Tyler’s Torah Thoughts for 21 Shevat 5784
Parsha Yitro: (Exodus 18:1 – 20:23)
Fourth Portion: Exodus 19:1 – 19:6

Good morning! Yesterday we talked about guilt and shame – and overcoming those to RECEIVE feedback that is for our best interests. Jethro has now left the scene (which again is curious given this parsha is called Yitro).  I believe we are about to see the legacy of Jethro in the rest of this parsha.  Let’s dig into it:

1In the third month of the children of Israel’s departure from Egypt, on this day they arrived in the desert of Sinai.

Oh. The Children of Israel have spent 3 months in the wilderness after leaving Egypt. They arrive at Sinai. And you know what they receive here? This very Torah.  They wander for 3 months. Then? They get DIRECTION. The Torah provides us guidance and direction!

2They journeyed from Rephidim, and they arrived in the desert of Sinai, and they encamped in the desert, and Israel encamped there opposite the mountain.

So Jethro leaves, the children arrive. And The Torah goes back and reminds us of how we got here.

I am sitting with that. We so quickly forget how we arrive in a moment. The Torah seems to encourage us to always remember. How did we get here? Who are the Jethros in our life? Where have we been to arrive in a moment?

What happens next?

3Moses ascended to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain, saying, “So shall you say to the house of Jacob and tell the sons of Israel,

4’You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and [how] I bore you on eagles’ wings, and I brought you to Me.

5And now, if you obey Me and keep My covenant, you shall be to Me a treasure out of all peoples, for Mine is the entire earth.

6And you shall be to Me a kingdom of princes and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the children of Israel.”

They arrive. And Moses goes up.

So when we arrive in a moment? Where do we go? Do we camp in this moment? Do we go down? Do we go up? There is no right or wrong here – we are free.

I wrote this two years ago regarding this section:

This is the message:

1. We have witnessed Hashem’s miracles. He brought us together in unity. We were protected as being carried on angels wings.
2. Now that we are here, listen to Hashem and keep His covenant by connecting with Hashem through the Torah
3. If you (we) keep connected with Hashem, you (we) will be a precious treasure – to Hashem among all the peoples – because the earth belongs to Hashem.
4. If we do #2, we will be #3 and then live out the purpose for which we were created: To be a kingdom of ministers and a holy nation.

This is our calling as Jews. A “kingdom of ministers.” How are you (we) ministering today? This has to be our goal. Our purpose. Our focus. But we can’t do it if we are not connected to the Torah!

So. When we arrive in a moment? We have a full range of freedom:

• To go up and connect with Hashem
• To go down and connect within
• To camp in the moment and just be
• To travel back in time to heal the past
• To travel into the future to release the limiting “rules” we’ve placed to protect us!

These are my thoughts!  What are yours?

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Here are my thoughts from the past two years:

Tyler’s Torah Thoughts for 17 Shevat, 5783

Todays portion is really interesting. I also appreciate what I wrote a year ago and where I was at.

We are approaching Sinai. One thing I reflect on today is how being encamped at Sinai is where we receive direction. The Jews came – repentant, unified. They were going to leave receiving direction for their lives.

This was three months after their freedom. It is almost three months before Passover. The time frame here is super interesting.

Where are we looking for direction in our lives right now? Are we repentant for what has come before? Are we living in unity as much as possible? These are the questions we should be asking ourselves.

What direction do you need?

Something of an activity to consider (I shared this with a really good friend last night):

First close your eyes, and open up your heart and mind to be fully creative – be realistic; but be creative. Our brains can thing of all the ways life can go wrong; realistically. But let’s think about our life 5 years from now. What is it you want your life to look like? Blank slate. Don’t limit your creativity.

In a journal or blank sheet of paper, write this down. Don’t feel a sense of commitment. You are taking a snapshot in time of where you are at in this moment. What do you desire? Just take a picture. Create.

Think about your life. What would it look like five years from now that would put a smile on your face?

That could help you with direction. Maybe this what our moment calls for?

What are your thoughts?

Tyler’s Torah Thoughts for 17 Shevat, 5782

After yesterdays short passage (and if you read it in the morning yesterday, I added an insight today in response to a comment from someone so go check it out!) Moses does what Jethro tells him to do and sets up the judicial system.

This portion starts out with a timeframe. On the first day of the third month after the Children of Israel’s departure from Egypt…they arrived at Sinai.

So. First observation. We are reading this passage outside of the holiday of Passover that was created for us to remember this journey. It seems odd.

But today we arrive at Sinai in the Torah. Three months after our departure from Egypt. Guess what happens in about three months from now? Passover. Today is Shevat 17. Passover begins at Nissan 14.

Now this is a leap year, which means we have a leap month of Adar II. So this year is special. Also, if we take three steps back, to Shevat 14, we look and see that we were a day before Tu B’Shevat, still in harshness, not yet in Chesed. Three months before Passover this year, we were in the space AFTER Moses won the war, and BEFORE Jethro comes to give him some advice not to wear himself out.

These are interesting “coincidences” that I do not believe are coincidences. Today, as we approach Sinai in the Torah we should be examining ourselves and where we are at.

Yesterday’s kindness in the Torah was the short passage AND learning about self-care.

Today’s kindness seems to be approaching Sinai. Where God resides. How often do we approach Him for kindness? How often do we seek his kindness. We are ALSO connected today between the space of battle/conflict and peace. Setting up a new life is challenging after a long term conflict or battle. It is easy to get burned out. But having people like Jethro in our lives to remind us to take care of ourselves is such a critical piece of the puzzle. I am very blessed to have many Jethros in my life who remind me to care for me! Thank you.

Ok. Enough of my thoughts. Let’s approach Sinai!

One of things we see is that the Jews traveled to Sinai in a “state of repentance.” They left Rephidim in this state, they arrived at the desert of Sinai in this state. They camped in the desert. And we see a shift. They camped in a state of unity – so they were a single person with one heart.

Moses then ascends the mountain to God on the second day of the month. God speaks to Moses; “You should say the following to the House of Jacob (the women) and tell the same thing in more explicit manner stressing the punishments and fine details to the sons of Israel.

Now before I go further, I want to say this. Gender is something that in our current society (and likely back then) was/is a social construct. Defining “man” or “woman” as a society and the norms, ideals, etc are completely developed by humans. However you may feel about gender on a physical level, on a spiritual level, I wonder if we are created on a continuum of male/female and bring with us pieces of both. The Torah does look at these as a binary for sure, but like we learned yesterday about whether Moses consulted Hashem or not, it can be a continuum.

So let’s move forward here with that in mind.

Rabbi Natan Ashkenazi Shapira of Grodno (which, fun fact, is where my dad’s side of the family comes from!) says this; “If God had commanded Moses to speak to address the men before the women, the women could have later excused themselves from observing the Torah, claiming that they had only accepted it to please their husbands. Therefore, God commanded Moses to address the women first.”

Another spiritual vitamin said this; “Before giving the Torah to the whole people of Israel, God told Moses to first approach the women, and then the men. This emphasizes the primary role of the Jewish woman in preserving the Torah.”

Some interesting thoughts here. I’m curious as to what you all think!

God continues talking to Moses:

“You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I gathered you together in a short period of time, and I protected you through the angel of God, as if you were carried on angels wings, and I brought you to My service. Now, if you listen to Me and keep My covenant through observing the Torah, you will be a precious treasure to Me among all the peoples, for the whole earth is Mine. You shall be to Me a kingdom of ministers and a holy nation.”

This is crucial. Read it again. Reread it.

1. We have witnessed Hashem’s miracles. He brought us together in unity. We were protected as being carried on angels wings.
2. Now that we are here, listen to Hashem and keep His covenant by connecting with Hashem through the Torah
3. If you (we) keep connected with Hashem, you (we) will be a precious treasure – to Hashem among all the peoples – because the earth belongs to Hashem.
4. If we do #2, we will be #3 and then live out the purpose for which we were created: To be a kingdom of ministers and a holy nation.

This is our calling as Jews. A “kingdom of ministers.” How are you (we) ministering today? This has to be our goal. Our purpose. Our focus. But we can’t do it if we are not connected to the Torah!

Amen!!!!!

The portion today closes with these words from Hashem; “These are the words that you shall speak to the children of Israel; no more and no less.”

Whew. There is a lot here. How are we living out our purpose as a kingdom of ministers? Let me know in the comments!