Tyler’s Torah Thoughts for 6 Sivan, 5783. Shavuot!
Chag Sameach!
Today’s commentary is REALLY long. It is a holy day for us as Jews as we remember the giving of the Torah. I am going to share a few thoughts, and then let you read the collective commentaries from a year and a half ago I wrote about the verses we read today for the first day of Shavuot: Exodus 19:1- 20:23. This comprises the 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th portions of Parsha Yitro. May this commentary be the voice of Yitro to you on your spiritual journey of liberation.
These are snippets of my commentary I think start us off:
“Today, as we approach Sinai in the Torah we should be examining ourselves and where we are at.”
We have been examining ourselves for the past 49 days as we have been counting the Omer. Go back and read those commentaries to learn more! But we have been doing this already!
As a reminder – Here is what we’ve studied (with links to more on Chabad’s webpage):
- Chesed – Loving-kindness
Week 1 of the Omer - Gevurah — Justice and discipline
Week 2 of the Omer - Tiferet – Harmony, compassion
Week 3 of the Omer - Netzach – Endurance
Week 4 of the Omer - Hod – Humility
Week 5 of the Omer - Yesod – Bonding
Week 6 of the Omer - Malchut – Sovereignty, leadership
Week 7 of the Omer
Today as we approach Sinai, like the Jews, we should be in a state of repentance. A desire to turn around and “do good.”
Where is our heart? As we have examined these 7 traits, and how they interact with one another, do we have a desire for repentance and to “do good?” This is the approach as we come to Mt. Sinai.
“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.”
If we approach the Torah without examining ourselves, we will see the Torah as oppressive. As a prison. But with the examination we’ve done for the past seven weeks? The Torah becomes a blessing. We become a “kingdom of ministers.”
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!
This feels odd for us as Jews to talk about. For me personally, I connect “ministers” with Christianity and NOT Judaism. This is a really interesting thought.
Moses comes and summons the elders of Israel and shared what God spoke to him. All of the people in unison said “Everything that God has said we shall do!”
As we hear Moses ascend to the elders. What is our response? Will we respond “Everything that God has said we shall do?” Or do we respond “meh.” Or do we respond “no way?”
This is an important question for us on Shavuot.
And the Mitzvah on Shavuot is to hear the 10 commandments. So here they are:
Here are the Ten Commandments:
1. I am God, the God of every one of you. Who took you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
2. You shall not pisses an idol of other deities. You shall not make for yourself a sculptured image or any picture of that which is in the heavens above, which is on the earth below, or which is in the water beneath the earth. You shall not bow down before them, nor worship them, for I, God, your God, am a God who is zealous (to exact punishment), who visits the iniquity of the fathers upon the sins, upon the third and fourth generation of those who (continue in their fathers’ ways to) hate Me. But i act kindly to those who love Me and to those who keep My commandments, for two thousand generations.
3. You shall not take the name of God, your God, in vain, for God will not absolve anyone who takes His name in vain.
4. Remember the sabbath day to sanctify it. Six days you may work and perform all your labor, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to God, your God. You shall perform no labor, neither you, your son, your daughter, your manservant, your maidservant, your beast, nor your convert who is within your gates. For in six days God made the heavens, the earth, and the sea – and all that is in them – and He rested (so to speak) on the seventh day. Therefore, God blessed the Sabbath day by causing a double portion of mana to fall on Friday and sanctified it by not bringing mana on the sabbath.
5. Honor your father and your mother, in order that your days will be lengthened on the land that God, your God, is giving you.
6. You shall not murder
7. You shall not commit adultery
8. You shall not steal (people, i.e. kidnap)
9. You shall mot bear false witness against your neighbor
10. You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, his manservant, his maidservant, his ox, his donkey, or whatever belongs to your neighbor
May you be blessed this Shavuot. For a more in depth study, please read below! And leave a comment or two! Especially if you have diverging opinions!
Chag Sameach!
My commentary on this portion from a year ago:
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!
Tyler’s Torah Thoughts for Shevat 18, 5782
May we continue today in kindness!
The Torah has not yet been given to the Children of Israel. Yesterday, we learned Moses went up to talk to God on the second day of the third month since leaving Egypt, and God told him to go back and speak to Israel to listen to God and keep his mitzvahs we will be a precious treasure!
So In today’s portion, Moses comes and summons the elders of Israel and shared what God spoke to him. All of the people in unison said “Everything that God has said we shall do!”
Rabbi Joseph Ephraim shared this perspective; “Why did they respond in the past tense? God had not yet spoken to them!” A simple answer would be to argue that they were referring to the few laws given to them in advance of Sinai. The areas they had already heard.
But the inner meaning is that they were referring to the Torah that their souls had heard even before coming into the world. “Everything that God has said” – to our souls, before we entered the world – “we shall do.”
I’m chewing on that, and can see that perspective. When I read the Torah, my heart connects with it. My soul yearns for the Torah If I really get out of the way. That’s not to say I don’t enjoy distractions; but when I’m still and quiet, the Torah does line up with my heart.
After the elders share they will do this, Moses goes back to God the following day (day 3) and conveyed the words of the people.
God says to Moses; “look! I’m going to come down to you in a fog in order that the people hear when i speak to you, and they will also believe in you and the prophets that follow you forever.”
Moses returns to relay God’s words to the people. On the next day (day 4), he went back up to God to relay the people’s reply. The message was the people didn’t want to overhear God speaking to Moses, they wanted to hear God directly.
God says “fine!” Not really. He tells Moses, “if the people want to hear Me directly, then go to the people and make them ready, today and tomorrow. They should wash their garments. They should be prepared for the third day having separated from their wives, for on the third day (from today – meaning the sixth day of the month), God will descend before the eyes of all the people on Mount Sinai.
God continues with Moses; “You should set boundaries around the mountain for the people around, which say, ‘beware of ascending the mountain or touching its edge! Whoever touches the mountain shall surely be put to death.’ When the rams horn sounds a long, drawn out blast, God’s presence shall depart and then they may ascend the mountain.”
Moses comes down from the mountain and went directly to the people. He tells them to prepare themselves for three days (alternatively it can be read as for the third day). He tells them not to come close to their wives.
On the third day, when it was becoming morning, before the people arrived, there were claps of thunder and lightning flashes, and a thick cloud was upon the mountain. The entire camp shuddered. A rams horn blew to signify the beginning of God’s presence on the mountain.
Moses brings the people out. They all stood at the bottom of the mountain.
The mountain smoked because God had descended upon it in fire. The sound of the rams horn grew stronger.
You could cut this tension with a knife!!
Todays portion closes with this:
We get a note that since God only spoke the first two commandments, and Moses relayed the rest, the following method was used:
Moses would speak, and in order for him to be heard, God would respond by amplifying Moses’ voice.
And that’s where we leave it for today.
Thoughts?
Tyler’s Torah Thoughts for Shevat 19, 5782
Yesterday we left off at Sinai. Moses was speaking to the people with Hashem would respond by amplifying Moses’ voice to the people.
Todays portion begins with Hashem actually descending onto Mount Sinai. Well, not actually. Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra writes, “Man can only accurately describe man. When describing creatures lower than himself or forces higher than himself, he is forced to employ metaphors from the human experience. Clearly, when the verse states that God “descended” on Mount Sinai, it is simply a metaphor to assist the reader in understanding as much as the mortal mind can comprehend.”
Rashi adds; “You might think that He actually descended upon it. To counteract this notion the Torah states: “You have seen that from the heavens I have spoken with you” verse (20:19). This teaches that He bent down the upper heavens and the lower heavens and spread them upon the mountain like a sheet on a bed, and that God’s Throne of Glory descended upon them.”
After Hashem “descended” on Sinai, God summoned Moses and he ascended the mountain.
Hashem tells Moses; “Go down and warn the people not to come up the mountain.” Why did God want Moses to warn the people?
Because God was concerned for the people. He was worried someone would fall on the mountain and the tragedy that would be – someone falling trying to reach Hashem.
In addition, Hashem was concerned about the priests believing they were more important than the people, thinking that somehow they were “special” enough to go up the mountain. If they came up, God was going to make a breach (by destroying some of them). This wasn’t a threat – it was the natural consequence for believing you are more important than someone else.
Think about this. God doesn’t want us thinking we are more important than someone else. How much do we own that?
And be careful how you (we) answer this question. Because we are given a warning next;
Because Moses responds to God saying “I don’t need to warn them because they were already warned by You!” Moses “reminded” God that he told the people to set boundaries for the mountain and sanctify it.
Be careful not to self reflect in a manner that says “I already know this.” The truth is we forget. The truth is, our heads and hearts may not always be aligned. Just because we’ve been warned once, doesn’t mean it’s all good. Because here’s God’s reply;
“Go down and warn them a second time. Then you should come back and ascend to the highest level of the mountain. Aaron should come with you but to a lower level. The priests can come up but to a lower level still. But the people must stand firm and not break from their position.” Failing that, God was going to make a breach against them.
Moses did as God asked and went down to warn them.
God spoke all of the Ten Commandments in one single utterance. He then went back and specified each one individually. The Jewish people responded “Yes” to the positive commands, and “No” to the prohibitions.
Now; the rest of this portion is the Ten Commandments. Are there are a lot of things to chew on and wrestle with. My thought is I’m going to list them today, and then tomorrow (on Shabbat) dig into them more.
Here are the Ten Commandments:
1. I am God, the God of every one of you. Who took you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
2. You shall not pisses an idol of other deities. You shall not make for yourself a sculptured image or any picture of that which is in the heavens above, which is on the earth below, or which is in the water beneath the earth. You shall not bow down before them, nor worship them, for I, God, your God, am a God who is zealous (to exact punishment), who visits the iniquity of the fathers upon the sins, upon the third and fourth generation of those who (continue in their fathers’ ways to) hate Me. But i act kindly to those who love Me and to those who keep My commandments, for two thousand generations.
3. You shall not take the name of God, your God, in vain, for God will not absolve anyone who takes His name in vain.
4. Remember the sabbath day to sanctify it. Six days you may work and perform all your labor, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to God, your God. You shall perform no labor, neither you, your son, your daughter, your manservant, your maidservant, your beast, nor your convert who is within your gates. For in six days God made the heavens, the earth, and the sea – and all that is in them – and He rested (so to speak) on the seventh day. Therefore, God blessed the Sabbath day by causing a double portion of mana to fall on Friday and sanctified it by not bringing mana on the sabbath.
5. Honor your father and your mother, in order that your days will be lengthened on the land that God, your God, is giving you.
6. You shall not murder
7. You shall not commit adultery
8. You shall not steal (people, i.e. kidnap)
9. You shall mot bear false witness against your neighbor
10. You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, his manservant, his maidservant, his ox, his donkey, or whatever belongs to your neighbor.
Ok. A lot to process. Im curious – what do you think about the 10 commandments?
Tyler’s Torah Thoughts for Shevat 20, 5782
Shabbat Shalom! May all of us on this day be aware of Hashem’s Chesed (kindness) in our lives, even when we are struggling to see it!
Today let’s dig into the Ten Commandments from yesterday before we move into today’s portion closing out the Parsha Yitro (Jethro).
Before we break down the commandments, let’s look at the overall structure:
Rabbi Mordecai Joseph Leiner writes;
The Ten Commandments address the five core faculties of man: imagination, contemplation,
will, speech and action. Two commandments are dedicated to each faculty.
Imagination is addressed by the first and last command: “I am God” is the source of our positive imaginations: “You shall not covet” addresses the negative.
Contemplation is addressed by the second and third commandments, not to think of any other gods, and not to take God’s name in vain, i.e., not to discard anything in the world
which contains a spark of God- as unnecessary or useless.
Will is addressed by the sixth and seventh commandments, not to kill or commit adultery.
Speech is addressed by the eighth and ninth commandments, not to steal or bear false witness. Withholding oral teaching from others is a form of “stealing” (Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin 91b); by the same reasoning “bearing false witness” means speaking too much.
Action is addressed by the fourth and fifth commandments, to observe the Sabbath and to honor your parents.
There is a beauty here to the structure. These commandments focus on our imagination, contemplation, will, speech, and action! Let’s dig in;
1. I am God, the God of every one of you, Who took you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
I notice here first, that Egypt is connected to bondage. We are not just talking a literal sense of Hashem taking us out of Egypt; we are talking about being taken out of bondage. The pieces of our lives that enslave us.
There are some great things written about this;
About The first three words, “I am God…” ,
Rabbi Menahem Mendel of Rymanow wrote in the 18th century;
“All that the Jewish people heard directly from the mouth of God was the letter alef, enunciated with the vowel kametz-that is, the first letter of the word anokhi, “I’”
Rabbi Asher Isaiah expands on the words of Rabbi Mendel;
“What does this mean? The entire message of the Torah is contained in this one letter, kametz-alef. Alef is an acronym for ‘ozen (ear), lev (heart) and peh (mouth). Added together these words have the numerical equivalence of the word ‘einayim (eyes). Kametz means to “contain.” The entire Torah depends on “containing” our ears, heart, mouth and eyes, ensuring that they are only fed with appropriate content.”
The second part of the beginning of the commandment; “The God of every one of you.”
Rabbi Joseph Isaac Schneerson makes a tremendous insight here:
“Three rings are interlocked together: Israel, the Torah and God. All are on different planes, one higher than the other, partly hidden, partly revealed (Zohar). The “revealed” qualities of Israel include the unique intelligence and natural character of the Jew. The hidden qualities of Israel include the pure, simple and refined faith in God found in every Jew’s heart.
As for the Torah, the “revealed” part is the logical interpretation of all the various subjects of the Torah, which discuss man’s life on this earth, as well as how the world came into being. The “hidden” part of the Torah is its Divine intellect which differs essentially from human intellect and cannot be properly grasped
by man.
In the case of God, there are also “revealed” or conceivable attributes, and “hidden” or inconceivable attributes. What is conceivable about God is that He creates and forms the world and its contents from nothingness and He constantly infuses them with vitality. What is inconceivable about God is His true essence and identity – that which lies beyond His involvement with the world. Nevertheless, the realization of God’s greatness as He transcends the world should move us to a longing and yearning to cleave to Him.
All three “rings” are connected- The revealed qualities of Israel unite with the revealed attributes of God, by means of the revealed part of the Torah; the hidden qualities of Israel unite
with the hidden attributes of God, by means of the hidden part of the Torah.
2. You shall not possess an idol of other deities. You shall not make for yourself a sculptured image or any picture of that which is in the heavens above, which is on the earth below, or which is in the water beneath the earth. You shall not bow down before them, nor worship them, for I, God, your God, am a God who is zealous, who visits the iniquity of the fathers upon the sons, Upon the third and fourth generation of those who continue in their fathers ways to hate Me. But I act kindly to those who love Me and to those who keep My commandments, for two thousand generations.
This is one of the longest of the Ten Commandments. I’m reflecting on why that might be. My brain goes to the place as potentially this is one of the most difficult commandments to keep.
Rabbi Shalom Dov Baer Schneerson wrote this;
“Idol-worship may seem a concept that is foreign to our modern lives, but in truth, a mistake not dissimilar from that of the idol-worshipers can easily be made in our business activities. Men of old may have worshiped the sun and the moon, but do we “worship” our jobs and our clients and make the mistake of seeing “market forces” as being independent from God?
Just as then there was a need to see the sun and the moon as mere tools of God, “an axe in the hand of the chopper” (after Isaiah 10:15), we should see the marketplace as nothing other than a Divine tool by which God-and God alone-provides our sustenance. Our business efforts do not bring us wealth; they merely make a “vessel” into which God may channel His blessings.” (End quote)
I can see other areas of our lives where we can easily make the mistake of idol worship; what else do we worship? Those on social media? Entertainers and athletes?
Rabbi Schneur Zalman expands;
“Even the idol-worshipers receive their spiritual sustenance in this world from God’s holiness, as the verse states, “You sustain them all” (Nehemiah 9:6). Through God’s abundant patience, His kindness flows even to a place which conceals holiness.
The reason why they enjoy so much wealth and glory which they do not deserve, is that their spiritual sustenance comes from a very lofty Godly energy which is concealed from them and
that is why they deny God and arrogantly perceive themselves as independent of Him.
3. You shall not take the name of God, your God, in vain, for God will not absolve anyone who takes His name in vain.
Nachmanides wrote this;
“This includes swearing by the hallowed name of God unnecessarily. For example, a person swears about something that is true but self-evident- that the pillar is made of marble and he is standing by it, and everyone can see that this is the case.”
That’s an interesting concept. The idea that it shouldn’t be necessarily to swear to Hashem about something that is self evident. I’m reflecting in my life how much there are concepts I believe are self evident but may not be to others. What about those circumstances? I can see how in my own life, something that is self-evident isn’t enough for me. I must get others on board to agree with my perceptions. Why can’t I just accept for me it is self evident? That is a big lesson I am learning right now.
Rabbi Hayyim ibn Attar adds; “Falsely representing yourself as a pious, God-fearing person is, in a subtle way, taking the
name of God in vain, as it creates a false impression.”
Finally Rabbi Ephraim of Luntshits writes;
“When God said at Sinai. ‘You shall not take the name of God, your God, in vain; the entire world trembled” (Babylonian Talmud, Shevu’ot 39a). Why did the world tremble with this command in particular? Because God’s name gives life to the entire world, and by taking His name in vain you disturb the life force to the world, causing it to tremble.”
God’s name gives life to the entire world. I’m sitting with that on this sabbath.
4. Remember the Sabbath day to sanctify it. Six days you may work and perform all your labor, but on the seventh day is a Sabbath to God, your God. You shall perform no labor, neither you, your son, your daughter, your manservant, your maidservant, your beast, nor your convert who is within your gates. For in six days God made the heavens, the earth and the sea – and all that is in them – and He rested (so to speak) on the seventh day. Therefore, God blessed the Sabbath day by causing a double portion of manna to fall on Friday and sanctified it by not bringing the manna on the sabbath.
The other long commandment. Which tells me this sabbath thing is critical and crucial. What we do on this day of rest matters. But really the idea isn’t what we do on the sabbath that matters as much as the act of REMEMBERING the sabbath. That’s what sanctifies it. That’s what makes it holy. We must remember the sabbath to keep it holy. How we live out our sabbath, that’s a different question. I believe the rest of the mitzvahs contained in the commandment relate to ways in which helps us to remember the Sabbath. To remember our journey to freedom from bondage. That’s what we need reminding of every week as we live in our privilege.
Rashi writes that here, the Torah uses the expression “remember” the Sabbath, but when the commandments are repeated in Deuteronomy, it says “Guard” the Sabbath. In fact, Rashi states that both expressions were pronounced in one simultaneous utterance.
Rabbi Isaac Luria wrote about the sabbath in the 16th century;
“All our prayers and good deeds in this world are aimed at purifying and elevating fallen “sparks” of sublime holiness. Since these “sparks” are trapped in even the most material aspects of the world, all sorts of physical work can be employed for a mitzvah (commandment), thereby elevating sparks. For example, when you go to plow the ground, “You may not plow with an ox and donkey together” (Deuteronomy 22:10); and when you go to plant, “You may not sow your vineyard with a mixture of seeds” (ibid. 9).
To accomplish all this, man requires assistance from above. So the upper worlds descend down here on weekdays to assist man in elevating the fallen sparks. Or, to be precise, the seven lower sefirot (Divine emanations) descend and become infused in the seven days of the week.
However only six of the seven sefirot have sufficient energy to successfully power this elevation- which is why there are only six workdays. The Sabbath corresponds to the final emanation, malchut (sovereignty), which, being the weakest of all, is unable to empower us to elevate any “sparks.”
So what happens is, on the Sabbath, all the six higher sefirot that were infused in our world during the six workdays, return and ascend to their original heavenly location.
On the weekday we DRAW Divine energy into the world, by performing work. On the Sabbath, we allow that energy to RETURN, by refraining from work.
What do these energies do on the Sabbath once they have been restored to their natural habitat? They couple with each other and reenergize themselves. That is why, on the Sabbath, physical coupling is encouraged, too, down here (Babylonian Talmud, Ketubbot 62b), because the lower is a reflection of the upper (end quote)
Whew. A lot there. But the idea of the sabbath being more than physical is significant. There is a spiritual dynamic in play we often don’t engage with.
5. Honor your father and your mother, in order that your days will be lengthened on the land that God, your God is giving you.
Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson has a lot to say about this;
There are three partners in your formation: God, your father, and your mother. When you honor your father and your mother, God says, “I consider it as if I lived with them and they honored Me.” By honoring your parents, you honor God (Babylonian Talmud, Kiddushin 30b).
A person should recognize and act kindly towards anyone who has been kind to him. He should take to heart that his father and mother are the cause of his presence in the world and therefore it is genuinely appropriate for him to honor them and assist them in whichever way he is able. For they brought him to the world and toiled greatly with his needs when he was a child.
By adopting this trait, he will come to recognize the kindness of God, who is the cause of both the person and all his ancestors back to the time of the first man (Rabbi Aaron ha-Levi
(Hinnukh) 134 century)
The Torah prohibits lending importance to or honoring any intermediary. The sun gives you light and warmth, on which your very life depends, yet you are forbidden to honor it. Why, then, may you honor your parents?
Because your parents were given the free choice whether to have children or not and whether to act kindly towards you or not. Therefore, even though God is the source of all good, it is nevertheless appropriate to honor your parents, in the spirit of the saying, “Though the wine belongs to the owner, the thanks are given to the butler” (Babylonian Talmud, Bava Kamma 92b).
The butler may only be delivering the master’s wine, but he had the choice whether or not to do so; consequently, he needs to be thanked too.
However, praising the sun, moon and stars, etc., is inappropriate since they possess no free will at all.
6. You shall not murder
The Zohar says “The first five commandments correspond to the second five. ‘I am God’ corresponds to ‘You shall not murder,’ since they both comprise one, single principle. One who murders diminishes the Devine image, because man was created in the image of God.”
7. You shall not commit adultery.
8. You shall not steal.
The Zohar writes about the last three commandments (and the next one):
With all these three commandments the word lo (“shall not”) has a cantillation note instructing it to be chanted in a drawn out fashion, making an interruption. This transforms the meaning of each phrase, suggesting that, in certain circumstances, acts resembling murder, adultery and theft are permissible.
“You shall not murder” – Without the interruptive note you would not be permitted to enact capital punishment and there would be no social order. But since the note is there, the act is both forbidden and permitted.
“You shall not commit adultery”-Without the interruptive note you would not be permitted to procreate or delight with your wife. But since the note is there, the act is both prohibited and permissible.
“You shall not steal” – Without the interruptive note you would not be permitted to make personal use of your teacher’s wisdom; or feast at a Torah scholar’s enlightened face. And a judge would be forbidden to expose a defendant’s lies by questioning him deceptively. But since the note is there, the act is both prohibited and permissible.
But when it comes to “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor,” there is no interruptive note. This act, then, is totally forbidden.
9. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
10. You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, his manservant, his maidservant, his ox, his donkey, or whatever belongs to your neighbor.
Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra writes; “It is possible for you not to desire a beautiful object if you are wise, if you realize that you can only acquire that which is willed to you by God. Whatever God did not choose for you, you will be unable to attain by your own devices.
Rabbi Jehiel Mikhel of Zloczow writes; “Alternatively, one might argue that this commandment is beyond your immediate control. ‘You shall not covet’ is not a command but a promise: If you carefully observe the first nine commandments you are assured by the Torah that you will not covet.”
Whew. That is a lot to process about the 10 commandments.
So let’s close this weeks Parsha with todays portion;
As Hashem was speaking the commandments the people could see the sounds – they were scared and withdrew. They went to Moses and told him that he should speak to the people and not let God speak to them because they will die.
Moses tells the people not to worry; God isn’t like that- He has a purpose here, and we can trust it. But the people were still scared and backed off. Moses approached God.
God said to Moses to tell the children of Israel; “You have seen that from the skies I have spoken with you and I have shown My fire and might down on earth.” He then gives additional commands;
1. Don’t make images of any servants that are with Me
2. You should not make cherubim from silver, rendering them as false; rather they should be made of gold.
3. You should not make more than two cherubim and if you do I will consider them as false gods of gold.
4. You should not make for yourselves a replica of the cherubim in your own synagogues
5. You shall make for Me an altar attached to the earth and you shall slaughter near it your burnt offerings and your peace offerings which come from your sheep and cattle.
6. Wherever I allow My name to be mentioned, I will come to you and bless you.
7. When you make for me an alter of stones, you shall not build them of cut Stones, lest you wield your sword upon it and desecrate it
8. When you build a ramp to My altar, do not make it ascend with steps so that it will look as if your nakedness is exposed upon it.
To close the parsha, the spiritual vitamin from the book I’m reading is this; “After their liberation from enslavement in Egypt, the Jewish people reached, in a comparatively very short time, the highest spiritual level which is humanly possible to attain, making them all, men, women, and children, fit for Devine revelation at Mount Sinai. You (we), too, can rise from the lowest depths to the Loftiest spiritual heights in a comparatively short time, provided you have the sincere will and desire to do so.”
Whew. That’s a lot for this morning. Let’s chew on that.
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