A Different Angle on the Parsha: Nigleh and Nistar at Matan Torah
A short vort on the parsha—perhaps with a slightly different twist.
We know that Torah contains Pardes:
Peshat (simple meaning),
Remez (hints),
Derush (interpretation), and
Sod (the inner secrets of Torah—Kabbalah and, as revealed later, Chassidus).
At Matan Torah, Hashem gave the entire Torah—both the revealed and the hidden dimensions. However, not everything was equally accessible. Some aspects were openly revealed (Nigleh), while others remained concealed (Nistar), later to be transmitted through Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai and the Zohar, the AriZal, and eventually through the teachings of Chassidus, which brought the inner dimension of Torah to the broader public.
In earlier generations, most Jews focused primarily on the revealed Torah—Talmud and its classical commentaries. The hidden teachings were reserved for select individuals. Only in later generations did the inner dimension begin to be more widely disseminated.
Yet it is all one Torah.
What Was Revealed at Sinai?
Interestingly, at the time of Matan Torah, the dynamic was almost reversed.
The Jewish people were elevated to an extraordinary spiritual state. The Torah describes:
“Vechol ha’am ro’im es hakolos v’es halapidim”
“All the people saw the voices and the flames.”
They experienced something unparalleled. Hashem declared:
“Atem re’isem” — “You yourselves saw.”
This was not secondhand testimony. It was direct experience. When someone hears something, doubt remains possible. But when one sees, the certainty is unshakable. No intellectual challenge can undermine what one has personally witnessed.
At Sinai, the Jewish people experienced Divine revelation with the clarity of sight. That dimension—the inner awareness of Elokus—was openly revealed.
But at the same time, the detailed halachic structure of Torah remained concealed.
The Ten Commandments and the Hidden Torah
The Aseres Hadibros contain 620 letters.
620 corresponds to:
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613 mitzvos of the Torah
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7 rabbinic mitzvos
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Together totaling 620, which equals the numerical value of Keser—the crown.
Each letter represents a mitzvah. The entire structure of Torah is contained within those Ten Commandments. Even more so, all mitzvos are rooted in the first two:
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Anochi Hashem Elokecha — the source of all positive mitzvos
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Lo Yihyeh Lecha — the source of all prohibitions
As the verse states:
“Anochi v’Lo Yihyeh mipi hagevurah shamanu.”
Thus, at Sinai, the totality of Torah was present—but in a concealed, compressed form. The halachic details were hidden within brief utterances.
Paradoxically, the inner spiritual awareness was openly revealed, while the practical details were embedded in hint form.
Moshe as “Raaya Mehemna”
Chassidus explains that Moshe Rabbeinu was more than a national leader. He is called Raaya Mehemna.
On a simple level, this means “faithful shepherd”—a trusted guide who cares for his flock. Moshe’s compassion for even a single sheep demonstrated his fitness to lead the Jewish people.
On a deeper level, Raaya Mehemna means “one who shepherds faith.” Moshe nourishes and strengthens emunah. He elevates the Jewish people, transmitting his own lofty spiritual awareness into their lives, so that faith becomes internalized as daas—deep, lived awareness.
Moshe does not merely lead; he infuses.
A Grammatical Hint: Singular and Plural
The parsha begins:
“Ve’eileh hamishpatim asher tasim lifneihem.”
“These are the laws that you shall place before them.”
“Lifneihem” is plural—before them.
Shortly after, the Torah says:
“Ki tikneh eved Ivri.”
“When you acquire a Hebrew servant.”
“Tikneh” is singular.
Grammatically, one might expect consistency—either singular or plural. But Chassidus explains that the singular “tikneh” refers not to the Jewish people, but to Moshe Rabbeinu.
Moshe is the one who “acquires” the Jewish soul—meaning he elevates and connects it. The “eved Ivri” represents the Jewish people, and Moshe, through his spiritual stature, draws them upward and infuses them with higher awareness.
Thus:
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“Asher tasim lifneihem” — Torah is placed before the Jewish people.
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“Ki tikneh” — Moshe, in singular, performs the acquisition—raising and nourishing their inner faith.
What appears grammatically irregular becomes spiritually precise.