Yisro – Page 5 – Peninim on the Torah

ויאמר יתרו ברוך ד' אשר הציל אתכם מיד מצרים ומיד פרעה

Yisro said, “Blessed is Hashem, Who has rescued you from the hand of Egypt and from the hand of Pharaoh.” (18:10)

Yisro maintains that the Jewish nation owes a special sense of gratitude to Hashem for His “personal” involvement in their liberation from Egyptian bondage. Rather than have Pharaoh release them of his own accord, Hashem forced his hand to make him send them out of the country. Indeed, if Pharaoh would have willingly participated in the redemption, we might have reason to believe that he too should be recognized and appreciated. Now we acknowledge that it is only to Hashem to whom we have an obligation of gratitude. The Chasam Sofer interprets this idea in his explanation of the Avadim…

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אם את הדבר הזה תעשה... ויכלת עמד, וגם כל העם הזה על מקמו יבא בשלום

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Yisro, 5775

If you this thing… then you will be able to endure, and this entire people, as well, shall arrive at its destination in peace. (18:23)

Yisro intimated to Moshe Rabbeinu that, by following his advice, the people would be confident that they would be judged justly. They would, thus, be at peace, content with the rulings that had been administered. The words, yavo b’shalom, “shall arrive at its destination in peace,” is a phrase which is used in connection with the deceased. We say: lech b’shalom, “go in peace;” tanuach b’shalom, “rest in peace,” and v’saamod l’goralcha l’ketz ha’yamim, “and arise for your reward at the End of Days.” When speaking to the living, wishing them well, we say, lech l’shalom, “go to peace.” Why…

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כבד את אביך ואת אמך למען יאריכון ימיך

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Yisro, 5775

Honor your father and your mother, so that your days will be lengthened. (20:12)

The fifth commandment, to honor one’s parents, is a cornerstone of faith in the entire Torah. Our mesorah, tradition, is based upon a chain that has been transmitted throughout the generations from Har Sinai, where the Torah was given. This mesorah continues through this very day, through the vehicle of the parents of every generation. Each parent serves as a link to his child, maintaining this mesorah when he, in turn, becomes a parent. Without the respect demanded in the fifth commandment, we have no assurance that the other commandments will be observed. Hashem, father and mother are partners in…

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לא תגנב

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Yisro, 5775

Do not steal. (20:13)

The Talmud Sanhedrin 86a, teaches that the Lo signov, “do not steal,” associated with the Aseres Hadibros, Ten Commandments, is a reference to kidnapping. This is not about stealing money from someone; rather, it is a case of capital punishment for stealing a human life. Horav Yaakov Galinsky, zl, points out that stealing is often viewed relatively. In other words, if someone appropriates an object illegally, his warped mind will likely convince him that this object is now his, and whoever takes it from him is the thief. This idea applies across the board to every case of monies finding…

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וישמע יתרו חתן משה את כל אשר אתם עשה למשה ולישראל עמו

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Yisro, 5774

And Yisro, Moshe’s father-in-law, heard about everything that G-d had done for Moshe and for his people, Yisrael. (18:1)

When Ariel Sharon, military leader and eventual prime minister of Israel, lost a son in a tragic accident, he was overcome with grief. A mutual friend approached Horav Aryeh Levine, zl, and asked him to invite Sharon to his home. Perhaps the general would be moved by the tzaddik’s divrei nechamah, words of comfort. Thus far, no one was really having much luck in reaching him. Sadly, this was not Sharon’s first encounter with tragedy, having lost his first wife and a son in a road accident. The tzaddik absolutely refused to have Sharon come to his house. “It is…

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עתה ידעתי כי גדול ד' מכל האלהים כי בדבר אשר זדו עליהם

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Yisro, 5774

Now I know that G-d is the greatest of all deities; through their very plots, He rose above them. (18:11)

Yisro was overwhelmed with the miracles Hashem wrought against the Egyptians. Rashi explains that what impressed Pharaoh most was the middah k’neged middah, measure for measure, aspect of the punishment the Egyptians received. Ki ba’davar asher zadu aleihem, specifically in the very plot which they (the Egyptians) had intended for them. The Egyptians attempted to use water as the weapon of destruction. Instead, they themselves drowned in the Red Sea. In other words, it was not “simply” that Hashem punished them “any old way.” No! He turned the tables on them. The water which was supposed to drown the Jews…

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ויוצא משה את העם לקראת האלקים מן המחנה... ויתיצבו בתחתית ההר

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Yisro, 5774

Moshe led the people out of the camp toward the Divine Presence. They stood transfixed at the foot of the mountain. (19:17)

In a statement that has become endemic to Kabbolas haTorah, the Acceptance of the Torah, Chazal state that Hashem raised Har Sinai above the heads of the Jewish People and declared: Im mekablim atem es haTorah mutav – v’im lav – sham tehei kevuraschem, “If you accept the Torah – good – and if not – there will be your burial.” The question is obvious: If they are standing beneath the mountain, the correct term would have been: Po, “here will be your burial.” What is the meaning of sham, “there”? Where is there? Furthermore, why wait? If they did…

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ויתיצבו בתחתית ההר

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Yisro, 5774

They stood transfixed at the foot of the mountain. (19:17)

As Klal Yisrael stood at the foot of Har Sinai, waiting anxiously for the Torah, they were united as one, with a sense of unity described by Chazal as, k’ish echad, b’lev echad, “like one man with one heart.” This phrase has since become the catchword for describing unity at its apex. All of Klal Yisrael were focused, intent on accepting the Torah with a firm commitment, a common aspiration and uniform purpose. All of Klal Yisrael stood together as one to accept the Torah. It is the term b’lev echad, “with one heart”, that begs to be elucidated. Does…

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ולא תעלה במעלות על מזבחי

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Yisro, 5774

You shall not ascend My Altar on steps. (20: 23)

Rashi explains that a ramp was used for the Kohanim to ascend to the Mizbayach, Altar, as a provision to circumvent any suggestion of immodesty. A ramp allows for the legs to move evenly, thereby not allowing any inappropriate exposure of one’s self. I think we might be able to add a homiletic interpretation to the closing pasuk of Parashas Yisro. The Mizbayach symbolizes sacrifice. Indeed, to study Torah, to live a Torah lifestyle, does require a certain element of sacrifice. Before I continue, the sacrifice is only in the eyes of the beholder. A true ben Torah does not…

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ויחן שם ישראל נגד ההר

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Yisro, 5773

And Yisrael encamped there opposite the mountain. (19:2)

Rashi notes that the verb va’yichan is written in the singular. This teaches that the entire nation encamped k’ish echad b’lev echad, “as one person with one heart,” so great was their sense of unity. Only when we are united in our commitment to Hashem, each of us maintaining a single, unified desire to serve Him, are we worthy of the name Yisrael. No hatred, no envy, only love and caring – that is how we approached Har Sinai. Horav Mordechai Ilan, zl, explains that this is why, in the well-known Dayeinu segment of the Haggadah, we say, “If He…

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ויאמר יתרו ברוך ד' אשר הציל אתכם מיד מצרים ומיד פרעה

Yisro said, “Blessed is Hashem, Who has rescued you from the hand of Egypt and from the hand of Pharaoh.” (18:10)

אם את הדבר הזה תעשה... ויכלת עמד, וגם כל העם הזה על מקמו יבא בשלום

If you this thing… then you will be able to endure, and this entire people, as well, shall arrive at its destination in peace. (18:23)

כבד את אביך ואת אמך למען יאריכון ימיך

Honor your father and your mother, so that your days will be lengthened. (20:12)

לא תגנב

Do not steal. (20:13)

וישמע יתרו חתן משה את כל אשר אתם עשה למשה ולישראל עמו

And Yisro, Moshe’s father-in-law, heard about everything that G-d had done for Moshe and for his people, Yisrael. (18:1)

עתה ידעתי כי גדול ד' מכל האלהים כי בדבר אשר זדו עליהם

Now I know that G-d is the greatest of all deities; through their very plots, He rose above them. (18:11)

ויוצא משה את העם לקראת האלקים מן המחנה... ויתיצבו בתחתית ההר

Moshe led the people out of the camp toward the Divine Presence. They stood transfixed at the foot of the mountain. (19:17)

ויתיצבו בתחתית ההר

They stood transfixed at the foot of the mountain. (19:17)

ולא תעלה במעלות על מזבחי

You shall not ascend My Altar on steps. (20: 23)

ויחן שם ישראל נגד ההר

And Yisrael encamped there opposite the mountain. (19:2)

YEARS

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