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"And Yitro heard." (18:1)
Yitro was not alone in hearing
about the Exodus from Egypt and the splitting of the Red Sea. What made Yitro
different was that only he drew the right conclusion and acted upon it. Many people
listen but don't truly hear; the words fail to penetrate their hearts and minds.
Yitro heard - and correctly recognized what he was hearing.
(Kotzker Rebbe)
"For by the very thing in which they sinned was punishment brought
upon them." (18:11)
A person's punishment is determined by his own
judgment of others: When a Jew sees someone transgressing and immediately "sentences"
that person in his heart, he is thereby fixing his own sentence, as the sin most
certainly exists in him as well.
(Baal Shem Tov) "You shall
select of all the people... men of truth, hating bribe." (18:21)
You will have to search hard to find these people, Yitro counseled Moses, for
men possessing these qualities usually run away from positions of honor and do
not sit idle all day.
(Shaar Bat Rabim) (From L'Chaim 957) "Israel
encamped opposite the Mountain." (Ex. 19:2)
Why was the Torah given
on a mountain, specifically? A mountain and a plain are both made of earth; a
mountain is just higher. The intention of giving the Torah was so that the Children
of Israel would elevate and spiritually purify the physicality of the world. This
is hinted to by the mountain, which is dust of the earth but is high, symbolizing
the elevation of matter and its purification.
(Sefer Hama'amarim) "Opposite
the mountain" (19:2)
The Torah was given on a mountain, to teach
that the learning of Torah and going in G-d's ways should give us a certain emotional
elevation. At the same time one has to be careful not to fall prey to arrogance.
That is the meaning of 'opposite the mountain': to be exceedingly careful to oppose
the elevation that can come from Torah learning and knowledge.
(Sefer HaMaarim
Taf Shin Gimmel -translated from Sichat HaShavuah 214)
"You
shall be a treasure for Me more than all the nations, for all the earth is mine."
(Ex.19:5)
When will you be for me treasured more than all other nations?
When all the earth is Mine. When all your earthly, physical deeds are Mine - when
they are done for My sake.
(Chortkover Rebbe) [translated from Sichat HaShavuah
420] "G-d said to Moses: "Go to the people and sanctify them
today and tomorrow…" (19:10)
"Sanctify them in such a way
that the holiness will permeate their lives and last until tomorrow, when they
leave this place," G-d requested. This teaches us that it is not enough to
feel a spiritual awakening only when learning Torah and listening to sermons.
(Pardes Yosef) (From L'Chaim 1005) "… and they shall wash their
clothes." (19:10)
The first Rebbe of Chabad-Lubavitch, Rabbi Shneur
Zalman, taught: "You shall sanctify today and tomorrow" refers to the
G-dliness and holiness that is bestowed from Above; "and they shall wash
their clothes" refers to the effort that each of us must make on his own
behalf. His grandson and third Rebbe, the Tzemach Tzedek, elaborated: "The
command to sanctify 'today and tomorrow' was given to Moses. Indeed, in every
generation, the leader of that generation has the power to elevate the world and
imbue it with additional holiness. However, this must first be preceded by the
preparation of 'washing the clothes.' Each individual must first work on himself
to cleanse the garments of his soul - his thoughts, deeds and actions - before
asking for help from Above."
(From L'Chaim 957) "...Because
the fire of G-d has descended upon it." (Ex.19:18)
A great emphasis
is placed in the Reading on the fire that accompanied the Giving of the Torah.
This teaches us that all matters concerning Torah-study, mitzvah-observance, prayer,
and every manner of serving and acknowledging G-d, must be carried out in "fire":
with vital warmth, and with flaming desire to fulfill G-d's will. Our power to
do so is derived from the fire on the mountain that burned during the Giving of
the torah.
(based on Sefer HaMaimorim 5701) (translated from Sichat
HaShavuah 60) "Mount Sinai was altogether smoke (ashan)."
(19:18)
The three letters of the word ashan, ayin-shin-nun, stand for olam
(world - the dimension of place); shana (year - the dimension of time); and nefesh
(soul - the energy that animates the physical plane). The revelation at Sinai
signified that from that point on we were given the ability to refine and elevate
these two dimensions (through Torah and mitzvot), and infuse them with a
G-dly light and vitality.
(Rabbi Shneur Zalman) "All
the people answered together and said, "All that G-d has spoken we will do."
(19:8)
Instead of each individual answering, "I will do," the
Jews all responded together, "We will do." Each individual Jew not only
took upon himself to observe the Torah, but to be responsible for other Jews doing
so.
(Chidushei HaRim) "G-d descended upon Mount Sinai"
(19:20)
At the time of the Giving of the Torah, there was an intense revelation
of G-d through His great four-letter Name to each and every Jew. As a direct result,
every Jew has this Name engraved in his soul. This includes the four exalted levels
hinted at by the four letters of the Name.
(based on Likutei Totah -translated
from Sichat HaShavuah 475)
"You shall not make of Me
gods of silver, gods of gold..." (Ex. 20:20)
Don't make silver and
gold your gods, that they should rule over you. Don't worship your money.
(Rabbi Yaakov Aharon of Zalvazin) (from L'Chaim #855) |
At Mount Sinai, G-d made all the sick people healthy. Those who were blind
became able to see. Those who were deaf became able to hear. When there will be
the Resurrection of the Dead,
G-d will bring everyone back to life the same
way they were when they passed away. If they were blind or deaf, He will bring
them to life also blind or deaf. But then He will make them all healthy.
Why doesn't G-d just bring them back to life already healthy? Because even
after the Resurrection of the Dead there will be wicked people who will try to
deny that it was a Resurrection. "If the person passed away deaf and came
to life able to hear," they would claim, "It must be a different person!"
Therefore G-d will bring such a person to life still deaf, and only then make
him hear again.
[Adapted from www.Mashiach.org] "You shall say
to the House of Jacob and tell the Children of Israel." (Ex. 19:3)
Our Sages say that the "House of Jacob" refers to the women, and
the "Children of Israel" to the men. When G-d gave the Torah, He told
Moses to first approach the women and only after the men. Since the exodus from
Egypt occurred by virtue of the righteous women of that generation, when G-d gave
the Torah, the women were given preference. The final Redemption, too, will be
by virtue of the righteous women, as the Midrash states: "All generations
are redeemed by virtue of the righteous women of their generation." Thus
the women will be first to receive the wondrous teachings of Moshiach.
(Lubavitcher
Rebbe) (from L'Chaim #754) "There was the sound of the shofar…
" (Exodus 19:19)
On Mount Sinai, the Jewish people heard the sound
of a shofar. This shofar came from the ram which Abraham sacrificed at
the binding of Isaac. The ram's left horn was used for the shofar blowing on Mount
Sinai. Its sound became louder and louder, to prepare them for the great revelation
from G-d. But the right horn is even bigger than the left one. It will be blown
at the time of redemption, when we will return to Eretz Yisroel. This shofar
is the one spoken about in the verse, "On that day the big shofar will be
blown" (Isaiah 27:13).
(Pirkei D'R. Elezer 31) - Reprinted from www.Mashiach.org) "Remember
the Shabbat Day to keep it holy." (Ex. 20:8)
The Tamud (Shabbat 12b)
relates that Rabbi Yishmael once inadvertently desecrated the Sabbath. Since in
the times of the Holy Temple one would have to bring a sin-offering for such an
action, he recorded in his book that when the Holy Temple will be rebuilt he will
offer a sacrifice at that time.
(L'Chaim #833) "Remember the
Sabbath day to keep it holy." (Ex. 20:8)
Explains Rashi, the great
Torah commentator: Take heed to remember the Sabbath at all times, so that if
you happen to find something special, set it aside for Shabbat. Likewise, our
Sages state that we are not to give special names to the weekdays, but to refer
to them in the context of Shabbat ("first day to Shabbat, second day to Shabbat,"
etc.). Thus we are constantly conscious of the upcoming Shabbat and prepare for
it every day. The same applies to the Messianic Era, the "day that is entirely
Shabbat and rest for life everlasting." Throughout the present "weekday"
of exile we must constantly remember and remain conscious of the "Shabbat
day" that is coming, preparing ourselves and everything around us for the
arrival of Moshiach.
(Lubavitcher Rebbe) [Adapted from Discover
Moshiach in the Weekly Torah Portion (by Rabbi Berel Bell and the students of
Bais Chaya Mushka Seminary of Montreal), as published on www.mashiach.org] "The
people saw and they moved and they stood from afar." (20:15)
Rabbi
Yehoshua ben Levi said: When G-d spoke to the Jewish people on Mount Sinai and
said the first of the 10 Commandments, their souls left their bodies. If so, how
were they able to hear the second commandment, and to live afterwards?
The
answer is that there is a special kind of dew that G-d is going to use at the
time of the Resurrection of the Dead to bring all the dead back to life. He brought
down some of this dew on Mount Sinai and it brought all the Jewish people back
to life!
(Adapted from Mashiach.org) "They saw the thunder and
the lightening." (Ex. 20:15)
"They saw what is normally heard."
-Rashi
When the Jewish people were at Mount Sinai, they were all on the level
of prophets and were able to "see" G-d. When the redemption comes, the
level of prophecy will be higher than it ever was before, as it is written, "They
will see eye to eye when G-d returns to Tzion" (Isaiah 52:8).
[Adapted
from Mashiach.org] "They said to Moses: You speak to us and we shall
hear; let G-d not speak to us lest we die." (Ex. 20:16)
Rabbi Yehudah
said: When the Jewish people heard the first of the 10 Commandments, the Torah
became deeply implanted in their hearts.
Anything they learned in Torah,
they would never forget. The yetzer
hara (evil impulse) was also taken
away from them.
But then they asked Moses to receive the Torah for them and
then
afterwards to tell them what G-d said. After that, they began to
forget what they learned, just like regular people. They said to
themselves,
"When we heard the Torah from G-d, who lives forever, we remembered forever.
Now that we hear it from Moses, who won't live forever, we forget!" The yetzer
hara also returned to them.
They went back to Moses, and asked to once
again receive the Torah
directly from G-d. But he answered, "It will
once again happen, but
not now. It will in the days of Mashiach." And
only at that time will
the yetzer hara be removed, as said by Ezekiel
(34: ), "And I will
remove the heart of stone from within you."
(Based on Shir Hashirim Rabbah 1:15 quoted in Torah Shleimah 20:455.Reprinted
from Moshiach Resource Center) |
