Shabbat Shalom Weekly

Torah Portion:  Yitro

 

Only United Can We Fulfill the Torah
by Rabbi Dr. Avraham Twerski (z”l)

And they encamped in the Wilderness and Israel encamped there, opposite the mountain [Sinai] #(19:2)

As we have seen, the narration that precedes the giving of the Torah is more than just historical. It indicates the prerequisites of Torah.

Rashi points out that the Hebrew word for encamped is vayichan, he camped, rather than vayachanu, they camped. Furthermore, the Ten Commandments were also spoken in the singular, Anochi Hashem Elokecha, your God in the singular, rather than the plural elokeichem. The singular form of the verb is utilized because there was such complete unity among the Israelites that they were like one person, hence the entire nation could be addressed in the singular.

The Torah was given to each individual, and every person is required to fulfill the 613 mitzvot. It is obvious that technically this is impossible. There are some mitzvot whose performance is restricted to Kohanim (priests), which Yisrael cannot perform. A person whose firstborn child is a girl cannot fulfill the mitzvah of pidyon haben (redemption of the firstborn son). Mitzvot that apply to judges do not apply to lay people. How can any single person fulfill all 613 mitzvot?

Torah scholars have provided the answer. When a person puts on the tefillin (phylacteries) on his arm and head, it is not just the arm and head that have the mitzvah, but the whole person. Similarly, when people are united, they are as one, and a mitzvah performed by one person is shared by those with whom one is united.

How tragic that we have allowed ourselves to be divisive. Fragmentation not only weakens our nation, but deprives a person of acquiring the merit of those mitzvot which he is unable to perform.

Every human trait may have positive applications, even something as repulsive as selfishness. We should realize that eliminating the divisiveness that reigns among us is not merely altruistic. It is of inestimable personal benefit.

It is with great sadness that we inform you of the passing of Rabbi Avraham Twerski, who passed away Sunday, Jan 31, 18 of Shevat. May his soul be bound in the bonds of life.

Dual Loyalty
by Rabbi Ari Kahn

Hearing of the wonders that had transpired, Yitro, Moshe’s father in law, arrives in the Israelite encampment in the desert. He is genuinely happy to hear of the wondrous events that had brought about the Israelites’ reversal of fortune, transforming them from lowly slaves into free people. Yitro joins Moshe, Aharon and the elders in a thanksgiving feast.

When the celebration ends, Yitro observes Moshe and is struck by his son-in-law’s enormous workload. Yitro, the leader (“kohen”) of Midian,[1] knew something about leadership and public service. He knew that Moshe could very quickly be overwhelmed and “burned out” by the enormity of the responsibility. This over-extension strikes Yitro as a terrible strategy, and he suggests a system in which the burden may be divided and, whenever possible, delegated.

The wisdom of Yitro’s suggestion is immediately apparent, and his proposal is incorporated into the Israelite camp’s basic structure.

As an aside, we might pause to appreciate the irony of the situation: Moshe and Yitro would never have met had Moshe not fled Egypt — and his escape was precipitated by a very pointed question hurled at him accusingly: “Who appointed you judge over us?” Upon seeing two Jews struggling, Moshe jumped into the fray — only to be accused of overstepping his authority. Now, Moshe had become the authority, the sole arbiter of justice, the judge for all Israel.

Dignified Inside and Out
by Nesanel Yoel Safran

From this week’s Torah Portion

Ages 3-5

Q. How did Jill feel at first about how she was dressed for the graduation ceremony?
A. She thought it didn’t matter however she was dressed.

Q. How did she feel in the end?
A. She felt like she should dress in a dignified way.

Ages 6-9

Q. What life-lesson do you think someone could learn from this story?
A. We’re not always aware that how we present ourselves makes a statement about who we feel we are. Someone who acts and dresses in a dignified way is saying he cares about himself and takes himself seriously.

Q. What life-lesson do you think someone could learn from this story?
A. We’re not always aware that how we present ourselves makes a statement about who we feel we are. Someone who acts and dresses in a dignified way is saying he cares about himself and takes himself seriously.

Ages 10 and Up

Q. What does it mean to be ‘dignified?’
A. It means to have a sense of self-worth and appropriate self-esteem.

Q. What does our external appearance and behavior have to do with that?
A. While a person’s true dignity is something internal, someone with dignity would never choose to portray himself – through dress or behavior – in a way that cheapens him in the eyes of others.