Become A Human

Second shmuz from R' Elephant continuing from the first one.  Last week, we explained that the avodah of sefirah is to be transformed from animal to man, to bring out the great potential inside of us.   Why is that the avodah of sefirah?  Generally we assume the chiddush of נעשה ונשמע was that Klal Yisroel accepted to do the Torah even though they didn't know what they were accepting.  In Rashi Shabbos 88a we see more than that.  Rashi says דקדמיתו פומייכו לאודנייכו - קודם ששמעתם אותה היאך היא קשה ואם תוכלו לעמוד בה קבלתם עליכם לקיימה.  The chiddush is that Klal Yisroel accepted something that they didn't even know we would be able to do.  How could they accept if they might be lacking the capability to fulfill the Torah?
Where else do we find such a concept of accepting something beyond your capabilities?  The Ramban in Vayakhal Ramban 35:21 says: וטעם אשר נשאו לבו לקרבה אל המלאכה (שמות ל״ו:ב׳) – כי לא היה בהם שלמד את המלאכות האלה ממלמד, או מי שאימן בהן ידיו כלל, אבל מצא בטבעו שידע לעשות כן, ויגבה לבו בדרכי י״י (דברי הימים ב י״ז:ו׳) לבא לפני משה לאמר לו: אני אעשה כל אשר אדני דובר.  What does the Ramban mean, if there was no one to teach them how did they know how to do the work?  The Ramban himself answers this, מצא בטבעו שידע לעשות כן, it was within their capability, they had the talents to do the work, it needed a impetus of building the mishkan to bring it out.  That's what the Ramban means in the end of his words, ויגבה לבו בדרכי י״י, it requires a sense of גאוה to say I can do it.

Everyone knows the chazal that Hashem offered the Torah to the gentiles but they refused.  The simple peshat is that they refused because they didn't like it.  However, the Shem M'Shmuel  says a different peshat.  He explains the nations wanted to accept the Torah but they said we can't, it runs against our nature.  Edom said we naturally kill, we can't stop doing it and the same for the other nations as well.  Klal Yisroel was able to say we are willing to go against our nature.  That's why on Shauot the offering, the shtei halechem is chametz, which represents גאוה because accepting the Torah requires a sense of גאוה, that ויגבה לבו בדרכי י״י to be able to take on whatever is thrown at you and go against your natural instincts. [I think he means the Shem M'Shmuel in year 5672.]

The Rambam Laws of Tamud Torah (3:6) says מִי שֶׁנְּשָׂאוֹ לִבּוֹ לְקַיֵּם מִצְוָה זוֹ כָּרָאוּי וְלִהְיוֹת מֻכְתָּר בְּכֶתֶר תּוֹרָה. וכו.  Why does the Rambam use this expression of נשא לבו specifically here regarding כתר תורה?  The Gemorah (ibid) says as reward for saying נעשה ונשמע , Klal Yisroel were given crowns.  Why did they get crowns as a reward?  Explains the Sfas Emes Shavuot 5639, פי' שהבורא ית' שילם להם כמדתם כמו שקבלו עליהם יותר מכחם כמו כן נתן להם שיוכלו לקבל הארות גבוהים ורמים שלמעלה מהשגתם. והוא אור שורה ומקיף על בנ"י מה שאין הכלי יכול לקבל וזה ענין קשירת כתרים.  We accepted something that might have been over our head, beyond our capabilities, so we were rewarded by a crown that is placed above the head.  Based upon this, the Rambam is מאד מדיוק.  To merit the keser Torah, one must have the גאוה, ויגבה לבו בדרכי י״י to to be picked up above natural boundaries and limitations.

That's why on sefirah we must go from animal to man, to go beyond our natural animalistic instincts for that is the whole yesod of kabbalas hatorah. An animal is stagnated, it has no growth, as we said last week from the Maharal, בה מה.  If one acts like that then there is no Torah.  To accept Torah, one must be able to grow and go above their capabilities.
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