26 Jan A SET TABLE
“And these are the laws that you shall place before them.”
(Shemos 21:1)
The parsha opens with the words “And these are”. Rashi explains that by using this phrase, the Torah connects this week’s parsha to the previous parsha, Yisro, which contains the Aseres HaDibros. Just as the Ten Commandments were G-d given at Sinai, so too were the civil and ethical laws cited in Mishpatim given by HaShem at Sinai.
“…that you shall place before them.” Wouldn’t it have been more proper to say “that you shall teach them”, or “that you shall impart to them”? Why does the Torah use the expression “that you shall place before them”?
Rashi elucidates the passage by explaining that HaShem instructed Moshe to present the Torah before the people as a “shulchan aruch – a set table.”
Why a set table? What is the connection between a set table and teaching the laws of Torah?
Through the imagery of an inviting table, we are taught an important lesson in how to share Torah wisdom and values.
A table set with a beautiful cloth, breathtaking flowers, and elegant tableware, creates a special ambience. It is a feast for the eyes. It whets the appetite. We just want to stay and enjoy. Similarly, to effectively communicate words of Torah, it requires a shulchan aruch, a set table. A table that whets the Torah appetite of the soul. As it takes time and effort to set a well-dressed table, so too must we put in the time and effort to study and prepare divrei Torah. Additionally, Torah teaching should be given over with heart and emotion, with the same love and care that one uses to set an elegant table.
The Torah scroll is always adorned with a beautiful mantel, covering, and silver ornaments. How much more so, must we present the sacred words of the Torah written within. Each of us possesses Torah wisdom, a dvar Torah that we can impart to family, friends and neighbors.
A set table also requires proper utensils and tableware.
My father, HaRav Meshulem ben HaRav Osher Anshil HaLevi, zt”l, joined us for dinner. I began the meal with a vegetable soup. “Chaya Sora”, Abba called out to me, “Come, taste the soup”.
“Be right there. Just want to finish serving the kids” I responded.
Once again, my father beckoned me to the table. With a wide smile on his face, he again asked me to take a taste. Hmm, I wondered, is it too spicy, too salty? I made it to the table, and there, by my father’s setting, was a fork, a knife… but no spoon.
We both had a good laugh. It was Abba’s sweet way of saying that something was amiss.
To enjoy a bowl of soup, one needs a soup spoon. When we sit down to our “Torah table” we need our Torah tools, our seforim, holy books. Boruch HaShem, we live in an age when there is a plethora of study tools available to us. Entire libraries, Judaica bookstores filled with Torah books to accommodate every age, background and level of understanding – from the very basic to the truly advanced. We can even listen to and participate in many Torah classes online. There is so much out there. We just have to avail ourselves.
My zeide, HaRav Avraham ben HaRav Yisroel HaLevi zt”l, expounded on Rashi’s teaching of a “set table”. He explained that a good host tries to have something for everyone. To accommodate special requests, be it likes, allergies, or special diets. It reminds me of when we host our marrieds and their children over Yom Tovim. It is always my joy to prepare each one’s favorite dishes. Different children, different tastes. The extra work doesn’t matter. It is a labor of love.
So it is with the Torah table. Shlomo HaMelech teaches us in Mishlei, “Chanoch l’naar al pi darko – Educate a child according to his way”. Different people, different needs. A Torah-set table is properly prepared when it is sensitive to the needs of each person. As the Rebbetzin a”h would often say, we must convey the teachings of the Torah in a manner that ignites the spark within each individual’s neshamah, and awakens the pintele yid within the soul.
The greatest teacher of all-time, Moshe Rabbeinu, understood the concept of a “set table”. He was able to reach an entire nation. He spoke one way to the women, another to the men, and again differently to the elderly, and children. Each group was taught in a way that reached their neshamos. His efforts paid off. As we read in this week’s parsha, “Vayomru, kol hadevarim asher diber HaShem, na’aseh, And they said, all the words that HaShem has spoken, we will do.” (Shemos 24:7). The Torah is teaching us that every single Jewish soul at Mount Sinai became one with the Torah. For Torah, taught properly, can reach every Jew.
Dovid HaMelech writes in Tehillim, “Ta’amu u’reuh ki tov, Taste and you see that it is good.” (Tehillim 34:9). Come close to HaShem and taste His sweet Torah. HaShem wants all of His children to sit around a Torah table. Midrash Rabbah writes that there are “seventy faces to the Torah”. Torah is deep, with many levels of understanding. We have to make room at our table and in our hearts for everyone, communicating to each person on their own level, in accordance with their abilities, background and understanding. In doing so, we will give HaShem the greatest nachas of all.
One nation. One family. One set table.
Shabbat Shalom!