וְאֶל־מֹשֶׁ֨ה אָמַ֜ר עֲלֵ֣ה אֶל־ה' אַתָּה֙ וְאַהֲרֹן֙ נָדָ֣ב וַאֲבִיה֔וּא וְשִׁבְעִ֖ים מִזִּקְנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל וְהִשְׁתַּחֲוִיתֶ֖ם מֵרָחֹֽק׃ וְנִגַּ֨שׁ מֹשֶׁ֤ה לְבַדּוֹ֙ אֶל־ה' וְהֵ֖ם לֹ֣א יִגָּ֑שׁוּ וְהָעָ֕ם לֹ֥א יַעֲל֖וּ עִמּֽוֹ׃ וַיָּבֹ֣א מֹשֶׁ֗ה וַיְסַפֵּ֤ר לָעָם֙ אֵ֚ת כָּל־דִּבְרֵ֣י ה' וְאֵ֖ת כָּל־הַמִּשְׁפָּטִ֑ים וַיַּ֨עַן כָּל־הָעָ֜ם ק֤וֹל אֶחָד֙ וַיֹּ֣אמְר֔וּ כָּל־הַדְּבָרִ֛ים אֲשֶׁר־דִּבֶּ֥ר ה' נַעֲשֶֽׂה׃ וַיִּכְתֹּ֣ב מֹשֶׁ֗ה אֵ֚ת כָּל־דִּבְרֵ֣י ה' וַיַּשְׁכֵּ֣ם בַּבֹּ֔קֶר וַיִּ֥בֶן מִזְבֵּ֖חַ תַּ֣חַת הָהָ֑ר וּשְׁתֵּ֤ים עֶשְׂרֵה֙ מַצֵּבָ֔ה לִשְׁנֵ֥ים עָשָׂ֖ר שִׁבְטֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃ וַיִּשְׁלַ֗ח אֶֽת־נַעֲרֵי֙ בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל וַיַּֽעֲל֖וּ עֹלֹ֑ת וַֽיִּזְבְּח֞וּ זְבָחִ֧ים שְׁלָמִ֛ים לַה' פָּרִֽים׃ וַיִּקַּ֤ח מֹשֶׁה֙ חֲצִ֣י הַדָּ֔ם וַיָּ֖שֶׂם בָּאַגָּנֹ֑ת וַחֲצִ֣י הַדָּ֔ם זָרַ֖ק עַל־הַמִּזְבֵּֽחַ׃ וַיִּקַּח֙ סֵ֣פֶר הַבְּרִ֔ית וַיִּקְרָ֖א בְּאָזְנֵ֣י הָעָ֑ם וַיֹּ֣אמְר֔וּ כֹּ֛ל אֲשֶׁר־דִּבֶּ֥ר ה' נַעֲשֶׂ֥ה וְנִשְׁמָֽע׃
Depois, disse a Moisés: Sobe ao Senhor, tu e Arão, Nadabe e Abiú, e setenta dos anciãos de Israel; e inclinai-vos de longe. 2 E só Moisés se chegará ao Senhor; mas eles não se cheguem, nem o povo suba com ele.
3 Vindo, pois, Moisés e contando ao povo todas as palavras do Senhor e todos os estatutos, então, o povo respondeu a uma voz. E disseram: Todas as palavras que o Senhor tem falado faremos. 4 E Moisés escreveu todas as palavras do Senhor, e levantou-se pela manhã de madrugada, e edificou um altar ao pé do monte e doze monumentos, segundo as doze tribos de Israel; 5 e enviou certos jovens dos filhos de Israel, os quais ofereceram holocaustos e sacrificaram ao Senhor sacrifícios pacíficos de bezerros. 6 E Moisés tomou a metade do sangue e a pôs em bacias; e a outra metade do sangue espargiu sobre o altar. 7 E tomou o livro do concerto e o leu aos ouvidos do povo, e eles disseram: Tudo o que o Senhor tem falado faremos e obedeceremos.
(ז) נעשה ונשמע - נעשה מה שדיבר וגם נשמע מה שיצונו עוד מכאן ולהבא ונקיים.
Composed in Middle-Age France (c.1120 - c.1160 CE). Commentary written by Rabbi Shmuel ben Meir, Rashbam (France, c.1080 - c.1160). Rashbam, a grandson of Rashi, was part of the Tosafist school. Whereas Rashi famously claimed that his commentary would present the pshat (contextual meaning) of the text, when in reality it relies heavily on midrash; Rashbam’s commentary actually stays very loyal to the pshat.
(7) נעשה ונשמע, “we will carry out what G’d has said already, and we are also prepared to listen (obey) to what He will command from here on in.
(ז) נעשה ונשמע - נעשה לתכלית שנשמע בקולו כעבדים המשמשים את הרב י שלא על דרך לקבל פרס כענין עושי דברו לשמוע בקול דברו:
Composed in Bologna (c.1500 - c.1550 CE). Commentary on the Torah by Rabbi Ovadiah ben Jacob Sforno, a 16th-century Italian rabbi and physician.
(7) נעשה ונשמע, a reference to action designed to ensure that they could obey G’d’s directives without thought of any reward that might be in store for them by doing this. We find a similar construction in Psalms 103,20 עושי דברו לשמוע בקולו, “who do His bidding, ever obedient to His bidding.”
And once Rabbi Tarfon and the Elders were reclining in the attic of the House of Nitzah in Lod [and] this question was asked in front of them: Is study greater or action greater? Rabbi Tarfon answered and said, "Action is greater." Rabbi Akiva answered and said, "Study is greater." They all answered and said, "Study is greater, since study brings about action."
Doing and Hearing (Mishpatim 5776)
by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks
[N]a’aseh venishma means, “We will do and we will understand.” From this they derive the conclusion that we can only understand Judaism by doing it, by performing the commands and living a Jewish life. In the beginning is the deed. Only then comes the grasp, the insight, the comprehension. This is a signal and substantive point. The modern Western mind tends to put things in the opposite order. We seek to understand what we are committing ourselves to before making the commitment. That is fine when what is at stake is signing a contract, buying a new mobile phone, or purchasing a subscription, but not when making a deep existential commitment. The only way to understand leadership is to lead. The only way to understand marriage is to get married. The only way to understand whether a certain career path is right for you is to actually try it for an extended period. Those who hover on the edge of a commitment, reluctant to make a decision until all the facts are in, will eventually find that life has passed them by. The only way to understand a way of life is to take the risk of living it. So: na’aseh venishma, “We will do and eventually, through extended practice and long exposure, we will understand.”....There is a normative way of doing the holy deed, but there are many ways of hearing the holy voice, encountering the sacred presence, feeling at one and the same time how small we are yet how great the universe we inhabit, how insignificant we must seem when set against the vastness of space and the myriads of stars, yet how momentously significant we are, knowing that God has set His image and likeness upon us and placed us here, in this place, at this time, with these gifts, in these circumstances, with a task to perform if we are able to discern it. We can find God on the heights and in the depths, in loneliness and togetherness, in love and fear, in gratitude and need, in dazzling light and in the midst of deep darkness. We can find God by seeking Him, but sometimes He finds us when we least expect it. That is the difference between na’aseh and nishma. We do the Godly deed “together”. We respond to His commands “with one voice”. But we hear God’s presence in many ways, for though God is One, we are all different, and we encounter Him each in our own way.