Yisro – Page 12 – Peninim on the Torah

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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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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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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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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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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Moshe Marcovich In Yisro, 5758

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

Yisro offers praise to Hashem for Klal Yisrael’s good fortune in being rescued from near destruction. The Mechilta views this statement as a critique of Klal Yisrael, saying that Yisro was the first to praise Hashem with the words, “Baruch Hashem.” We must endeavor to understand what was inappropriate about Klal Yisrael’s previous expressions of praise. Did the Shirah that they sang at the Yam Suf constitute a less appropriate praise to Hashem than the words, “Baruch Hashem”? Shirah is communal praise, employed when the congregation assembles to express gratitude to the Almighty in unison. Baruch Hashem is a personal…

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Moshe Marcovich In Yisro, 5758

These are the words that you shall speak to the Bnei Yisrael. (19:7)

Rashi cites the Mechilta that emphasizes the word “these.” Hashem told Moshe to relate specifically what he was told — no more, no less. We can understand insisting that Moshe not change what he was told to say in any form. Why would it be inappropriate for Moshe to speak a little more, if his words would result in his teaching more Torah. Was there a limit on what Moshe was to teach? Horav Avner Okliensky, zl, comments that man’s purpose in life is to garner all of his resources and abilities in order to maximize his potential for the…

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Moshe Marcovich In Yisro, 5758

And they stood at the bottom of the mountain. (19:17)

In the Talmud Shabbos 88 Chazal say that Bnei Yisrael did not merely stand at the foot of the mountain, but that Hashem lifted up the mountain over their heads, declaring, “If you will accept the Torah, it is good. If not, here will be your burying place.” This implies that Hashem imposed the Torah upon us against our will. He threatened us with extinction if we were not to accept the Torah. Is this true? The commentators offer a number of explanations to lend insight to Chazal’s words. Horav Eliyahu Meier Bloch, zl, views the mountain over Bnei Yisrael’s…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Yisro, 5757

“And Yisro rejoiced over all the good which Hashem had done for Yisrael.” (18:9)

Rashi cites the Talmud Sanhedrin 94a which suggests that the word sjhu alludes to the word ohsusj, prickles. The reference to prickles could have one of two connotations. They might be prickles of joy, indicating that Yisro was overwhelmed with happiness. Alternatively, they could be prickles of distress. Although Yisro was filled with happiness for the Jews, he still felt uneasy over what had happened to the Egyptians. Chazal go on to say that one should neither humiliate a gentile, nor speak disparagingly in the presence of a ger, convert, even up to ten generations after his conversion. Horav Yecheskel…

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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)

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

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

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

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

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

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

These are the words that you shall speak to the Bnei Yisrael. (19:7)

And they stood at the bottom of the mountain. (19:17)

“And Yisro rejoiced over all the good which Hashem had done for Yisrael.” (18:9)

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