Dvar Torah Behar 2005 – 5765 דבר תורה בהר

Throughout the Torah Hashem speaks to Moshe giving him laws that the Jewish people are obligated to observe. In today’s Sidra we are suddenly told that Hashem spoke to Moshe BEHAR SINAI, on Mt. Sinai. (Lev. 25,1) Most of the Mitzvot were given at Sinai. Why are we unexpectedly told that these instructions came at Mt. Sinai?

We first must realize that many laws were given to man even before Matan Torah. We know there were the seven Mitzvot of Bnei Noach. These laws were repeated at Sinai. Why? The answer is that before the Jews stood at Mt. Sinai the laws they had could have been explained mostly as sensible laws of society. After Matan Torah they were no longer just understandable laws but were to be observed because Hashem commanded us.

Even laws that had previously been given to us, such as the law of Pru Urvu, of Gid HaNasheh and the law of Brit Milah, were no longer to be kept because they had been previously given to us. Now the obligation was because Hashem had renewed them at Mt. Sinai.

This is a fact we should remember. Even if there are laws that we can rationalize and say they are logical, we have to realize that as Jews we keep these laws because Hashem commanded us. If we observe laws because they make sense or because they are good for society, we can always find reasons why they do not apply under certain circumstances and we can often rationalize them away. The reason we live by the Torah is because Hashem gave it to us and instructed us to keep its commandments.