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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Yisro, 5760

“The name of one was Gershom, for he had said, ‘I was a sojourner in a strange land.’” (18:3)

Horav Shlomo Margolis, Shlita, notes that Yosef Ha’tzadik named his first son Menasheh because “G-d has made me forget  all  my  hardship  and  all  my  father’s     household” (Bereishis 41:51). Upon naming their sons, Moshe Rabbeinu and Yosef recognized the significance of remembering the past. There are people who attempt to erase the past, to eradicate the memories of the previous generation, its culture and way of life. Some are even ashamed of the past, considering it to be obsolete and antiquated. Not so the Torah- oriented Jew. He remembers the past; he venerates the past; he lives the present and…

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Home -> 5760 -> Yisro

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Yisro, 5760

“Beware of ascending the mountain or touching its edge; whoever touches the mountain shall surely die.” (19:12)

Rabbi Paysach Krohn cites the Kotzker Rebbe’s homiletic interpretation of this pasuk. This was to be the basis of a speech  that  Rabbi  Moshe  Sherer,z.l., was to deliver at Agudath Israel’s 76th Annual Dinner. Regrettably, Rabbi Sherer, who served as Agudah’s president for over thirty years, passed away that morning. The following is the Rebbe’s exegesis and Rabbi Sherer’s supplemental note. There are instances when one undertakes a project with the desire to make a significant contribution via his work. All too often, as happens with many of us, we do not achieve our planned goals. Yet, this does not faze…

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Home -> 5760 -> Yisro

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Yisro, 5760

“Honor your father and your mother.” (20:12)

To what extent must one honor his parents? Horav Yitzchak Zilberstein, Shlita, focuses on the degree of kavod, honor, one must accord to a parent who, due to illness or advanced age, has a deteriorated mental capacity. The question becomes stronger in situations when the illness has advanced to the point that there are serious issues of extreme hardship for the children, both as sons or daughters to their parents and as husbands or wives to their respective mates. How much does one have to sacrifice for a parent? How much hardship, and – at times – abuse must one…

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Home -> 5759 -> Yisro

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Yisro, 5759

The entire people responded together and said, “Everything that Hashem has spoken we shall do.” (19:8)

Chazal praise Klal Yisrael’s affirmative response, their ability to accept the challenge of performing Hashem’s command without demanding a rationale.  “Naase v’nishma,”  – “We will do and we will listen,” was the clarion cry of our anscestors as they accepted the Torah.  Chazal cite the awesome reward that Klal Yisrael received for declaring “naase“, we will do, before “nishma,” we will listen.  Indeed, Hashem queried, “Who revealed this secret to My children, a phrase that only the ministering angels use?”  Ultimately, we have to ask ourselves: What difference does it really make?  In the end, they accepted both aspects- to…

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Home -> 5759 -> Yisro

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Yisro, 5759

Hashem said to Moshe, “Go to the people and sanctify them…and they shall wash their clothing…You shall set boundaries for the people roundabout… (19:10,12)

The Torah is enjoining people to prepare for the moment of Revelation when they will receive the Torah.  They are to wash their clothes and fix limits around the mountain,  so that no human or animal would be able to come closer.  We may note the distinction of these two mitzvos – washing clothes and cordoning off the periphery of the mountain.  What is the significance for these two forms of preparation for Kabolas HaTorah? Horav Y.A. Hirshovitz, zl, suggests that these two mitzvos serve not only as preparatory agents for Klal Yisrael’s ascent to religious nationhood, they underscore the…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Yisro, 5759

On the third day…there was thunder and lightning…and the entire people that was in the camp shuddered. (19:16)

Klal Yisrael was not the only one to shudder from the noise.  That awesome sound, the “mysterium tremendum” that accompanied the Revelation and Giving of the Torah, echoed far beyond the periphery of that mountain.  It reached an entire world.  They all gathered together, the kings and princes, the common man and scholar, to offer praise to the Almighty.  The Midrash says that they were scared; they feared for their lives.  They thought the world was coming to an end.  Perhaps Hashem was deluging the world with another mabul, flood.  They went to their “wise man,” seeking  guidance and encouragement. …

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Home -> 5759 -> Yisro

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Yisro, 5759

The entire nation saw the thunder and the flames. (20:15)

The level of prophecy and spiritual perception which Klal Yisrael achieved during the Giving of the Torah was unprecedented.  Indeed, as the pasuk implies,  they were able to “see” the “sounds.”  Although thunder is an invisible sound, Klal Yisrael were able to transcend the barriers of human limitation and rise to a level of superhuman comprehension.  They could now see what is heard under normal physical constraints.  Seeing and hearing are two functions of the human body, each of which projects its own individual level of perception.  One sees with clarity.  To see means to perceive with an unambigious level…

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Home -> 5758 -> Yisro

Moshe Marcovich
In Yisro, 5758

Yisro heard…everything that G-d did to Moshe and to Yisrael, His People, that Hashem had taken Yisrael out of Egypt. (18:1)

The Torah records the various events that Bnei Yisrael experienced from the time that  they left Egypt until  they accepted the Torah.  Parashas Yisro is juxtaposed upon  the chapter that recounts the giving of the Torah.  Chazal dispute precisely  when Yisro joined the Jews.  Some commentators believe  that he arrived prior to the giving of the Torah.  Others claim that Yisro came after the Torah had been given.  We may question the position of Parashas Yisro according to those who contend that Yisro came after Matan Torah.  Why does the Torah record his arrival prior to Matan Torah if, in…

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Home -> 5758 -> Yisro

Moshe Marcovich
In Yisro, 5758

Yisro, the father-in-law of Moshe, took Tzipporah, the wife of Moshe, after she had been sent away. (18:2)

When Moshe took his family with him to Egypt, it was Aharon who felt that they belonged back in Midyan in a safe, secure environment.  Enough people were suffering in Egypt.  Why add more people to the list?  Yisro was now bringing his daughter and grandsons to reunite them with their father.  Why does the Torah refer to Tzipporah as “the wife of Moshe”?  Since she was traveling with her father, the Torah should have referred to her as “his (Yisro’s) daughter.”  Horav Elchanan Sorotzkin, zl, comments that Tzipporah is referred to as Moshe’s wife for a  specific reason.  Parashas…

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Home -> 5758 -> Yisro

Moshe Marcovich
In Yisro, 5758

Yisro rejoiced over all the good that Hashem had done for Yisrael, that He had rescued it from the hands of Egypt. (18:9)

The word “oso,” which usually means, “him,” is translated as “it,” referring to Klal Yisrael.  Yisro rejoiced over the nation’s good fortune in being rescued from the dread hand of Pharaoh.  The Maharil Diskin, zl, takes a novel approach towards explaining the word “oso,” which implies a timely lesson for us.  He suggests that Yisro was,  in fact,  referring to himself.  He realized that Hashem had actually also saved him from the same fate suffered by the Egyptians.  Yisro remembered quite well that he was one of Pharaoh’s advisors.  When the issue of the Jewish problem arose, Yisro had the…

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