The famed chazzan Rabbi Yom Tov Ehrlich (1914-1990), a Karliner chassid who survived the Shoah and emigrated to post war Williamsburg, composed a darling song called ‘Di Torah’ which imaginatively and creatively narrates the process of HASHEM giving the Torah to the Jewish people. The lyrics extrapolate upon the well-known Midrash that God peddled the Torah to all the nations. Each nation, except the Jews, found something in it that impeded their acceptance. Finally the Jews, by uttering na’aseh v’nishma, accepted it unconditionally, prior to knowing its details.

The Ehrlich song has an angel going around from nation to nation to offer them the Torah. The Russians rejected it based on the requirement to believe in God. The Nazis in Germany could not agree not to murder, the French took issue with monogamy, the British could not exist without coveting, the American sense of freedom was not in sync with the Torah’s notion of blind honor of the older generation - honoring parents - and the Egyptians could not fulfill the prohibition regarding theft. Finally, the angel gave it to the Jews, who accepted it gladly and unconditionally.

While Ehrlich’s rendition is highly politically incorrect and needs to be taken with a grain of salt, understanding the world in which he was raised, the Midrash stresses the love and enthusiasm with which the Jews accepted the Torah. The Midrash also teaches us that we chose God, in addition to Him choosing us.

"דרש רבי סימאי, בשעה שהקדימו ישראל נעשה לנשמע, באו ששים ריבוא של מלאכי השרת לכל אחד ואחד מישראל, קשרו לו שני כתרים, אחד כנגד נעשה ואחד כנגד נשמע. וכיון שחטאו ישראל, ירדו מאה ועשרים ריבוא מלאכי חבלה ופירקום... א"ר יוחנן עתיד הקב"ה להחזירן לנו..." (שבת פ"ח.)

“Rabbi Sima’i expounded, at the moment when the Jews preceded ‘we will do’ to ‘we will study,’ 600,000 ministering angels came and tied two crowns upon the head of each Jew, one corresponding to ‘we will do’ and one paralleling ‘we will study.’ When the Jews sinned, 1.2 million angels of destruction descended and removed the crowns… Rabbi Yochanan taught that in the future God will return them to us…” (Shabbos 88a).

What do these crowns represent, and why were twice as many needed to remove them as were needed to place them? Perhaps the answer to the second question will help us understand the first?

Tosafos (Ibid. yardu) at first opines based on grammar in the proof-text the Gemara brings, but quotes ‘sforim’ that even though goodness trumps punishment, here the angels of destruction were not as strong as the ministering angels, and they only had the strength to remove one. Another classic commentary (M’harsha) on aggadic passages suggested that the two crowns, were in addition to the crown of Torah, as we learn inPirkei Avos (4:13) in the name of Rebbe Shimon, that there are 3 crowns: Torah, kehunah and royalty and one’s good name is above the other 3.

I’ve always loved the image this Midrash evokes of the Torah Jew bearing some level of royalty. After all, who aside from Jughead from Archie comics, wears a crown who is not a blue blooded monarch? I know of a young man who decided after college to begin studying at the Telshe yeshiva in Cleveland. He is a very intelligent young man and never focused on vanity such as clothing. When he entered the yeshiva, they gave him a stipend to buy a new wardrobe, consisting of attractive but not opulent clothing. They felt that one who studies Torah must be more than presentable, echoing the view of Rebbe Chiya bar Abba and Rebbe Yochanan (Shabbos 114a) that any Torah scholar with a stain on his clothing is liable the death penalty. This does not mean we execute sloppy Torah scholars; it means that a Torah scholar must be conscious of who they are, what they represent and how they appear.

Contrast the crown with Moshe's ray of light. When Moshe descended from Sinai after convincing God to forgive the errant Jewish nation, the Torah describes his face.

"ויהי ברדת משה מהר סיני ושני לוחות העדת ביד משה ברדתו מן ההר, ומשה לא ידע כי קרן עור פניו בדברו אתו" (שמות ל"ד:כ"ט)

“And behold, as Moshe descended Sinai, with the two Tablets of the law in his hands as he descended, and Moshe did not know that the skin of his face shone while He talked with him” (Shmos 34:29).

Rashi relates the radiance of Moshe’s face to the word karnayim, or horns. If this were the extent of Rashi’s comment, we would congratulate Michelangelo for getting it right on his famous statue. But his rendition of horns is based on the translation of the Vulguta to ‘cornuta’ which indeed means horns. In Hebrew, keren means horn, but it also means rays. Rashi continues,

"כי האור מבהיק ובולט כמין קרן"

for the light would shine and project like a horn.

Mizrachi and the Sifsei Chachamim, the two most well-known commentaries on Rashi asked why did this splendor show on Moshe’s face when he descended the second time, not the first? After learning the Torah with Hashem for 40 days and nights, wouldn’t that have been the time to see his shining face? Why now, after the sin of the Golden Calf, the second time around?

Torah can give us crowns, but ultimately Torah can give us radiance, even if Moshe was the only one to merit this. When one encounters certain Torah sages, they will notice a certain hadras panim,  shining of their countenance. Not every sage has this, but some like Rabbi Feinstein, Rabbi Aharon Kotler, the Lubavitcher Rebbe and many others had this feature.

A crown is something one wears on their head identifying them as a royal, as a king or queen. The crown projects authority, regality and nobility. But it does not really impact others, other than beholding the sight of the king or queen in his or her royal garb.

But Moshe’s shining face impacted everyone. The Torah relates that people at first feared approaching him. Moshe eventually would cover up his face when not addressing the nation. This means that his shining splendor was reserved for when he served as rabbeinu, as teacher, as prophet, as king and as leader.

I believe Moshe’s rays are mentioned only when descending with the second set of tablets because he proved himself a leader at that time. When he came down with the first tablets – which ultimately did not survive the trip – he had encountered God as a teacher, and he was the ultimate student, soaking up and absorbing every iota of Torah that he could. He was filled with its facts, figures and values. But when he descended the second time, more valuable than the tablets – which are of incredible worth  - was the guarantee he obtained from the Almighty that the Jews would be forgiven and atonement was granted. Moshe’s face shone forth because the face of a leader shows in his or her face. He ‘put it all on the line’ to save the Jews. This is the ultimate act of leadership. After R. Chaim Soloveitchik left the Volozhin Yeshiva and became the rabbi in Brisk, he was asked about the job description of the local rabbi. He did not say it was about teaching Torah, giving classes, or answering halachic queries. He said that his job was being willing to go to hell and back for his congregants. He said the role of the communal leader is to care for his flock. Plain and simple.

Moshe was prepared to be a shepherd. And he showed his talents during that 40 day polemic with the Ribbono shel Olam. He didn’t just wear a crown, or two crowns. He had a ray of light, which not only demonstrated his leadership, but impacted everyone around him. The ultimate is not the two crowns, but the one ray. Even though two is often better than one, when it comes to resolve and leadership, the leader often has to be united with his or her values, goals and conscience.

It is only appropriate to mention the passing of Ariel Sharon last Shabbat. While Sharon was a controversial figure – among both the Israeli right and the Israeli left, simultaneously! – I was moved by the words of tribute our Vice President offered at the service at the Knesset on Monday. I believe he truly captured the late Arik Sharon.

“But like all historic leaders, all real leaders, he had a North Star that guided him. A North Star from which he never, in my observation, never deviated. His North Star was the survival of the state of Israel and the Jewish people wherever they resided.”

That North Star was Moshe’s shining face, and no leader ever led like Moshe.

Our goal is to regain those crowns that were lost with the sin of the Golden Calf. Our goal is to wear the coronet of Torah and the diadem of a good name. But we seek to stand as Moshe as leaders. And true leaders have a singular ray of light which guides them and from which they too do not deviate.

We go into Shabbos with two lights – the Shabbos candles – but we are to end Shabbos on the higher level, with one light, intertwined from several. The Torah is our North Star. May we never deviate from it as well.