Perek 47

[Bentzion Meltzer]

The Baal Shem Tov taught:

Since the Jewish people had already said, “We will do and obey
whatever G•d says,”1 why does oral tradition say that G•d had to
impose the Torah on the Jewish people by holding Mount Sinai over
their heads and threatening to bury them underneath it if they didn’t
accept it?

The answer is that this comes to teach us that even when one has no
desire to learn Torah and serve G•d, nevertheless, one is not absolved
from doing so. One must force oneself by visualizing that [G•d] is
[now holding Mount Sinai over his head and] forcing him.2

1 Exodus 24:7
2 This is not meant merely as a theoretical thought, but as a
meditative visualization that can re-ignite the enthusiasm of, “We
will do and obey,” that naturally wanes and waxes throughout the day.

Translation and Commentary by Rabbi Yehoshua Starrett and reprinted
with the kind permission of the Baal Shem Tov Foundation. Please visit
www.baalshemtov.com

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