Parshas Yisro

Liyluy Nishmas Elchonon Tzvi ben R' Yisroel Menachem, R' Baruch Moshe Aryeh ben R' Zev Yehuda, Zev Yehuda ben R' Shmuel Mordechai, Avraham ben R' Yitzchak Zev, R' Dovid Meer ben Harav Shmuel

In perek yud tes posuk ches after Moshe tells over what Hashem had told him, the posuk says, "Va'yaanu kal ha'am yachdav vayomru kol asher diber Hashem na'ase, vayashev Moshe es divrei ha'am el Hashem."  "And all the people answered together and said, 'everything that Hashem has spoken we shall do,', and Moshe brought back the words of the people to Hashem."

Rashi explains that obviously Moshe did not need to report back to Hashem what Klal Yisroel had responded, because Hashem already knew what they said.  However, the Torah is teaching us derech eretz from Moshe Rabeinu.  Moshe could have said that Hashem knows what Klal Yisroel answered so he didn't need to go back, rather he went to Hashem and told him what they had answered.

The Rosh Yeshiva ztl explains, we see from here that to act with derech eretz (proper conduct) is a d'oraisa  that applies even when one is extremely busy;  Even if the thing that they are busy with is extremely important.  Moshe Rabeinu was busy with Klal Yisroel preparing for Kabolas Hatorah, yet he knew that proper derech eretz was to go back to Hashem and give over Klal Yisroel's response.

The Rosh Yeshiva continues that the importance of derech eretz can be learned from the posuk in Ki Sisa "Vayihi sham im Hashem arbaim yom v'arbaim layla, lechem lo ochel umayim lo shasa...."  The Medrash asks, is it possible for someone to go forty days without food or drink?  R' Tanchuma in the name of R' Elazar ben R' Avin in the name of R' Meir says b'derech Mashal, when one goes to a town he should act in the way of the town.  In the heavens where sustenance is not necessary when Moshe went up he followed suit, and on earth where food and drink are necessary, Malachim went down (when they went to visit Avraham) and they ate and drank (its a machlokes tanaim whether they actually ate or just made it seem like they were eating).

From the fact that Hashem created a nes and Moshe was able to survive for forty days without food, in order to not act differently than the minhag hamokom, we can learn how important derech eretz is. Good Shabbos