“Hashem will turn towards you” – Does Hashem show partiality? There is a verse which states, “He will not show partiality”! Hashem said: “Just as they show partiality to me, so too I show partiality to them.” How do they (Bnei Yisrael) show me partiality? “I wrote in my Torah ‘You shall eat, be satiated and then bless me’ – yet they and their families eat even less than satiation and bless me even for portions the size of an olive or egg. Therefore, I (Hashem) show favoritism towards them.” (Medrash Rabba Bamidbar 11:7)

The gemora tells us that though Hashem is fair to everyone, He gives preference to the Jews. This is because the Torah demands that one say “birkas hamazon” only for eating a meal that was satiating; yet the Jews say “birkas hamazon” even if they only eat a small amount of bread (equal to a kazayis or a kabaitza). The commentators ask on this, what is the connection between this stringency of bentching even when not satiated, and Hashem’s favoring the Jews? Is there a different mitzvah in which the Jews could have been stringent and still received the same favoritism? Or is there something in particular about this stringency?

In Western culture there is a significance to mementoes. People go to various events and attractions and bring home souvenirs which give them the ability to later connect to a reality that no longer exists in their daily lives.  I noticed years ago that when the President would come to town to campaign, the local folk would endeavor to take a picture together with him. We all understand that the plain citizen from the countryside really has nothing in common with the President, and the picture of the two of them attesting to their affinity is really a sham. Yet the person feels good knowing that he was in the presence of someone who was a “mover and shaker” and allegedly noble.

Indeed, sometimes we have the opportunity to participate in great events and rub shoulders with great people. Sometimes we appreciate the merit that we had, and sometimes we are busy with the souvenirs.

The Maharam Shik explains as follows: When I get a present from someone who is my peer, it must be substantial for it to make an impression on me. However, if the present is personally given by someone in a league far greater than mine, then even a small trinket will be treasured and possibly considered a family heirloom.

When we think about kabalas HaTorah we can truly all say, “We were there when it happened.” Some of us unfortunately may just connect to the thunder and lightning. But others of us will connect to the main event: The great Torah that we were given.

When Hashem gave us a mitzvah of birkas hamazon, He commanded that when we are satiated, we are obligated to thank Him. On the other hand, Klal Yisrael understood that they were totally undeserving of the gift of food, so they felt an obligation to be grateful to Hashem for even a meager gift of a kezayis.

Parshas Nasso is the longest parsha in the Torah, which shows our exuberance to learn Torah; In fact, even the Medrash on this week’s parsha is the longest Medrash Rabbah in all of the Torah.

Last week we spoke about making our Shabbos count. This week, as we usher in the Shabbos, after receiving the Torah again, we have the need to appreciate it on a new level.

In the chasidishe seforim it tells us that the choson gets an aliyah on the Shabbos of his aufruf, and also the following Shabbos during his Sheva Brochos. They explain that the reason for this is to highlight the difference in his Torah learning between before when he does not have a wife and after when he does.

May this Shabbos, post-matan Torah, be exemplary. When we look back and say, “YES! I had a successful Shavuos in 5781!”, it should be about our Torah learning in the Beis Medrash (thereby raising our Shabbos to a higher level) and not in the cheesecake.