Yitro
Exodus 18:1 - 20:23
Précis: Following last week’s trip through the Red Sea, Moses is reunited with his father-in-law Jethro (“Yitro”), his wife Zipporah, and with his two sons. Yitro acknowledges God, gives sage advice to Moses about delegating responsibility, and Moses appoints assistants (judges). The Israelites come to the foot of Mount Sinai where, in the definitive transcendental experience, we read the story of Revelation, as the “Ten Utterances” (Commandments) are spoken to the People by the very Voice of God.
Exodus 20: 9 – 10 "Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy. Six days shall you labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of the Lord your God."
My family is blessed with owning a country house, in the mountains of Northern New Jersey. (Aside: to those who don’t know it, the Poconos of Pennsylvania don’t join directly with the Catskills in NY. New Jersey sits between the other two states!) There are mountains in that short section of New Jersey connecting the two “chains” called the Kittitinnys. See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kittatinny_Mountains.) It is a place where we find remarkable peacefulness and wholeness. It’s a healing place where spending Shabbat is particularly enjoyable. Reciting kiddush at our mountaintop home is a wonderful and warming reminder of what the celebration of Shabbat can be like.
Former JTS Chancellor Schorsch (Chancellor’s Parasha Commentary, 1/29/94) taught that the verses I cite above can be considered “the linchpin” of both the Ten Commandments and of Judaism itself. He suggests that we focus on the simple word “all.” Is it ever really possible to finish “all” of our work? Clearly not. We must assume, as do the traditional commentators, that what the Torah is teaching us is that we should act on Shabbat “as if” we were done with all of the worldly concerns of work. As Schorsch nicely puts it, Shabbat is “our country home which we can reach easily without hours of hard driving." (Here's the connection to the Kittitinny Mountains!)
When we act “as if” we had completed “all” of our work, we expand our inner world. We find an island in time. We slow down and renew connections with those we love, with our community, and if we are fortunate enough, with God.
Friday, February 10, 2012
Friday, February 3, 2012
B'shalach
Exodus 13:17-17:16
Précis: And when Pharaoh “had let them go” (b’shalach), the story of the Exodus from Egypt is concluded - almost. Carrying with them the bones of Joseph and the "spoils of Egypt," Moses leads the Israelites by way of the Red Sea. They cross the Sea ahead of Pharaoh’s pursuing army, which subsequently drowns as the Sea returns. 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 instructs Moses to strike a rock to obtain water. The Shabbat is introduced as a day of rest, even before it appears in the 10 Commandments. In their first battle, with Amalek, the Israelites are successful as long as Moses’ hands remain in the air, and with the help of Aaron and Joshua (who support Moses’ arms), the Israelites succeed.
Exodus 15:22-25 “And Moses led Israel on from the Red Sea, and they went to the wilderness of Shur, for three days, and they found no water. And then they came to Marah, and could not drink the water, for it was bitter. And the people murmured….And Moses cried to Adonai, and Adonai showed him a tree, and he threw it in the waters, and the water was made sweet.”
This verse serves as a proof-text for the Sages to mandate regular recitation of the Torah study. The connection? The Talmud suggests (Baba Kama 82a), that the “water” we read here also refers to Torah, based on the verse in Isaiah, “Ho, all who are thirsty, come for water” (55:1). In this verse, since the Israelites went for 3 days without water (Torah), they grew weary. So the Sages required that three days should not pass without a public reading of Torah (Shabbat, Monday and Thursday).
This analysis is a fine example of rabbinic exegesis, linking one verse from the Bible with another to find connections and lessons. It also serves as a reminder to all of us that our study of Torah should not be limited to Shabbat, but is an endeavor which should be part of our daily lives. Well, at least every three days!
Exodus 13:17-17:16
Précis: And when Pharaoh “had let them go” (b’shalach), the story of the Exodus from Egypt is concluded - almost. Carrying with them the bones of Joseph and the "spoils of Egypt," Moses leads the Israelites by way of the Red Sea. They cross the Sea ahead of Pharaoh’s pursuing army, which subsequently drowns as the Sea returns. 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 instructs Moses to strike a rock to obtain water. The Shabbat is introduced as a day of rest, even before it appears in the 10 Commandments. In their first battle, with Amalek, the Israelites are successful as long as Moses’ hands remain in the air, and with the help of Aaron and Joshua (who support Moses’ arms), the Israelites succeed.
Exodus 15:22-25 “And Moses led Israel on from the Red Sea, and they went to the wilderness of Shur, for three days, and they found no water. And then they came to Marah, and could not drink the water, for it was bitter. And the people murmured….And Moses cried to Adonai, and Adonai showed him a tree, and he threw it in the waters, and the water was made sweet.”
This verse serves as a proof-text for the Sages to mandate regular recitation of the Torah study. The connection? The Talmud suggests (Baba Kama 82a), that the “water” we read here also refers to Torah, based on the verse in Isaiah, “Ho, all who are thirsty, come for water” (55:1). In this verse, since the Israelites went for 3 days without water (Torah), they grew weary. So the Sages required that three days should not pass without a public reading of Torah (Shabbat, Monday and Thursday).
This analysis is a fine example of rabbinic exegesis, linking one verse from the Bible with another to find connections and lessons. It also serves as a reminder to all of us that our study of Torah should not be limited to Shabbat, but is an endeavor which should be part of our daily lives. Well, at least every three days!
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