The Gemorah in Mesechta Shabbos relates that when Moshe Rabeinu ascended heavenward to receive the Torah, the malochim vehemently objected. They claimed that the heavenly Torah predated this world and has no association with mere mortals. With the Eibershter’s prodding, Moshe responded that all the commandments in the Torah have no bearing on heavenly beings. All of the mitzvos and issurim are related only to the mundane and the physical world and therefore the Torah belongs only to mankind. The malochim accepted this argument and embraced Moshe.
Moshe Rabeinu’s argument seems to be so convincing. What were the malochim thinking when resisting allowing the Torah to be given to humankind?
In the beginning of Parshas Bechukosai the Torah promises berachos to those who are “bechukosai tailaichu” and observe the mitzvos. Chazal interpret these words to mandate ameilus baTorah.
After the Torah makes this promise, an intriguing possuk follows. The possuk says, “Ani Hashem elokeichem asher hotzaisi eschem ma’eretz Mitzrayim etc”. Why does the Torah make mention of yetzias Mitzrayim over here? Rashi explains that the Torah is reassuring Klal Yisroel that it is within His ability to provide the promised berachos, since He already performed tremendous feats in Mitzrayim.
This is even more difficult to understand as the Ramban mentions that this whole group of berachos that are promised to the ameilim baTorah are within the realm of normal. Why must Hashem prove his prowess from the unbelievable miracles performed in Mitzrayim?
The answer is that ameilus baTorah is certainly a level of tremendous importance and something to strive for. However, the real challenge is how to fuse the ruchnius into daily life and the mundane.
The Rema explains the words, “Umafli la’asos” in the brochah of ‘asher yatzar’ to refer to Hashem’s awesome miracle of fusing a human being consisting of a neshama and a physical body. The ability for ruchnius to coexist in unison with physicality is a feat nothing short of a miracle.
Yetzias Mitzrayim was the manifestation of transforming slaves, the coarsest human beings, into an am segulah- a nation on the threshold of receiving the Torah- people epitomizing gashmius transformed into receptacles of ruchnius. Only the One with this ability is able to bestow berachos of gashmius on ruchniusdike people- amelim baTorah- and enable them to fuse the bounty of this, physical world into their ruchniusdik lives.
The malochim were of the opinion that the Torah has no place in the physical domain. They could not fathom the intersection of a physical, human being with such depth of holiness as the Torah. They did not understand the base meaning of the words in the Torah that we associate with the physical, in a literal sense. Moshe Rabeinu countered their argument with something astounding. A person has within himself the ability to consecrate the basest item in this world into a vehicle of kedushah- similar to the transformation of the slaves in Mitzrayim morphing into the Dor de’ah and worthy of the Sinai experience of Matan Torah.