B"H
Shalom and Bracha!
This Shabbat we read the
portion of Yitro, the giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai. Yitro
was Moshe’s father in law, who left Midian and joined the Jewish
people for the receiving of the Torah. The naming of the portion
after Yitro rather than Moshe gives a deep insight into the
giving of the Torah. Yitro had served all of the idols in the
world and was knowledgeable in their belief systems. Upon
hearing the miracles of the Exodus he declared now I know that
Hashem is greater than all gods. The Zohar teaches that this
praise echoed in all of the spheres of heaven and Hashem
responded that now is the time to give the Torah. Why was
Yitro’s praise so important? Having served every negative force
in the world, his subjugation implied the readiness of every
aspect of the world to be perfected by Torah. This teaches us
that nothing can stand in the way of our service of hashem and
following the commandments of the Torah.
A deeper translation would be
“I appreciate Hashem’s greatness through all other forces,”
meaning that every force he worshipped allowed him a deeper
understanding of Hashem. This is alluded to in Rashi’s comment
that Yitro saw in each of the plagues and punishments Midah
Kneged Midah (measure for measure), the correlation to a
different negative trait or deed of the Egyptians. The converse
thereof is that he perceived that each evil of the Egyptians
resulted in an opportunity to reveal Hashem’s greatness. This is
very significant to the giving of the Torah, because the Torah
allows us to see the light beyond the darkness and through the
darkness and transmute the darkness into light.
The narrative of the giving of
the Torah begins “In the third month of the Exodus… they came to
the wilderness of Sinai… and Israel camped opposite the
mountain.” Throughout the forty years in the desert, every
encampment is described in the plural except for this one. The
Midrash explains that when Hashem saw the unity among the Jewish
people in their desire to receive the Torah, He declared that
the time had arrived for the Torah to be given.
Unity is central to Torah. The
portion tells us that the Torah was given in the third month of
the Exodus, after three days of preparation. This is because the
number three represents unity. One represents uniqueness, two
introduces division and three represents the power to combine
and unite. The Torah serves as the bond between the Infinite
Creator and the finite world. The Talmud tells us that the Torah
was only given to bring peace into the world. In order to
receive the Torah whose very essence is peace and unity, there
had to be pristine unity amongst the Jewish people. This unity
is expressed in all of the three pillars of service of Hashem:
Torah, prayer and acts of kindness.
The Ten Commandments contain
five commandments between man and G-d and five commandments
between man and his fellow man. Our service of Hashem must lead
to our betterment as a person, and the way we that treat each
other must be directed by the Torah, not simply by good
intention. Thus, the Torah unites the mundane and the sacred.
When we study the Torah we subjugate ourselves fully to the will
of Hashem, but we seek to understand the Torah in our intellect.
Thus the Torah unites the human and divine intellect.
The Ari Zal (a pillar of
Kabbalah) taught that before praying, a person must say “I
hereby accept upon myself to fulfill the Mitzvah of love your
fellow man as yourself. Prayers are said n the plural (Our G-d,
Bless us…) because Hashem blesses us as a people. Further,
prayer itself is unity. Prayer is not simply beseeching Hashem
for our needs, but bonding with Hashem. The word Tefillah
(prayer) comes from the Hebrew root of Tofel (to combine). When
we are united as a people, we can bond with Hashem. Through
bonding with Hashem, our needs become His needs. When our needs
are His needs, our prayers are heard.
Acts of kindness are done in
there truest sense when we feel that the needs of the other
party are our needs. The act of giving enriches the benefactor
more than the recipient.
The Semak (a famous codifier)
explains that the first Commandment includes the faith in
Moshiach. When the Torah says “I am Hashem your G-d who took you
out of Egypt,” it is a commandment to believe in G-d and that He
will redeem us from every exile. Division caused the destruction
of the Temple and unity will rebuild it. The Rebbe has informed
us that Moshiach is ready to come and is only awaiting an
increase in acts of good and kindness. May we merit his coming
immediately and hear the new depths in Torah that he will
reveal.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Biggs
In reverent memory of the Rebbe’s
wife, Rebbitzin Chaya Mushka Schneerson whose Yahrtzeit is this
Wednesday. May her merit shield us and her legacy bring
tremendous blessings.
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