Close to You
And I will take you to me for a people, and I will be your God… (6:7)
This week’s parsha opens with Hashem discussing with Moshe His plans for rescuing Bnei Yisroel from Egypt. Herein we find the well-known “arba leshonos shel geula – four iterations of salvation,” i.e. four different words describing the process of Hashem taking Bnei Yisroel out of Egypt. The fourth word that the Torah uses is “velokachti” – generally translated as “I will take.”
Yet, both Targum Onkelos and Targum Yonasan Ben Uziel translate the word “velokachti” as “ve’eskorev” from the language of “kiruv” as in “I will draw near.” This is odd; in general there are two Aramaic translations for taking: “ud’var,” which is used when referring to taking people (see Bereishis 12:5 when Avraham took his wife Sarah), and “u’nesiv,” which is used when referring to taking inanimate objects (see Bereishis 28:18 when Yaakov takes the rock and places it under his head). So why did both Targumim deviate from the usual translation of the word “to take” in this particular instance?
We find another place where the Torah uses the word “to take” and both Targumim translate it as “ve’eskorev”: When Hashem asks Moshe “to take” (“kach”) Aharon and his children (Vayikra 8:2). Here too both Targumim translate the word “to take” as “karev – to draw near.” In fact, when the Torah itself describes what Moshe did it says, “vayakrev Moshe es Aharon ve’es bonov – and Moshe drew near Aharon and his sons.” Why does the Torah describe this “taking” in such a manner?
Moshe is asking Aharon and his children to take a position of responsibility within the Jewish people. This kind of responsibility has to be accepted as a matter of free will. The way to get someone to accept it is to draw them close and allow them to make their own decision. Ask any professional involved in “kiruv” and they’ll tell you that the only effective manner of drawing someone near to Judaism is to be “mekarev – to bring them close,” meaning to allow them to make their own decision to continue forward.
Chazal teach us that this fourth language of salvation (“velokachti”) refers to Bnei Yisroel receiving the Torah at Mount Sinai (See Sforno and Ibn Ezra ad loc). Thus, standing at Mount Sinai Hashem draws us near, but we must choose to move forward and accept the Torah. It is quite significant that the very act of accepting the Torah has to be done as an act of free will.
Maharal, in the introduction to his work Tiferes Yisroel, explains that this is the meaning of the verse “and this is the Torah that Moshe placed in front of Bnei Yisroel” (Devarim 4:24). We weren’t forced to take the Torah, it was placed in front of us and we chose to come and take it. In other words, when you’re trying to get someone to develop in a certain area you cannot force them to change, they need to choose to want to change and take positive steps in that direction.
Accepting the Torah as a way of life wasn’t about getting Bnei Yisroel to act a certain way; it was about getting them to develop in a certain direction. This kind of “buy-in to the program” only happens if one completely accepts it of his or her own free will.
Perhaps this provides the most enduring message for both parents and educators. All too often we spend the majority of our efforts focusing on teaching our children and students how to act. This, of course, is the wrong approach to chinuch. We must focus on exposing our children and talmidim to the beauty and brilliance of the Jewish way of life. This in turn will cause them to be inspired and choose to lead a meaningful life of Torah and mitzvos. Only by guiding our children to choose properly for themselves can we ensure an enduring impact on the next generation.
