Congregation Kneseth Israel

...proudly serving the Jewish community of Anne Arundel County since 1906

Parsha of the Week:

Yitro (Exodus 18:1 - 20:23; Isaiah 6:1-7:6; 9:5-6)

February 6, 2010 22 Shevat 5770

Synopsis: Yitro, Moses father-in-law helped and advised Moses' leadership; Moses went to Mount Sinai; Moses brought down the Ten Commandments.

Q: Who was Yitro?

A: Yitro, a Midyanite, was the father of Tziporah, Moses' wife.

Q: When did the story of Yitro happen?

A: This is a controversial issue in the Babylonian Talmud (Zvachim 116a) and among the Torah commentators as well.

The discussion in the Talmud (Zvachim 116a) says Yitro came prior to the receiving of the Ten Commandments but after the splitting of the sea and the war with Amalek. The other side of the controversy says that having heard that the Israelites had received the Ten Commandments, Yitro joined them.

Among the later commentators there is the Ramban who said that Yitro came before the giving of the commandments is proven in Exodus 18:5-16. The opposing view is held by the Ibn Ezra, who suggests that the Torah mentions Yitro as an example of goodness in the world as opposed to evil as exemplified by Amalek.

Q: What is Yitro's political position (Exodus 18:1)?

A: Yitro was a high ranking minister of Midyan, a country in the Middle East between Jordan and Saudi Arabia.

Q: How many commandments do we have in parsha Yitro?

A: The Torah gives seventeen commandments of which three are positive and fourteen negative.

Q: Why did Yitro befriend Moses and aid the Children of Israel?

A: According to the sages, there are two different explanations. One explanation is that Yitro came to the Jewish people with friendship and good intention. A second explanation is that he sided with the nation that was presently "on top" and popular (i.e. the group that was now in G-d's favor) (Talmud Sanhedrin 94a).

Q: Yitro heard what G-d did for his son-in-law Moses and for the Children of Israel (Exodus 18:1). What did Yitro hear?

A: Yitro heard of the unique miracles that occurred to the Hebrews in particular the splitting of the sea. He looked up to and respected his son-in-law Moses. He was in awe of the fact that after years of enslavement in Egypt the Hebrews were suddenly set free. Yitro was also impressed that the Hebrews miraculoulsy won the war against Amalek, who were known to be a strong group (Babylonian Talmud, Zvachim 116a).

Q: How many names does the Torah record for Yitro?

A: Yitro had seven names. Often in the Bible, individuals were given multiple names, which had important meanings. Yitro's were the following:

He is referred to as Yeter; in Hebrew it means "addition" because he added on extra portion to the Torah (Exodus 18:21). This was his original name. Another was Yitro. When he converted, the sages added one letter to the end of his name (Rashi; Exodus 18:1). Hovav in Hebrew means "to love". Thus, according to the sages implies he loved Torah (Rashi; Numbers 10:29). He also was called Reuel, meaning "a friend to G-d" (Exodus 2:18; Mechilta Exodus 18:1). He was referred to as Chever, Hebrew for "a friend". He became a friend/close to G-d (Book of Judges 4:11). Kaynee, another of his names in Hebrew, means "to buy". He bought himself a portion of the Torah. An alternate explanation of this word means "zealous". He was zealous for the sake of the Torah (Samuel A 15:6; Mechilla Exodus 18:1). And finally, Putiel the name that tells the world that he had given up his idol-worshipping (Midrash).

Q: What leadership advice did Yitro give to Moses?

A: Yitro would see people come to Moses from all over to receive prayers or blessings from him, ask him to resolve disputes, or have him explain or teach them laws. Yitro felt that Moses was dealing with too many routine matters for a man of his stature and was becoming worn out. Yitro spelled out the management plans that would empower Moses to stay more focused and help him better serve his people and G-d. Sometimes, people in powerful positions are unable to "give away" responsibility. He had the wisdom and humility to delegate and accept help from others and work cooperatively for the common good of his fellowman. Therefore, Yitro advised Moses to divide the work among the princes of the tribes so Moses could deal with matters that were beyond the ability of others.

Q: How did Moses choose his officers?

A: According to Rashi, Moses picked his officers with G-d's help. However, other commentators say that Moses chose his officers by himself.

Q: What were the qualifications and requirements needed to become one of Moses' key officers?

A: One must be G-d-fearing. A man who fears the Almighty will not fear man. He also is not the kind of person who would accept bribes because he believes G-d monitors all. Another trait would be the ability to make decisions and see the truth in conflicts. He should also be an accomplished man. A wealthy man would be able to resist the pressures of those who would attempt to influence his judgment (Rashi). A man who despised money would not be swayed by financial considerations.

Q: The Torah states: "The Hebrew people temporarily lodged there opposite the mountain" (Exodus 19:2). What do the sages learn from this?

A: They learn that the Children of Israel camped opposite the mountain in unity, because only in unity would G-d give the Children of Israel the Ten Commandments.

Q: "You have seen the miracle which I made in Egypt and I took you on the wings of eagles to me" (Exodus 19:4). What does this mean?

A: This shows the love G-d has for the Children of Israel. Just as an eagle carries its young on its back to protect them from shooting arrow, so did G-d protect the Children of Israel against the Egyptians at the Red Sea.

Q: The Torah describes how people, animals, mountains, and tree were filled with excitement when the Children of Israel received the Torah. What makes the Torah so special?

A: Many years ago, businessmen and tradesmen would board a ship together with their merchandise an travel to different ports to show their wares. Such was the case with a Jewish group of merchants who boarded a ship bound for Pakistan for a week-log journey through the Arab countries. To amuse themselves during the trip, each businessman would to take time to show the others his wares. One showed fine samples of his jewelry; the other had carefully woven carpet samples; still another had displays of material, and so on. Each described his merchandise with much pride. This provided an opportunity to pass the time on the ship and allowed them to become better acquainted with one another. Eventually though, boredom set in. The men were looking for something with which to amuse themselves. Suddenly, the men focused on one lone man sitting by a window of the ship with a book quietly mumbling to himself. He looked like a religious Jew, and they began to make fun of him. "Who are you, strange man? What are you mumbling over there?", they asked. "I am a rabbi", replied the man, "and I am learning Mishnah. Perhaps I can encourage you to learn with me," he offered. The men, while completely bored, just continued to make fun of the rabbi and would not join him. As they continued to make fun of him, a storm suddenly broke out on the sea. Soon, the storm became worse, and the captain of the ship warned everyone to get into lifeboats as the large ship was about to sink. The people were saved, but the were stranded in a strange and unfamiliar land. The businessmen began to scramble for help, and did not know where to turn to for food or shelter. The rabbi immediately tried to find a synagogue, and he soon found one and saw a group of people sitting and learning Torah. They immediately realized that he was a scholar and asked him to stay with them and teach a lesson. They treated him with honor and gave him all that he needed. The businessmen, now poverty stricken, asked the rabbi for help. The people of the city helped the poor businessmen with food and hospitality on the merits of the rabbi. Subsequently, the rabbi remarked, "It is true that each one of you has fine merchandise to sell to make a living. However, the best business is not jewelry, carpets, or material goods. All these can be made today and lost tomorrow. It is only the knowledge of Torah that can never be lost or taken from you. The study of the Torah can only lead you in the right direction of life. As it is has been said: the best scholar, payment is Torah!" (Mishlei 3:14; Ralbag; Midrash).

Q: What is the meaning of each of the Ten Commandments?

A: To believe with complete faith that the Creator is One and unique. The meaning is quite literally that there is no other god.

The prohibition against idolatry has three facets: not to believe in idols, not to make idols, and not to worship idols in any way.

Do not utter an oath in vain means it is forbidden to use G-d's Name in a casual manner for any purpose.

To keep holy the Sabbath means to remember the Sabbath and observe its laws, and keep it Holy.

Honor your parents refers to respecting one's parents; performing deeds that raise the status of parents; giving them food, drink, comfort, and happiness.

Do not murder. You shall not kill.

Do not commit adultery. Do not have relations with another man's wife.

Do not steal. Do not kidnap or force a victim to work for you or sell him into slavery.

Do not bear false witnesses. Do not give false testimony. Do not gossip.

Do not covet. One must control one's desires for a neighbor's possessions. Guard against jealousy of your fellowman's wife, ox, and donkey.

Q: The Ten Commandments were inscribed on two tablets, each tablet containing five commandments. What is the difference between the right tablet and the left tablet?

A: The five commandments on the right tablet are those between G-d and man, while the five on the left tablet are between man and his fellowman. The commandments on the right tablet are positive commandments, while the commandments on the left tablet are negative commandments (Kli Yakar). The five commandments regarding the interaction between G-d and man contain the Almighty's Name, while the five on the left, dealing with person-to-person issues, do not contain His name.

Q: The first of the Ten Commandments says, "I am the L-rd your G-d..." (Exodus 20:2). Is this a positive or negative commandment?

A: Rambam calls this a positive and negative commandment. This means, if you believe with complete faith in G-d, you fulfill a positive commandment. However, if you don't believe in the existence of G-d, you violate a negative commandment. To show how important this commandment is, Rambam put this commandment first on the list of the positive commandments and first on the list of negative commandments in his book Sefer Hamitzvot.

Sefer Hamitzvot, however, lists it as a positive commandment (Mitzvah number 25), to believe with complete faith that there is but one G-d, the basic foundation of Judaism. Ba'al Halachot Gedolot suggests that the statement made here is just that -- a statement. G-d says I am the L-rd your G-d. That acceptance of divine sovereignty is a given and stands apart from any other declaration of Torah.

Ramban said that this is two commandments; the first to know that G-d exists and the second to recognize that G-d is One. We fulfill this commandment in our daily life by reciting the Shema Yisroel, "Hear O Israel, the L-rd our G-d, the L-rd is One". Here we have two of G-d's names as we have in the first of the Ten Commandments. One name is for compassion and mercy and the other name is for judgment, like a father who disciplines his child with a combination of judgment and mercy. Therefore, while we concentrate on the meaning of this prayer, we fulfill this commandment.

Rambam supports his own opinion with a passage from the Talmud (Makot 23b) "Moses commanded us the Torah" (on behalf of G-d) (Deuteronomy 33:4). The word Torah in gematria (biblical numerology) is 611. The number of biblical commandments is 613. These two extra commandments are the first two commandments of the Ten Commandments, which everyone heard directly from G-d, at the time of the revelation of the Divine Presence at Sinai. Therefore, it is counted as part of the 613 commandments (See Mechilta' Exodus 20:2; Yad HaMelech; Abarbanel; Ramban; Ikarim 17:3).

Q: The Torah states: "You shall not steal" (Exodus 20:13). What type of stealing is the Torah referring to?

A: Here the Torah is referring only to a kidnapper who steals people and sells them into slavery, not one who steals money. The commandment not to steal money and the like is found in the Book of Leviticus where it states "You shall not steal..." A money stealer (Leviticus 13:11) is obligated to pay his penalty in tithes (Talmud Sanhedrin 86a).

Q: The Torah states in Exodus 20:13: "You shall covet your friend's house, nor your friend's wife, ox, donkey..." But in Deuteronomy 5:18 it is written: "You shall not covet your friend's wife, nor desire your neighbor's house, ox, donkey." Are there any differences between the commandments as they are written in Exodus and as they are written in Deuteronomy?

A: The sages tell us that the Ten Commandments as given in this parsha, Yitro, are direct quotes from G-d. The commandments tell us what one can and cannot do. When Moses repeated the Ten Commandments in the Book of Deuteronomy, he changed the emphasis. Moses knew his people and saw how they interacted. Based on that information Moses addressed the weaknesses of his people and changed the order and the language to best suit the nation. First, that you shall not covet a man's wife because that affects one's family. Moses understood that there are many ways that possessions can be returned, but when someone upsets another family or someone else's wife, there really can be no way to make this right again. The Torah also addresses even the subtle nuances of sin. For instance, a woman might sense a covetous thought from a man, and although nothing physical happens, her attitude towards her husband is subtly changed and damage is done. Therefore, Moses put the wife first.

Here in this parsha, the commandment not to covet your friend's house is put first, while in Deuteronomy the order is rearranged to place the wife first. In this parsha, "do not covet" is written for all of the items listed. In Deuteronomy, the language changes whereby "Do not covet" is written concerning your neighbor's wife, but "do not desire" is written about your friend's house and other possessions.

Q: According to the explanation above, what is the difference between coveting and committing adultery with someone else's wife?

A: There is a concept expressed by the sages which is called the three steps: the first is desiring something mentally without taking action, the second is only talk, and the third and final step is physically taking an impulsive action. The prohibition of "do not covet" refers to one's thoughts. Only G-d knows what one is thinking. We believe with complete faith that we have the ability to control our will and desire.

Shabbat Schedule for February 5-6, 2010/21-22 Shevat 5770

Candle lighting 5:14 PM

Kabbalat Shabbos 5:00 PM

Shacharit Shabbos 9:00 AM

Shabbos Mincha: After kiddush

Shabbos ends 6:14 PM

Parsha of the Week:

Yitro (Exodus 18:1 - 20:23; Isaiah 6:1-7:6; 9:5-6)

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