"Mishpatim — Part VI — Na’aseh V’nishma: Covenant and Sacred Time"

6.1 — The Meaning of Na’aseh V’nishma

Why action precedes understanding

At the climax of Parshas Mishpatim, the covenant between Hashem and Israel is sealed with one of the most famous declarations in the Torah. Moshe reads the Sefer HaBris, and the people respond with complete unity:

שמות כ״ד:ז׳
“כֹּל אֲשֶׁר־דִּבֶּר ה׳ נַעֲשֶׂה וְנִשְׁמָע.”
“All that Hashem has spoken, we will do and we will hear.”

The order of the words is striking. The people commit to action before understanding. They pledge obedience before comprehension. They accept the covenant not because they fully grasp its depth, but because they trust the One who gave it.

This moment becomes one of the defining spiritual principles of the Torah: true understanding is not always the precondition for action. Often, it is the result of it.

Action as the gateway to understanding

In most areas of life, people assume that knowledge must come first. One studies, analyzes, and only then acts. The Torah reverses this pattern at the moment of covenant. It teaches that certain truths can only be understood from within the life that embodies them.

Some realities cannot be grasped from a distance:

• The meaning of Shabbos is known by keeping it.
• The depth of prayer is known by practicing it.
• The power of kindness is known by performing it.
• The wisdom of mitzvos is known through living them.

Na’aseh v’nishma does not reject understanding. It establishes a deeper path toward it—one that begins with commitment.

Rambam: knowledge grows through disciplined action

Rambam’s teachings reflect this principle from a philosophical perspective. He explains that character and understanding are shaped through consistent deeds. A person does not become righteous by thinking noble thoughts alone. He becomes righteous by performing righteous actions until they form his nature.

The same is true of spiritual knowledge. According to Rambam, the path to knowing Hashem and His wisdom passes through the disciplined life of mitzvos. Action refines the individual. It trains the mind and heart. Over time, understanding emerges from that refined life.

Na’aseh v’nishma is therefore not a rejection of reason. It is a recognition of how reason itself matures—through lived obedience.

Rav Avigdor Miller: from revelation to responsibility

Rav Avigdor Miller notes the striking sequence of events at Sinai. The people witness the most overwhelming spiritual revelation in history. They declare na’aseh v’nishma, expecting lofty spiritual teachings. Instead, the Torah turns immediately to the practical civil laws of Mishpatim: damages, loans, servants, and property.

He explains that this is not a descent from spirituality. It is the beginning of it.

The path to greatness does not start with mystical experiences. It starts with responsibility—honest business, careful speech, and sensitivity to others’ property and dignity. The mundane laws of everyday life are the true foundation of holiness.

For Rav Miller, na’aseh v’nishma means that spiritual elevation begins with simple, concrete obedience. A life of careful action becomes the ladder to closeness with Hashem.

Rav Kook: the inner essence of the nation

Rav Kook offers a different perspective. He explains that the declaration of na’aseh v’nishma was not blind obedience. It was an expression of the inner nature of the Jewish soul.

The Midrash teaches that angels crowned the people for these words. Rav Kook explains why. The people were not acting against their nature. They were acting according to it.

Just as a bee instinctively builds perfect honeycombs, Israel instinctively recognized the Torah as its natural life. The covenant did not impose something foreign. It revealed something already present within the soul of the nation.

Na’aseh v’nishma therefore expresses a deep spiritual truth: the Torah is not an external burden. It is the authentic expression of the Jewish people’s inner essence.

Rav Kook: two stages of acceptance

Rav Kook also explains that the Torah describes two stages of acceptance:

• First: Na’aseh — “We will do.”
• Then: Na’aseh v’nishma — “We will do and we will understand.”

He interprets these stages as corresponding to two dimensions of Torah:

• The Oral Torah, which is lived, practiced, and transmitted through action.
• The Written Torah, which can be studied, understood, and internalized intellectually.

Action comes first. Only afterward does understanding unfold. Commitment opens the door to comprehension.

Rabbi Jonathan Sacks: unity through shared deeds

Rabbi Jonathan Sacks highlighted another dimension of this moment. He noted that na’aseh and nishma represent two different kinds of unity.

• Na’aseh (action) creates unity.
• Nishma (understanding) allows diversity.

People rarely think exactly alike. They differ in philosophy, temperament, and perspective. But a society does not require identical thoughts to remain united. It requires shared commitments—common acts of kindness, honesty, Shabbos observance, and moral responsibility.

For Rabbi Sacks, na’aseh v’nishma expresses the covenantal secret of Jewish survival: unity through shared deeds, even amid diversity of thought.

The courage to live before knowing

Na’aseh v’nishma also reflects spiritual courage. The people are stepping into an unknown future. They do not yet know the full scope of the commandments or the challenges ahead. Yet they accept.

This moment teaches that not all meaning is visible at the beginning. Many of life’s deepest truths reveal themselves only to those who walk the path.

Faith, in this sense, is not blind belief. It is the willingness to live in trust, knowing that understanding will grow along the way.

Application for Today — living into meaning

In a culture that demands instant clarity and immediate answers, na’aseh v’nishma offers a different model. It suggests that meaning is not always discovered before action. Often, it is created through it.

A practical way to live this teaching includes:

• Committing to a regular mitzvah or practice even before fully “feeling” its meaning.
• Building consistent rhythms of Torah study and prayer, trusting that understanding will deepen over time.
• Practicing acts of kindness and responsibility, even when motivation is weak or unclear.
• Accepting that spiritual growth is a process, not an instant revelation.

Na’aseh v’nishma invites a person to step into covenantal life with trust. The promise of the Torah is that when action is guided by faith, understanding will follow.

📖 Sources

• Full sources available on the Mitzvah Minute Parshas Mishpatim page under insights and commentaries.