The Rav remarked that his forebears led a saintly, spiritual existence, totally dedicated to Hashem in every respect. They renounced the pleasures of this world, ignored public opinion and defied society when it adopted immoral and contemptible positions. Similar to Moshe, who was raised in the house of Pharaoh, yet renounced the pleasures of the palace in order to lead a moral life. It is also possible to live a conventional life within society, accepting moral values that society cherishes and still live within the Torah.
Chazal say that sometimes there are two seemingly contradictory verses. One verse emphasizes the heavenly character of the Torah: Hashem wants to raise man to great heights, so the Torah says Hashem made us hear from the heavens above. Another verse says that Hashem descended onto the mountain. Chazal resolve this by saying that the Torah recognizes that man is frail and has shortcomings. Man can rise to great heights or he can live a normal life within the law. Both paths lead to the attainment of sanctity.
That’s why at Sinai the voice crowded them from all sides. There are many choices and possibilities and they are not mutually exclusive. There are many approaches to Hashem. Rambam’s opinion was the greater the intellect and knowledge, the closer man comes to Hashem. To Rambam, Tzelem Elokim is expressed through intellectual pursuits. The Vilna Gaon’s opinion was that God can only be approached through the development of the intellect. The Gaon transmitted this approach to Reb Chaim Volozoner and to the House of Brisk. In the time of the Gaon this was a difficult view to defend. The intellect was not as prized then as the decisive factor in human advancement nor was it appreciated by society. Societal position was based on lineage. However, modern man has rediscovered the intellect.
On the other hand there are those that seek God through their hearts. Many Jews put on tefillin, but how many really understand the meaning behind the mitzvah? Many have observed the Shabbos, but how many appreciated the sanctity of the day? Yet the tradition passed from generation to generation. Chasidim had a different approach from the Gaon’s. They argued: Why should a person be excluded from the experience and ecstasy of avodas Hashem if Hashem did not bestow upon him the mental capabilities to study? Both share the obligation to follow the laws. But each approaches Hashem differently. In the final analysis, they worship the same Anochi, the same Hashem.
The Decalogue according to Chazal was given three times: in Yisro, Vaeschanan and Kedoshim. If one looks through the first section of Kedoshim, one finds the entire context of the Decalogue. The main distinction between Kedoshim and Yisro/Vaeschanan is that in Kedoshim the plural formulation is used, while in the other two the singular form is used. But why was the Decalogue formulated only in the singular? Ramban says to warn the people that any individual that transgresses the commandments will be punished. Hashem addresses Himself to each individual and warns him not to be misled and follow the sinful majority. The individual can never claim he was just following the crowd, he was overpowered by society around him. Many Jews would like to be observant even though they are entangled in a senseless secular life. They would observe commandments if they could resist social pressures. It is difficult to be an outcast from society, be it a society that shuns a religious, spiritual existence or one that is corrupt and amoral.
The Torah emphasizes the importance of the individual. In times of catastrophe we find many situations where the community at large lost all hope for survival, they simply gave up. It was select individuals that saved the community in the face of adversity. Chazal say that Lo m’astim refers to the time that Hashem gave the people Ezra and Nechemia. Lo g’altim refers to Mordechai and Esther. L’chalosam refers to Matisyahu and his five sons. L’hafer b’risi itam refers to Antoninus and Rebbe.