Significance of Naaseh V'Nishma - נעשה ונשמע

When we read that the nation of Israel declared "Naaseh V'Nishma" - simply translated as "We will do and we will hear/listen," we may wonder why such a declaration has been considered meritorious a. for generations, and b. to the point that the Talmud claims angels descended and placed crowns on the heads of the all the people of Israel?

Here are a number of possibilities - presented here for the benefit of those who may find one or two which speak to you.

Simple - "Pshat" approaches:

Pesikta, which is echoed by Rashbam:
Naaseh all that has been said, and Nishma all that will be said, and we will fulfill it as well. The Chizkuni adds the caveat that we will listen "in the event that there is more instruction in the future."

Targum Yonatan: 
Naaseh = we will do, and Nishma = we will accept it

Ibn Ezra records a number of possibilities:

¨   Naaseh all that it is written, and we will Nishma (review?) them always so as to not forget.

¨   Naaseh the positive commandments. Nishma the negative commandments.

More specific
Rabbi Chaim Paltiel records two possibilities:

1.    Naaseh what is in the Dibros. But we will only Nishma the 613 so we can first take it in [before we commit to Naaseh on them too]. [This may explain the need for the "mountain being overturned above them"]

2.    Naaseh what was commanded in Marah and Nishma what comes from now on – [this approach assumes much less was accepted with Naaseh.]

Rav Hirsch notes that Naaseh the obvious – ie, the written text, while Nishma refers to the Mesorah, the Torah She'baal Peh.

Deeper and more profound
Seforno suggested

Naaseh – like the angels – who serve not in order to receive a reward.

We will do, for the purpose that we will then hear his voice – like servants who serve just because (Tehillim 103:20) In other words, all they wanted to do was get closer and closer to God. Hearing Him was part of their goal and perhaps their ulterior motive.

Panim Yafot:
He focuses on how Naaseh refers to action, deed, doing. While hearing, refers to understanding the why.

          We need to be like Avraham, who fulfills God's will because God said so, without needing to understand the reasoning. But this action, he argues, leads a person to merit to understand its basis and its reason. And this action, in turn leads to learning.

Learning is essential in order to know what to do. But the rabbis taught (BK 17a) that learning is good because it brings one to act, and (Avot 4:5) "One who learns in order to do is given the ability to do…" BECAUSE THE ACTION IS THE IKAR (Avos 1:17).

But doing leads to getting closer to God, and this, he argues, causes God to grace the persons with Sechel to understand the reasoning.

And yet, he points out that in the Aserest HaDibros in Va'eschanan, the people went down a level when they said to Moshe (Devarim 5:24) "You speak to us, and we will hear and do ושמענו ועשינו"

In this instance they did not desire the "light of true Sechel" which comes from just doing. Even though that is the true purpose of Involving oneself in Torah and Mitzvos Lishmah…

All this relates to Mitokh Shelo Lishmah Ba Lishmah… (Pesachim 50b) Maybe V'shamanu V'asinu is good sometimes. But what is the goal? Certainly that things be done Lishmah!

The Beis HaLevi adds that there are two aspects to what was accepted here. Ol Mitzvos, and the mitzvah to learn torah.

          Had everything been reversed – "We will listen and we will do" – the whole acceptance would be to "Ol Mitzvos" alone. The whole purpose would only be Naaseh, with Nishma being a means to getting there. But when you say Naaseh first, obviously a person needs to learn it first to know what to do. But Nishma also becomes an end goal.

Therefore "When they put Naaseh before Nishma" earned them crowns because they were demonstrated two acceptances: Responsibility to Mitzvos, and Responsibility to Torah.

Not too many things are like the Torah, in which study, in and of itself, is an end-game. Everything else has an identified purpose. And if you don't buy into the purpose, you don't engage in the activity.

The lesson of Naaseh V'Nishma – is that the Torah in and of itself is a purpose.

And that is our task. To remember that our Jewish lives are not just about the things we do – though we all know they are important. But we must complement our action with another major responsibility we have as the Jewish people – to study, to learn, to understand, and to constantly engage in the mind exercises that make us who we are.

A people who serve a master not to get reward, but because serving the master is the reward itself.