Exodus 18:1–20:23
Parshat Yitro
Yitro, Moses' father-in-law, hears of the Exodus, joins the people in the desert and advises Moses to set up a system of judges. The people then arrive at Mount Sinai, prepare for three days, and hear G-d speak the Ten Commandments — the giving of the Torah, the founding moment of the Jewish people.
Essays
Parsha Yisro – A Stranger in a Foreign Land Torah is the one stop source for all the knowledge we need. While we can learn valuable lessons from “foreign” sources, the ideal is to get them straight from Torah. PARSHAS YISRO PARSHAS YISRO Parsha Yisro – A Direct Line There are two ways to connect to G-d; direct and indirect. The converts approach is direct PARSHAS YISRO PARSHAS YISRO Parsha Yisro – Climb the Mountain! A person must know their limits. Many a mountain climber has lost their balance because they did not now their limits. One must not then think that knowing our limits is a perpetual red light. It is only a pause to be followed by scaling much greater heights. PARSHAS YISRO PARSHAS YISRO Parsha Yisro – Delegate, but Don’t Adulterate Moses was the consummate lover of Israel. Moses wanted to personally give them an unadulterated version of Torah. Yisro recognized that G-d empowers each of us to deliver an authentic message. PARSHAS YISRO PARSHAS YISRO Parsha Yisro – Earth Shattering News What’s worse than the commission of a crime? When the person involves others in its performance. Especially, if the other is G-d. PARSHAS YISRO PARSHAS YISRO Parsha Yisro – High and Low The higher we climb the greater the pressure to go down. Don’t let success deter you from continuing to climb and weather the winds that try to force you down. PARSHAS YISRO PARSHAS YISRO Parsha Yisro – Honor Your Parents: The Bridge Parents are G=d’s way of teaching us respect for higher authority. Two parents teach us that G-d relates to us in two distinct ways. PARSHAS YISRO PARSHAS YISRO Parsha Yisro – Judaism 101 The Ten Commandments are really Ten Statements, which provide us with a basic introduction to Judaism. PARSHAS YISRO PARSHAS YISRO Parsha Yisro – Judicial Reform Contrary to a popular myth, we are always judging others. The way we judge should be determined by objective criteria. Some matters require judgment by our internal spark of Moses. PARSHAS YISRO PARSHAS YISRO Parsha Yisro – Kidnapped Destroying a person’s potential is a form of murder. Diverting one’s G-d given talent away from serving Him is a form of kidnapping. PARSHAS YISRO PARSHAS YISRO Parsha Yisro – Live It! Inspiration is a terrible thing to waste. When it comes, we must harness it to actions without delay, otherwise it will dissipate. PARSHAS YISRO PARSHAS YISRO Parsha Yisro – Membership Ticket Moses accepted Yisro not only as a father-inlaw but as a respected member of the Jewish people. PARSHAS YISRO PARSHAS YISRO Parsha Yisro – Pursuit of Truth There are few who seek absolute truth. There are fewer who will be prepared to give up everything they stood for when the reality of absolute truth hits them. That was Yisro. When he arrived, G-d gave us the Torah; the embodiment of absolute objective truth. PARSHAS YISRO PARSHAS YISRO Parsha Yisro – Outsiders and Insiders The lesson we derive from Yisro the convert is not to rest on our laurels. Yisro had two names that connote adding on to one’s accomplishments. There are two ways of adding: one from the outside and the other from the inside. PARSHAS YISRO PARSHAS YISRO Parsha Yisro – Sensitivity Training Torah is about sensitivity to G-d and to others. Sensitivity to one entity should never cause us to be insensitive to the other. PARSHAS YISRO PARSHAS YISRO Parsha Yisro – Stand or Sit The Ten Commandments stand out amongst all the other commandments. Yet there is controversy if one should stand while the Ten Commandments are read. PARSHAS YISRO PARSHAS YISRO Parsha Yisro – The Conversion at Sinai Realizing our potential is the greatest thing we can aspire to. But can we aspire to experiencing new potentials? The revelation of the Torah at Mount Sinai will provide us with an answer. PARSHAS YISRO PARSHAS YISRO Parsha Yisro – The Elusive Pursuit of Emes Truth in Hebrew is a three letter word. Each letter stands for another characteristic of truth. PARSHAS YISRO PARSHAS YISRO Parsha Yisro – The Ideal Human Being What makes us truly human? Our intellect? Our ability to speak? It is our ability to translate lofty ideals into deep emotions and concrete action. PARSHAS YISRO PARSHAS YISRO Parsha Yisro – The Ten Commandments of the Future The Ten Commandments of the future will be on a more sublime level. Observance of these commandments today prepares us for their heightened observance in the future. PARSHAS YISRO PARSHAS YISRO Parsha Yisro – The Ten Declarations That Will Change the World The Ten Commandments deal primarily with proper human behavior. They also declare how the world will operate in the future Messianic Era PARSHAS YISRO PARSHAS YISRO