BS"D
HEBREW TEXTS . HEBREW LANGUAGE . JUDAISM
Yitro, Moshe's father-in-law, hears about the miracle of the exodus and takes his son-in-law to his family in the desert. There he sees Moses passing judgment on the lives of all the people of Israel. He tells him to instruct captains of 10, 50, 100, and 1,000 for this task, leaving to Moshe only the most important matters. God announces that in three days he will appear on the top of Mount Sinai and that the people will hear him amid smoke, fire and the sound of the shofar. He makes an announcement, the Decalogue, also known as the “Ten Commandments” in a collective epiphany. Moshe tells the people that God appeared to him so that they would never stray from his path.
Texts
Yitro 5784
The Torah portion of this week is surely the most well-known in its content, along with last week's Shabbat, in which we relived the parting of the Reed Sea. In this one, we will relive the giving of the Tablets of the Law, and according to some, the Torah itself. And yet, the name of the portion, Yitro, refers to Moshe’s father-in-law, the father of Tziporah, an outsider to the people of Israel and a Midianite priest, among other peoples among whom, according to the Midrash, he exercised ritual authority in his apparent spiritual quest.
Yitro 5783
If I ask you what is the culminating moment in the history of our People, what would you answer?
Someone would choose the moment when Abraham decides to leave his father's house. It would be something like the beginning of monotheism in the history of humanity. Another could choose the moment when the waters of the Sea of Reeds parted. Someone could even choose the Independence of the State of Israel.
Yitro 5782
When undertaking a task, responsibility, honesty and efficiency are -among others—qualities that are more than necessary to carry out it successfully. However, among all the qualities necessary to carry out an important task, none—perhaps—is as essential as the passion for the very task at hand.