מאמרים
Jethro and the Jews
- פרטים
- קטגוריה: Parashat Hashavua
- פורסם בשבת, 21 נובמבר 2020 17:34
- נכתב על ידי Super User
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Jethro and the Jews
This week I read some beautiful thoughts on the portion of Jethro/Yitro - Moses' father-in-law -
who came from Midian and joined the Jewish people.
So - thank you "weekly dvar" email and David Aron from Isralight - and of course Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach zatz"l
So why did Yitro go BACK to Midian after convering to Judaism? He was so proud of it that he wanted to tell others how beautiful it was -
to have a concept of G-d and unity and world-holiness and Torah Scholarship within us.
And how did he get there? To that feeling?
He learned some mitzvahs - learned them WELL from Moses -
and mitzvahs,( plural — mitzvah, singular) do not really mean — commandments,
but Mitzvahreally comes from the Hebrew Tzavta -
a word that means “to connect” or “to unite.”
They are not demands
(threatening and self denying) but
an invitation to commune, and join, with the
Judaism and unifying and joyous and empowering G-d-
not the idols of those enslaved and controlled (by greedy leaders)
From Rabbi Carlebach
(on the statements at Mount Sinai):
The Torah says that the two tablets were like a heart, and the Ten Commandments were carved into them, not written on them.
Suppose someone says, "Why do you need to hear the ten Commandments on Har Sinai? ...
Hashem told us not to kill (or steal), didn't we know (it)?
The holy Izbitzer Rebbe says,
"How did Hashem carve into us not to kill?"
Hashem (just) opened gates for us, and then we know how precious life is. If you have any taste of how precious each and every life is, you can't kill."
When Hashem said, "Honor your father and mother," 'HE' showed us how special it is to bring children down to this world. Children realize, "My father and mother mamash brought me into this world."
(And) it reaches the deepest, highest place in your heart.
This is keeping (G-d and Sinai and) Shabbos.
GUTT SHABBOS
Rabbi Andy Eichenholz