Yisro – Page 6 – Peninim on the Torah

ואתם תהיו לי ממלכת כהנים וגוי קדוש אלה הדברים אשר תדבר אל בני ישראל

You shall be to Me a kingdom of Priests and a holy nation. These are the words that you shall speak to the Bnei Yisrael. (19:6)

The significance of this pasuk is inspiring. It not only underscores the inherent qualities found within each and every Jew, the amazing potential available to those who seek to maximize it; it also focuses on the future, intimating that our past, regardless how sordid or mediocre, should not hold us back from achieving greatness. In his Sefer Nitzotzos, Horav Yitzchok Herskowitz, Shlita, relates the story of a Kollel fellow, a scholar of note, who would serve as a bochein, tester, in various yeshivos. A few times during the year he would visit various schools and test their students. He was…

Home -> 5773 -> Yisro

ויענו כל העם יחדיו ויאמרו כל אשר דבר ד' נעשה

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Yisro, 5773

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

When the Kesav Sofer was Rav in Budapest, Hungary, a group of lay people complained concerning a certain Jewish banker who refused to close his bank on Shabbos. They considered this an affront to the entire community. “The Rav must take action,” they demanded. The Kesav Sofer was visibly depressed. Such an act of disgracing Hashem could not be countenanced in his community. This man was making a mockery of the Jewish religion and openly insulting the Jewish community. He sent for the banker to appear before him. The banker had no qualms about coming to visit the Rav –…

Home -> 5773 -> Yisro

הנה אנכי בא אליך בעב הענן... וגם בך יאמינו לעולם

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Yisro, 5773

Behold! I (Hashem) will come to you (Moshe) in a thick cloud… and also in you they shall believe forever. (19:9)

The seminal event in Jewish history, the experience which transformed us from a tribe of people into a Torah nation, was the Giving of the Torah. Matan Torah. The unparalleled Revelation of the Shechinah which we experienced was much more than a spectacle that we witnessed. Indeed, we were much more than spectators. According to Ramban, every Jew achieved a level of prophecy during this experience. He explains that although Hashem spoke to Moshe Rabbeinu from amidst a thick cloud, the people, having reached a level of prophecy, were able to know prophetically of Hashem’s dialogue with Moshe. The people…

Home -> 5773 -> Yisro

ויום השביעי שבת לד' אלוקיך לא תעשה כל מלאכה

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Yisro, 5773

And the seventh day is Shabbos to G-d, your G-d, on it you shall not perform any kind of (creative) work. (20:10)

Throughout the millennia, when a Jew sought to become more “progressive,” to distance himself from “archaic” tradition, the first tennet that went was Shabbos. The student of history is quite aware that this was the area that caved in first. Almost two hundred years ago, the self-styled secular Jew in Germany took a more intellectual approach to doing away first, with Shabbos, and then, with the rest of the Torah, by defining the above pasuk as, “You shall not do any kind of work.” This distorted the entire concept of Shabbos and undermined its laws of observance. This was the…

Home -> 5773 -> Yisro

ואם מזבח אבנים תעשה לי אל תבנה אתהן גזית

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Yisro, 5773

And when you will make an Altar of stones for Me, do not build them hewn. (20:22)

Rashi quotes the Mechilta where Rabbi Yishmael says: Every example of im (usually translated as if), in the Torah is referring to something which is optional, except for three times. The first of them is the above pasuk in which the im is not discretionary, but rather, translated as “when” you will build an Altar; the second instance (Shemos 22:4), is concerning lending money, im kessef talveh es ami, “if” you lend money, would be the incorrect translation since one must lend money. Hence, it is read “when” you will lend money. Last, is v’im takriv Minchas Bikurim (Vayikra 2:14);…

Home -> 5772 -> Yisro

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Yisro, 5772

“Yisro heard… everything that G-d did to Moshe and to Yisrael, His people.” (18:1)

Yisro heard about two events: the miracles at the Red Sea, when the Egyptians were punished for their treachery; and the war against Amalek, when Klal Yisrael triumphed over their archenemy. Yisro was not the only one who “heard.” Many heard; he, however, internalized it and acted positively in response. Why did Yisro need two incidents to impress upon him the greatness of Hashem and His People? Was not the splitting of the Red Sea a sufficient miracle to influence his way of thinking? Indeed, the war with Amalek could have been misconstrued as a victory effected by Klal Yisrael’s…

Home -> 5772 -> Yisro

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Yisro, 5772

“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…

Home -> 5772 -> Yisro

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Yisro, 5772

“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…

Home -> 5772 -> Yisro

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Yisro, 5772

“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…

Home -> 5771 -> Yisro

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Yisro, 5771

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

The Talmud Sanhedrin 94 notes that it was embarrassing for Moshe Rabbeinu and 600,000 Jews that Yisro was the first one to bless Hashem for saving them. This reality comprises a powerful critique of the Jewish People and their leadership. Imagine, no one had been moved to bless Hashem for all the incredible miracles which He had wrought for them until Yisro expressed his feelings of gratitude and praise. It almost does not make sense. But what about the Shirah, “the Song by the Sea” – a Song of Praise and gratitude, which Moshe and Klal Yisrael sang immediately after…

You have Successfully Subscribed!

Back to Home -> Yisro ->

ואתם תהיו לי ממלכת כהנים וגוי קדוש אלה הדברים אשר תדבר אל בני ישראל

You shall be to Me a kingdom of Priests and a holy nation. These are the words that you shall speak to the Bnei Yisrael. (19:6)

ויענו כל העם יחדיו ויאמרו כל אשר דבר ד' נעשה

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

הנה אנכי בא אליך בעב הענן... וגם בך יאמינו לעולם

Behold! I (Hashem) will come to you (Moshe) in a thick cloud… and also in you they shall believe forever. (19:9)

ויום השביעי שבת לד' אלוקיך לא תעשה כל מלאכה

And the seventh day is Shabbos to G-d, your G-d, on it you shall not perform any kind of (creative) work. (20:10)

ואם מזבח אבנים תעשה לי אל תבנה אתהן גזית

And when you will make an Altar of stones for Me, do not build them hewn. (20:22)

“Yisro heard… everything that G-d did to Moshe and to Yisrael, His people.” (18:1)

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

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

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

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

YEARS

Subscribe To Our Newsletter

You have Successfully Subscribed!