Parshat Yitro describes the amazing moment when G-d makes a mutual agreement with an entire nation, Bnei Yisrael, for the first time. Of course, this isn’t the first agreement in the Torah. G-d had already made one with all humanity through Noach, and another with Avraham. But those were not fully two-way. G-d didn’t ask Noach or Avraham to agree. The agreement at Har Sinai was different. For the first time, G-d made sure the agreement was completely mutual and fully accepted by the people. This matters a lot. G-d wants to rule through right, not just power. He freed enslaved people and now wants their worship to come freely as free human beings. The Sinai agreement needed the people’s willing agreement.
What’s interesting is the exact way the Israelites say yes. They do it three times: once before the Revelation at Har Sinai, and twice afterwards in Parshat Mishpatim. There is a small but important difference in the three times they say Na’aseh Venishma. In two cases, the people say, “We will do everything that G-d says.” In the third case, they use the famous double phrase: na’aseh ve-nishma, which translates to “We will do, and we will hear”.
Another difference stands out. In the first two times, the Torah stresses that the people are completely united. The first time it says all the people answered together as one. The second time it says they answered with one voice. In contrast to how often there are instances in the Torah of people arguing and disagreeing, these strong statements of unity are rare and meaningful.
But the third time, the one that says na’aseh ve-nishma, doesn’t mention any unity. It simply says: They replied. There is no special emphasis on everyone speaking together. Here, the Torah is quietly teaching one of the most important lessons about Judaism: the difference between deed and creed, between doing and understanding. Judaism is a community built around action. It’s about how people treat each other. It’s about bringing G-d into the everyday shared spaces of our lives together. Just as we know G-d through what He does, G-d asks us to connect to Him through what we do. In the beginning was the deed. That’s why Judaism is a religion of law, because law shapes behaviour.
When it comes to belief, creed, doctrine, the things that depend on understanding rather than action, Judaism does not demand that everyone think exactly the same. This isn’t because Judaism has no beliefs. On the contrary, Judaism exists because of its core beliefs, especially the belief in one G-d. Judaism has strong beliefs, but it is not built on forcing everyone to agree about them. Instead, it allows different ways of understanding and interpreting those beliefs. People are different intellectually and in personality. Judaism has always had rationalists and mystics, philosophers and poets, naturalists and those who believe in the supernatural.
Na’aseh, we act the same way together. Ni-shma, we each understand in our own way. That is the difference between how we serve G-d as a community and how we each connect to Him personally. It’s remarkable that this key feature of Judaism is already hinted at in the Torah: in the contrast between how it describes na’aseh, with unity (“as one,” “with a single voice”) and nishma (with no mention of collective agreement). Our actions (na’aseh) are public and shared. Our thoughts and understanding (nishma) are private and personal. That is how we can serve G-d together as one people, while each relating to Him in the unique way that fits who we are.
Written by Ariel, Grade 11