lesson No. 21 | Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Parashas Balak, 5, 6, 7, 8 Tammuz 5755 (Continued in 22)
At the time of the Giving of the Torah, Hashem demanded...
Moshe Rabbeinu received the Torah directly from the World of Atzilus (the highest spiritual realm), from those supernal "infants"—the Cherubim. It is brought down in the Tanna D'Vei Eliyahu (in which, in truth, all the holy books are hidden, and if we were worthy, we would see this within it), regarding the verse:
"And He placed at the east of the Garden of Eden the Cherubim"
What is the meaning of "at the east of [mikedem, which can also mean 'before'] the Garden of Eden"? That they were created before the Garden of Eden. In truth, the Cherubim preceded the entire Act of Creation, all of existence, and all the Sefiros (Divine emanations). When we now perform a bris (circumcision) for a baby, a tremendous illumination is revealed in the world, an illumination literally from the World of Atzilus, from the very roots of Creation.
The Demand for Guarantors at Mount Sinai
Regarding this, we say in Tehillim (Psalms):
"Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings You have founded strength, because of Your adversaries, that You might still the enemy and the avenger"
The Midrash Tehillim describes that at the time when Hashem sought to give the Torah to Israel, He saw that the world could not exist without the Torah. If He were to wait another thousand generations, the world would simply be destroyed. On the other hand, Hashem said to Israel: "I am giving you such a holy Torah, but who says that you will guard it and not soil it in mud and mire? Bring Me guarantors that you will fulfill the Torah, and then I will give it to you."
Israel said: "Alright, we will bring the holy Patriarchs—Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov." Hashem said to them: "They themselves cannot be guarantors, because I hold 'debts' against them."
To what can this be compared? To a person who goes to borrow money. The lender said to him: "Bring me a guarantor." He went and brought a person who himself owed money to the lender. The lender said to him: "What kind of guarantor did you bring me? He himself is a debtor to me! If only he would pay his own debt, and yet you brought him to be a guarantor for you? Bring me someone who owes me nothing, who has never had any debt with me."
The Secret of "We Have Sinned with Our Fathers"
So Hashem said to Israel: "Why did you bring Me Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov as guarantors? How many debts I hold against them!" We must understand, Heaven forbid that the Patriarchs sinned. Rather, it is written in Tehillim:
"We have sinned with our fathers, we have committed iniquity, we have done wickedly"
The sefer Asarah Maamaros explains: Know that when Avraham asked, "How shall I know that I will inherit it?" it was because of me! The holy Patriarchs included within themselves all the souls until the end of all generations. I was spiritually gestating within Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov. Not only did they not merit to rectify me, but I, with the harsh and wicked sparks within me, actually caused them to sin!
Therefore, Hashem said: "The Patriarchs cannot be guarantors, because harsh sparks were gestating within them that they could not overcome. Give Me guarantors who owe Me nothing." And regarding this, Moshe Rabbeinu said in his rebuke before entering the Land:
"Hashem did not make this covenant with our fathers, but with us—we who are here today, all of us alive"
The covenant was made with us, with those who stood at Mount Sinai, and not based on the Patriarchs.
The Fetuses Accept the Guarantee
Israel asked: "Who are those who have never committed a sin in their lives and owe You nothing? For is there a tzaddik on earth who does good and never sins?" Hashem said to them: "The infants! Bring Me all your infants; I want to speak with them."
Immediately, all the infants and all the pregnant mothers were brought before Him. The Midrash describes a tremendous wonder: suddenly, all the bellies of the pregnant mothers became transparent like a shining glass mirror. The fetuses and the infants saw Hashem, and He began to speak with them directly.
Hashem said to them: "Do you agree to be guarantors for your fathers? Know that if they do not fulfill the Torah, you will be held accountable for them and punished." All the infants and fetuses answered: "Yes!"
The Self-Sacrifice of the Infants
The Midrash Tehillim says: At that moment, all the fetuses detached from the umbilical cord that connected them to their mothers. Hashem went through the Ten Commandments with them, utterance by utterance. He asked them: "I am Hashem your God... Do you agree to this utterance? Do you agree to be stoned, burned, and slaughtered if your fathers do not accept this utterance?" The infants answered: "Yes!"
So He asked them about "You shall have no other gods," about the Shabbat, and about each and every utterance. The infants accepted upon themselves all the punishments of the Torah with love, and cried out: "We already want to see the holy Torah, and we are ready to die for our fathers!"
This is the secret of the verse, "Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings You have established strength." In the merit of the mouths of the infants who signed the guarantee, the Torah was given. After the Ten Commandments, all the infants reconnected to the umbilical cord, opened their mouths, and began to sing a song of praise. From here we learn how tremendous the holiness of the children of Israel is, as they precede us by light-years of holiness and purity even from the womb.
Part 3 of 4 — Lesson No. 21