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What does "na'aseh v'nishma" really mean, and why is it superior to simple obedience? The Baal HaTurim's insight reveals that v'nishma is passive voice—"it will be understood"—meaning the mitzvos themselves generate understanding and fulfillment when performed. This madreiga was lost at Sinai with "kafah aleihem har k'gigis" but restored at Purim (פורים), where Klal Yisrael reaffirmed that mitzvos are our essence, not mere obligations.
Rabbi Zweig explores a fundamental question about the famous declaration "na'aseh v'nishma" at Har Sinai. The Baal HaTurim notes that the word "v'nishma" appears three times in Tanach: in Parshas Mishpatim ("na'aseh v'nishma"), in this week's Parshas Tetzaveh ("v'nishma kolo b'vo'o el hakodesh"), and in Megillas Esther ("v'nishma pisgam hamelech"). The Baal HaTurim teaches that these three appearances correspond to Torah (תורה), Avodah, and reading the Megillah, and that the halacha (הלכה) that Megillah pushes aside Torah study and Avodah is derived from this parallel. The shiur identifies a critical grammatical insight: the word "v'nishma" in Parshas Mishpatim is commonly understood as "we shall hear/understand" (Binyan Kal), but in the other two instances it clearly means "it will be heard" (Binyan Nif'al, passive voice). If the Baal HaTurim is teaching that the same word appears three times, then "v'nishma" in "na'aseh v'nishma" must also be passive voice—not "we will understand" but "it will be understood."
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Parshas Tetzaveh, Parshas Mishpatim, Megillas Esther
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