וַיִּקַּח֙ סֵ֣פֶר הַבְּרִ֔ית וַיִּקְרָ֖א בְּאָזְנֵ֣י הָעָ֑ם וַיֹּ֣אמְר֔וּ כֹּ֛ל אֲשֶׁר־דִּבֶּ֥ר ה’ נַעֲשֶׂ֥ה וְנִשְׁמָֽע׃

[Exodus 24:7] 

And Moses took the book of the covenant, and read in a way that the people could hear; and they said: ‘All that the Eternal has spoken will we do, and listen.’

A Torahitic reference to an attitude, approach, and willingness to do hard – and even perplexing – things, all in.  Our Torah story recounts that when our ancient ancestors were offered the insights and wisdom of Torah, they jumped in with rigor and energy, knowing that the commitments would be significant and even burdensome. The rabbinic commentators celebrate that their attitude was one of openness, curiosity, and optimism – even in the face of the unknown, unfamiliar, or new. 

This was the beginning of our tradition. Na’aseh v’nishma is our fundamental philosophy, rooted in a courageous outlook. It is a pathway toward spiritual community, and a framework of covenantal requests and promises to ourselves, one another, and the pursuit of connection to the Eternal.