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From: "Yeshivat Har Etzion's
Israel Koschitzky Virtual Beit Midrash"
To: yhe-intparsha@vbm-torah.org
Subject: INTPARSHA61 -17: Parashat Yitro
YESHIVAT
HAR ETZION
ISRAEL KOSCHITZKY VIRTUAL BEIT MIDRASH (VBM)
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INTRODUCTION
TO PARASHAT HASHAVUA
PARASHAT
YITRO
The Structure of
the Ten Utterances
By
Rabbi Michael Hattin
Introduction
As Bnei Yisrael journey through the wilderness and come
to Rephidim, the marauding tribe of Amalek suddenly attacks
them. The weak and weary, who straggle along at the rear of
the camp, are their target of choice. Quickly,
Moshe
commands Yehoshua to muster a fighting force to repel the
assailants, and as the battle rages, Moshe ascends a hill
and raises his arms in a gesture of victory. The Amalekites
are routed, and Moshe erects a commemorative altar to God.
The section concludes with a Divine oath that the
war
against Amalek will continue until the end of days, at which
time the aggressor will be vanquished and God will prevail.
So concluded last week's Parasha, thus
providing a
fitting if unsettling introduction to the Revelation at
Sinai of which our Parasha speaks.
"In the third month after the Exodus, on this very day, the people came to the wilderness of
Sinai. They journeyed from Rephidim and arrived in the wilderness of Sinai, and there encamped opposite the
mountain. Moshe ascended to the Lord, and God addressed him from the mountain saying: 'thus shall you say to the House of Yaacov and speak to the children of Israel: 'You saw what I did to Egypt, how I bore you on the
wings of eagles to bring you to Me. And now, if you
carefully hearken to My voice and observe My covenant, then you shall be My special treasure among the nations, for all of the earth is Mine. You shall be unto me a
kingdom of priests and a holy nation.' These are the
things that you shall speak to Bnei Yisrael.'" (Shemot 19:1-6)
It will be noticed that the location of Rephidim, the
site of the battle against Amalek, is the reference point
here employed by the text to describe the beginning of the
journey towards Sinai. In other words, these two events,
the war of Amalek and the Sinaitic
Revelation, are
antithetical episodes that are mutually exclusive. A world
bereft of God's word, His absolute moral standards and His
attendant expectations hurtles along a dangerous trajectory
that must end in brutality and bloodshed. Where there is no
obligation to God's law, the cruel rule of nature, the
calculated survival of the 'fittest,' prevails.
The Ten Commandments vs. the Ten Utterances
This week we shall investigate the
core of this
Sinaitic Revelation, the so-called 'Ten Commandments,' which
form the foundation of every functioning moral system. We
shall discover that the Torah is very deliberate in its
choice of laws to include among these ten, and orders them
consciously according to a structural model that is in
itself significant. The reader is encouraged to
read
through the ten principles now, in order to follow the
discussion more easily.
It is important to point out that, contrary to popular
misconception, the Torah never refers to these ten things as
the 'The Ten Commandments,' which would have been 'Aseret
HaMitzvot.' Invariably, they are called the 'Words
or
'Utterances' (Devarim 5:19; 9:10), or the 'Ten Words or
Utterances' (Devarim 10:4). The term 'Aseret HaDiBRot' (or
Aseret HaDeVaRim), frequently translated as the
'Ten
Commandments,' is therefore a usage that has absolutely no
basis in the Torah or in the later traditional literature. This is because that while bearing in mind the fundamental
importance of these ten things, we must remain cognizant
that they are but the foundation of a much larger edifice.
To mistakenly refer to them as the 'Ten Commandments' is to
imply that only these ten things are ultimately important,
while the rest of the Torah's legislation can be dismissed
as non-binding or irrelevant. In an earlier discussion (See
Parashat Bemidbar, 2000 for the full treatment of
the
issue), we developed the thesis that the root DBR actually
means 'to lead' or 'to guide,' and it is this root that
forms the basis of the word 'DeVaRim' or 'DiBRot.' We might
therefore be more accurate grammatically as well
as
thematically by translating this important term as 'the Ten
Guiding Principles.' This rendition, while stressing the
centrality of the ten things, would nevertheless make it
clear that they are but the fundamental framework of a
grander system that seeks to address and to elevate every
aspect of our lives.
The Structural Basis - Two Sets of Five
Perusing the ten items, a number of general
features
can be easily confirmed. First of all, the ten items seem
to conveniently break down into two parallel groups of five.
Thus, in Parashat Ki Tisa, we read of Moshe's descent from
Mount Sinai in possession of "the two tablets
of the
Testimony.tablets written on both sides.with God's script"
(Shemot 32:15-16). It is reasonable to assume that if there
are ten items written on two tablets, that each tablet
contains five of the things.
Interestingly enough, such a straightforward assumption
is bolstered by the fact that the first five items address
primarily our relationship with God, while the final five
speak of our obligations towards other people. Thus, we are
to acknowledge God (1), not serve other gods (2), nor take
God's name in vain (3), as well as to observe God's Sabbaths
(4). These clearly all fall within the realm of connection
to God.
On the other hand, we are enjoined not to kill (6), not
to commit adultery (7), not to steal (8), not to bear false
witness (9), and not to covet our neighbor's spouse or
property (10). Without exception, these five
address
interpersonal relationships and have little direct bearing
on our relationship with God.
The fifth commandment, to honor one's father and one's
mother, is the natural connection between the two groups.
Clearly, our first and most formative relationship is with
our parents, and is therefore given special attention here.
At the same time, our treatment of our parents also impinges
upon our relationship with God, for as the Ramban (13th
century, Spain) indicates:
"The Torah begins the list
of our interpersonal obligations with a commandment concerning our parents, for a parent with respect to a child is similar to
a creator who participates in the creative process. God is, so to speak, our first parent,
and our human genitor is our last parent.and therefore we are obliged to show honor and reverence to our father and
mother" (commentary to Shemot 20:11).
In other words, our approach towards our parents is to
be directly modeled after our deference to the Deity, for in
both cases we acknowledge the source of the most precious
bequest of all, the gift of life that they bestow.
Bein Adam LaMakom vs. Bein Adam LeChaveiro
The intrinsic bifurcation of the
two sets of
responsibilities, known in Hebrew tradition as 'Bein Adam
LaMakom' - between a person and God, and 'Bein Adam Le-
Chaveiro' - between a person and his fellow, is further
reinforced by the fact that each of the
first five
utterances mentions God's name explicitly. Thus, we have:
'I am God.' (1), '.for I God your Lord am a zealous God.'
(2), 'Do not take God's name.'(3), 'The seventh day shall be
a Sabbath unto God your Lord.'(4), '.in order that your days
might be lengthened upon the land that God your Lord gives
you' (5). The last five commandments, in contrast, make no
mention of God's name, for they deal exclusively with how we
must address other people.
Remarkably, these last five
are all negative
commandments, which is to say that they enjoin us to desist
from improper deeds rather than asking us to proactively
take initiative to practice good ones. Thus, they
are
characterized by the negation 'Thou shall not,' and stand in
contrast to three of the first five, which stress active
involvement in forging our relationship with the Creator.
"I am God,' 'Remember the Sabbath Day,' and 'Honor your
father and mother' (and by extension, Me) are positive
commandments that invite us to act, rather than demand of us
to cease. The implication of this simple fact is quite
profound. It implies that what is needed in
order to
fashion a moral soin which people can live together and be
at peace is first and foremost a commitment not to harm
others, neither with respect to their life, their trust,
their property, nor their loved ones. As the Ramban (13th
century, Spain) insightfully points out: "The last five
things make no mention of Divine punishment for
non-compliance nor of reward for their realization, for these
last five are for the direct benefit of human society.
Their fulfillment is their own reward" (commentary to Shemot
20:12-13), for in their absence discord and anarchy prevail,
and human life and limb lose their transcendent value.
God as the Basis of the Moral Law
We must qualify the above analysis by pointing out that
the Torah never explicitly sets a demarcation between the
first and last five utterances. They might be inscribed
upon two different tablets, but those same tablets are
always taken to be a complete and inseparable set. This is
indicative of a profound idea that the Torah
regards
everywhere as axiomatic. Although we would like to believe
that it is possible to found a moral and just society even
in the absence of a relationship to the Divine, even without
the need to acknowledge obligation towards a
Higher
Authority, the Torah indicates that it is impossible. A
moral atheist may indeed exist as an expression of a non-binding personal choice, but a society predicated upon
exclusively human laws involving a concomitant rejection of
God as the Source of Moral Absolutes, cannot survive for
long as an exemplar of righteousness and truth. If man is
the source of moral law, then by definition that moral law
must be relative, conditioned by the exigencies of time and
place, and always subject to review and frequently
to
rewriting.
Again we turn to the Ramban (13th century, Spain) who
quotes from the Midrash:
"The matter may be compared to a king who
entered a province and was welcomed by the people, who expressed a willingness to accept his laws. The king,
however, demurred, saying: 'If you will
first accept my authority, then I will give you my laws. For if
you are not willing to embrace my supremacy, then how will you fulfill my laws?' Similarly, God first stated
to the people of Israel: 'I am God your Lord you shall have no other gods before Me.' and then the rest.
In other words, only after you have acknowledged that I am the God who took you out of the land of Egypt, can you sincerely accept My other laws as binding' (commentary to Shemot 20:2-3). Or,
to adopt the startling formulation of the Ibn Ezra (12th century, Spain): "The first of these utterances declared by God includes all of the commandments that apply to the heart (belief and trust), to speech, and to action, for one who does not acknowledge God in his heart is not
BOUND BY ANY COMMANDMENT" (commentary to 20:2).
Two Parallel Sets of Descending Order
Finally, we note another structural feature
that is
used to order these ten things. Within both sets of five,
the most critical items are introduced first, followed in
descending order by those that are less so. As Ibn Ezra
comments concerning the first five:
"The acknowledgement of God implied by 'I am the Lord' is the basis of all else, namely that a person
must recognize His authority and the Exodus that He wrought. The second utterance that prohibits idolatry follows, for it is possible for a person to believe in God while mistakenly acknowledging the existence
of other deities. The third utterance prohibits the taking
of God's name in vain, and implies a lack
of respect towards God that is however less serious
than the infraction of idolatry.the fourth utterance concerning Sabbath observance is next.for one who does 'melakha' on the Shabbat denies the act of Creation.
Finally, the fifth utterance mandates honor and respect towards one's parents, for their honor is a function of their creator role in bringing forth life and sustaining it." (commentary to Shemot 20:2-3).
Concerning the last five, the Ramban (13th
century,
Spain) explains: "These commandments are ordered according
to their gravity, for after denouncing idolatry in all of
its forms, the Torah prohibits murder, then proscribes
adultery, then forbids kidnapping, then denounces bearing
false witness and theft, and finally condemns covetousness,
for a person that can eschew desire for his fellow's things
will never come to harm him" (commentary to
20:12-13).
Clearly, the taking of a human life is the gravest violation
against another, followed by betraying the sacred trust of
marriage, and only then by theft and falsehood in all of its
forms. The infamous list is concluded with the prohibition
of coveting, a state of mind that can quickly lead to the
commission of more serious infractions.
Conclusion
This week we surveyed the Ten Utterances that form the
essence of the Revelation at Sinai, and constitute the basis
of the religious and ethical conduct of the Jew. We were
able to discern a number of significant ordering principles
that the Torah employed in organizing the ten, and that shed
additional light on their overriding importance. Let us
consider the matter from the hindsight afforded by the three
thousand years of human history that have unfolded since
their initial conferral. We may say in response, without
the slightest bit of exaggeration, that these things have
not lost one iota of their relevance or necessity for the
fashioning of a better world. Often, the goal of becoming a
'kingdom of priests and a holy nation' seems more elusive
than ever, but in the end we must return for guidance to
these fundamental ideas, that have animated every attempt at
founding ethical societies, if we are to succeed.
Shabbat Shalom
YESHIVAT HAR ETZION
ISRAEL KOSCHITZKY VIRTUAL BEIT MIDRASH
ALON SHEVUT, GUSH ETZION 90433
Copyright (c) 1999 Yeshivat Har Etzion
All Rights Reserved
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From: Rabbi Ariel Bar Tzadok
Subject: Ruchani Eye On Israel - B'Shlah - The Secrets
of Faith& Redemption
To: heb_roots_chr@hebroots.org
Ruchani Eye On Israel
From www.koshertorah.com
Parashat B'Shlah
The Secrets of Faith and Redemption
By Rabbi Ariel Bar Tzadok
Copyright 2001 by Ariel Bar Tzadok. All rights reserved.
THE RIGHTEOUS SHALL LIVE BY FAITH
In the Gemara (Macot 24), the holy Rabbis state that
the entire Torah is summed up in the statement made by the prophet
Habakkuk (2:4), "the righteous shall live in his faith."
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