ON THE PARSHA
          Parshas Yisro

          by Dovid Lipman, Israel
          Year 2, No. 17


Introduction

This parsha, which tells how Hashem gave the
Jews the Torah, has five parts:
       1) Yisro and his idea
       2) Arrival at Sinai
       3) Preparing to Receive
       4) Ten Commandments
       5) Moshe Goes Up
       6) Three More Mitzvos

1. Yisro and his idea -- Chap. 18

Moshe's father-in-law Yisro arrives at the Jewish
camp, with Moshe's wife and two sons, and Moshe makes
a fancy greeting. Yisro sees Moshe's daily workload,
and suggests he delegate, dividing the nation under
four levels of judges, and Moshe follows his advice.
Later, Yisro returns to his homeland.

   A Time to Laugh

   (18:7) "And Moshe went out to greet his father-
   in-law..." -Not for his wife or sons, but just
   to honor his father-in-law. This comes from the
   principle that you have to honor your in-laws,
   if you know what's good for you.

2. Arrival at Sinai -- 19:1 to 19:8

When they reach the Sinai desert, the Jews camp at
Mount Sinai, and Hashem offers them an eternal bond
-He'll make them His nation if they accept His Torah.
They agree, and Moshe delivers the message to Hashem.

   The World of the Supernatural

   (19:2) "And they left R'fidim and they came to the
   Sinai desert..." Why mention where they came from?
   (See Rashi) R' Bachya says this means they came on
   the same day they left. Maybe this miracle was to
   teach us that if a person tries they can go from
   "R'fidim" (where the Jews were "weak" - Bechoros
   5b) to "Sinai" (connecting to Hashem) in one day,
   because if Hashem helps, anything's possible.

3. Preparing to Receive -- 19:9 to 19:25

Hashem tells Moshe that He'll talk to him in their
hearing, so they'll trust Moshe's delivery of the
Torah. Moshe tells Him the people want Him to
address them directly. He gives Moshe instructions
for purifying the people, and for keeping distance
from the mountain while His Presence descends on it.

   Worthy of Note

   (19:9) "So the nation will hear Me speak to you"
   The implication is that this would that be enough
   without addressing the people (which was "added"
   by their request). Why? R' Yaakov Weinberg ZT"L
   explains: "The important thing at Sinai is not the
   commandments that we heard. The important thing
   at Sinai is that we heard G-d appoint Moses as His
   prophet! THAT'S the significance of Sinai." So
   who would be addressed wasn't so important.

4. Ten Commandments -- 20:1 to 20:14

Hashem directly tells the people five Mitzvos of
obedience (faith, loyalty in act and speech, Shabbos,
and honoring parents) and five Issurim of morality
(murdrer, adultery, stealing, cheating, and coveting)
directly, with Moshe "dictating" beforehand.

   Rare and Unusual Words

   (20:13) "Sa'aneh". Usually a language of speech
   (often loud), here it refers to bearing witness,
   but R' Bachya says it's used to AVOID a language
   of speech, and therefore includes hiring false
   witnesses and the like, not just "bearing" it.

5. Moshe Takes Over -- 20:15 to 20:18

The nation, overwhelmed by experiencing Hashem so
intensely, ask Moshe to bring the rest of the Torah
himself, and he goes up to receive it from Hashem.

   Do You Remember? - from the files of On the Parsha

   1. Why is it harder to be good than to be bad?
   2. What gender is the word "derech" (path)?
   3. What does "and teach them the path" refer to?
   4. How many "voices" was the Torah given with?
   5. Did Moshe judge "from morning to evening"?

6. Three More Mitzvos -- 20:19 to 20:23 (End)

Hashem begins His "lessons" to Moshe with three
Issurim that, rather than being the most flagrant,
are the most delicate versions of the three most
stringent ones (idolatry, murder, and incest),
namely MAKING an idol, using a sword to BUILD an
altar, and ALLOWING oneself to be slightly
uncovered when climbing the altar.

   From the Gemara

   (20:20) Rosh HaShanah 24b - Among the forbidden
   hewn forms is a human form, derived by reading
   "lo sa'asun osi" - Don't make ME. (Hashem is
   seen by the prophets as a human form.)