The Last Commandment

Yitro

Ex. 18:1 - 20:23

Précis:  Following last week’s trip through the Red Sea, Moses is reunited with his father-in-law Jethro (“Yitro”) and with his family. Yitro acknowledges God, gives wise advice to Moses about delegating responsibility, and Moses appoints assistants (judges). The Israelites come to the foot of Mount Sinai where, in the ultimate transcendental experience, Revelation takes place as the “Ten Utterances” (Commandments) are spoken to the People by the very Voice of God.

Ex. 20:13 “You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.”

            Abarbanel (the 15^th century Spanish commentator) noted that “After the admonition not to harm your fellow man in deed, neither his body (You shall not murder), nor his wife (You shall not commit adultery), nor his goods (You shall not steal), comes the admonition not to harm him by word of mouth…This includes, besides bearing false witness, one who mocks his fellow man, slanders and denigrates him, insults him publicly and the like.”

            At the conclusion – perhaps the summation? -  of the Ten Commandments, we are reminded of the critical importance of human speech. The Sages place the sin of denigrating another person on a par with murder, adultery, and theft of another’s possessions. By denigrating another, we “murder” a reputation. By denigrating another, we may cause a spouse to lose faith in the mate. By denigrating another, we steal one’s most prize possession (one’s good name).

            12 years ago, I wrote in a weekly d’var on this verse, “A common complaint in 21^st century America is that our language has been “coarsened” and that we have morphed into a society where what we say can always be “spun” as circumstances demand.”  Unfortunately, more than a decade later, we find that the “coarsening” of our utterances has reached an undeniably lower point, where some in public life feel free to cast aspersions in ways that would have ended their careers a decade ago. Some may call this just an end to “political correctness,” but I call it a loss of civility, decorum, and decency.

            I suggest that our Torah reading this week should make us focus on the importance of honest and respectful discourse in all parts of our interactions with others.

Children of Nachshon

B'shalach

Ex. 13:17-17:16

Précis: And when Pharaoh “had let them go” (b’shalach), the story of the Exodus from Egypt is almost concluded. Carrying with them the bones of Joseph and the “spoils of Egypt,” Moses leads the Israelites by way of the Red (or Reed) Sea. They cross the sea ahead of Pharaoh’s pursuing army, which subsequently drowns in the returning waters. Moses sings his triumphant Song of the Sea, and Miriam’s song of joy follows. The Israelites begin to murmur against Moses and Aaron because of a lack of food and water. God provides heavenly “manna” to eat and provides water as well. The Shabbat is introduced as a day of rest, even before it appears in the Ten Commandments. In their first battle led by Joshua, against Amalek, the Israelites are successful as long as Moses’ hands remain in the air, and with the help of Aaron and Hur (who support Moses’ arms), they prevail.

Ex. 14:21-28: “Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided, and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left. The Egyptians pursued them, and all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots and horsemen followed them into the sea…The water flowed back and covered the chariots and horsemen—the entire army of Pharaoh that had followed the Israelites into the sea. Not one of them survived.”

            

This is the story we read each year at the Passover seder and with which we are most familiar. Dayenu! But in a version of the story appearing in the Babylonian Talmud (Sotah 36b-37a), the rabbis tell a different story in a famous midrash. They tell that as the Israelites gathered at the shore of the Sea, Moses raises his hands…. and nothing happens! Moses, who has done miracle after miracle, suddenly fails to produce. The People are scared, and some consider turning back to Egyptian slavery. But one solitary figure tears through the crowd and enters the water. His name is Nachshon, son of Aminadab. He steps into the water and begins to walk. His friends and family implore him to stop, but he continues. The water is at his knees, his waist, his chest, his neck, and up to his nostrils. Suddenly, the Sea recedes as we are told in the text itself.

            What are the Rabbis telling us? That liberation and freedom are not mere gifts from God. They require courage, faith, and the ability to take risks in the face of danger. As Rabbi Adam Greenwald tells us (MyJewishLearning.com 2/7/17) We are often called the Children of Abraham, and more commonly the Children of Israel. Perhaps, he suggests, we should be called the Children of Nachshon.  After all, for most American Jews, it was our ancestors – our grandparents or great-grandparents – who took the risk to cross another sea to escape danger, pogrom, and tyranny. They had faith that God would provide liberation, but understood full well that they needed to take steps personally. As Rabbi Greenwald tells us, “they split the sea for us so that we could walk on dry land.”

            They had dreams to fulfill, took action, and we owe them our gratitude.