True Jewish Nobility

"ואל אצילי בני ישראל לא שלח ידו ויחזו את האלהים ויאכלו וישתו"
[שמות כד:יא]
"And regarding the nobility of Bnei Yisrael, Hashem did not send forth His hand, for they saw (a vision) of G-d and they ate and drank" [Shemos 24:11]

There is a machlokes amongst the commentators as to what was the impropriety committed by the "אצילים".

Rashi claims that they saw a vision of Hashem and subsequently treated the experience lightly by resuming their feasting. This is akin to Esav's belittling of the birthright - as it says - "...and he ate and he drank and he got up and he left, thus Esav spurned the birthright"[Bereshis 25:34]

The Kli Yakar opines that the fault lay in the אצילים's lack of understanding of their new, prophetic nature. After being graced with this vision - they should have realized that they were above ( however slightly ) the usual mode of human functioning, and that their need for physical sustenance was somewhat diminished. Similar to, but in a lower level than, Moshe Rabbeinu - who needed no physical nourishment for the forty days and nights he spent on Har Sinai.

Either way, these were Jews who were granted a measure of divine vision and did not rise to the occasion. What can we learn from their mistake ?

Whenever we have a spiritual awakening or an uplifting moment - we must realize that we are no longer the same people we were beforehand. However slightly, we have shifted the balance of prominence between our physical and spiritual sides.

We must be cognizant of our new status and do everything in our power to treat it with the dignity and gentle touch due to it.

Hatzlacha !