Jewish tradition interprets the words that Israel uttered at Sinai, "all that the Lord has spoken, we shall do and we shall hear" (Exodus 24:7), as a promise to fulfill his commands even before hearing them, as the precedence of faith over knowledge. When at Sinai Israel said we shall do and we shall hear (instead of saying, we shall hear and we shall do), a heavenly voice went forth and exclaimed, "Who has revealed to my children this mystery, which the ministering angels enact, to fulfill His word before they hear the voice."
Do we not always maintain that we must first explore a system before we decide to accept it? This order of inquiry is valid in regard to pure theory, to principles and rules, but it has limitations when applied to realms where thought and fact, the abstract and the concrete, theory and experience are inseparable. It would be futile, for example, to explore the Jewish thought from a distance, in self-detachment. Jewish thought is disclosed in Jewish living. This, therefore, is the way of religious existence. We must accept in order to be able to explore.
Suggested Discussion Questions:
1. What does the text say about the word of "ma'aseh" - actions, or mitzvot?
2. How does this play out in our everyday lives; how do we balance action and study?
Time Period: Contemporary (The Yom Kippur War until the present-day)