Parashat Yitro
פרשת יתרו
שמות Exodus 18:1 to 20:23
Chapter 18, verses 1 through 12 – Yitro journeys to meet Moses
Moses’ father-in-law Yitro journeys from Midian accompanied by Moses’ wife Zipporah (צפרה) and his two sons Gershon (גרשון” – Stranger in a foreign land”) and Eliezer (אליעזר – “G-d of my father was my help”). Earlier, in Parashat Exodus (4:20), we are told that Ziporah and his sons accompanied him on his return to Egypt. The Torah is silent as to why or when they were sent back to Midian. Was there marital strife, or did Moses simply want them out of harm’s way, while he did what had to be done, undistracted by family concerns? Was Moses pleased to be reunited with them? According to the text, Moses went out to meet Yitro and invited him into his tent. No mention is made as to how, or if he greeted his wife and two sons. Again, the Torah is silent. A modern-day Rabbinic commentator speculated that Moses’ apparent neglect of his family may be the reason that the medieval editors omitted all reference to him in the Passover Haggadah. After all, the Passover seder is an occasion for family gathering, and Moses was certainly no role model in that regard. An alternative explanation for omission of all reference to Moses in the Haggadah is that the authors wanted to keep the focus on G-d as the source of our liberation from slavery.
Note verse 11 – (“Now I know that the Lord is greater than all gods ” גדול ה’ מכל האלוקים). Consider this verse in addition to last week’s parashah, chapter 15:, verse 11 (“Who is like you Lord among the gods” מי כמכה באלים ה’). These two versus may be interpreted to imply that monotheism is not yet firmly entrenched among the Israelites. Many if not most traditional authorities would probably take issue with my interpretation.
Verses 13 through 27 – Yitro advises Moses to delegate responsibility for dispute resolution
Moses starts off perhaps as a “control freak”, or more likely he accepted the role of the “go to guy”. Yit ro shows him how to delegate and set up a rudimentary hierarchy of courts. This may be the first attempt to bring order and structure into the rabble that left Egypt, and it had to come from an outsider! Note that this was probably more on the level of informal arbitration than as a formal framework as laws were not yet arrived at. Perhaps there is also an important message here, that we should be open to recognize and accept wisdom regardless of the source, even from a pagan priest! It is telling that implementation of the rudiments of orderly and timely conflict resolution precedes the revelation and acceptance of the covenant at Mount Sinai, and is a prerequisite to the receival and adoption of the law.
Yitro returns home. It is unclear if Zipporah and her two sons remain with Moses or return with Jethro, as they are not mentioned further in the Torah.
Chapter 19, verses 1 through 25 – The Israelites accept the covenant at Mount Sinai
Three months after leaving Egypt, the Israelites came to Mount Sinai. Geographical location is vague, perhaps intentionally so to assure that, like Moses’ burial place, it would not become a place of pilgrimage. Or possibly this was intentional so as not to usurp the future centrality of Jerusalem and the temple to Jewish religious life and practice .
Note that this is a communal revelation, not personal as have been all of G-d’s communications up to then. Israel accepts the covenant to become a nation of priests and a holy people. Sinai is for the entire people, no matter as to individual social standing. A midrash teaches that all Jews, past, present, and future were present at Sinai. All the people responded “All that G-d has said, we will do” (כל אשר דבר ה’ נעשה). Note that the text is still silent as to what this implies; duties and obligations not having been detailed yet. Do the people fully comprehend what they are letting themselves in for? Was the covenant truly conditional, dependent on the peoples’ willing consent? A midrash promotes a contrarian view, that G-d uprooted Mount Sinai(!) and held it over the people, ready to crash it down on them if they didn’t agree. Was the covenant a mafiaesque “offer they couldn’t refuse”? The latter interpretation is not supported by the text.
Why were the people, and even the pri ests warned, upon pain of death, not to ascend the mountain?
Chapter 20, verses 1 through 18 – G-d transmits the ten commandments to Moses
This is the first rendition of what is commonly referred to by the Greek name -The Decalogue. Here it is referred to (verse 1) as simply דברים (words or statements). They are here transmitted orally by G-d to Moses on the mountain who then relayed them to the people below. Later (Exodus, chapter 34 verse 28) they are engraved in stone and brought down from the mountain by Moses. Here they are referred to as עשרת הדברים (Ten statements). Later, in the Talmud, they are referred to as עשרת הדיברות which is the more common usage.
Verses 1 and 2 – The first of the ten commandments is a declaration. As noted above, the expression “your G-d” (אלקיך) is perhaps a remnant of a pre-monotheistic past This states G-d’s “credentials”, having taken all of these people out of Egypt.
The next three commandments relate to man’s relationship with G-d, and the following six with man’s relationship to his fellow man. That is, setting up the basics for civil society (preamble to a more detailed code of laws to follow).
Verses 3 through 6 – The second of the commandments is a negative injunction. The Hebrew word describing one of G-d’s traits ‘אל קנא” can be translated as “jealous god” or “impassioned or dedicated god”. Also, note the wording: “You shall have no other gods before me” (לא יהיה לך אלקים אחרים על פני).
What is the intention that “guilt of the fathers will be the lot of the children until the third and fourth generations (פקד עון אבות על בנים עלשלשים ועל רבעים)? Perhaps “עון” should be translated as burden or responsibility rather than guilt.
Verse 7 – The third of the commandment deals with human behavior, at least among the Israelites; prohibiting gratuitous or secular use of G-d’s name. For that reason, orthodox (and many other) Jews will use spellings such as G-d or G-d in English, or use the term השם (The Name) in usage outside of formal prayers.
Verses 8 through 11 – The fourth of the commandments is a negative commandment that deals with a rule for proper religious practice as Jews; namely keeping the sabbath. Note the prohibition of “work” on that day without a real definition of what constitutes work. That would have to await the Rabb is of the Talmud in later centuries. The prohibition of work on shabbat applies not exclusively to the Jews but to any slaves (or indentured servants) that he has, or to “the stranger who is within your settlements”. This can be interpreted as prohibiting the practice of engaging a “Shabbos goy” to do forbidden work on your behalf (such as turning on a light or starting a fire for cooking).
The concept of the sabbath may find parallels in an earlier Babylonian practice (Shapattu). Traditional Jews state “More than Israel has guarded the Shabbat, the Shabbat has guarded Israel”. Until recent times, life was a dawn to dusk back breaking struggle for survival. The dictate to put aside one day a week to rest and rejuvenate the spirit may have been truly revolutionary. The Romans, among others, looked at the Jews with disdain if not disgust as being lazy, setting aside a whole day each week to abstain from work.
Verses 12 through 18 – The following six commandments deal with relationships between people. Why is the fifth commandment (Honor your father and mother) the only one that offers a reward and even a veiled threat for non compliance?
How can the final commandment (לא תחמד – “You shall not covet …”) prohibit one from an emotional reaction or mere thoughts? One can forbid acting on one’s thoughts, but preventing the thoughts in the first place? Perhaps the intent is not to dwell on such thoughts, or not to let such thoughts lead to an action to improperly possess what is not rightfully his..
This is the climax of the book of Exodus. G-d reveals himself to Israel and they accept his commandments. Note the differences between the commandments here and in Deuteronomy, chapter 5, verses 6 through 18.
Verses 19 through 23 – G-d instructs how the people shall worship
The people are instructed that worship is to be done in a modest manner, not in elegant temples. In constricting an alter, do not use a sword (חרב) made of iron. Why? How could the first and especially the second temple (the latter at least, an elegant structure) have been constructed without iron tools? Most probably, this injunction only applies to the alter (מזבח), not the temple (מקדש).
At the time, worship was primarily temple centered, based on sacrifices. Formalized, structured prayer as we understand it, came later.
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