{"id":1962,"date":"2018-01-30T15:58:48","date_gmt":"2018-01-30T15:58:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/batkol.info\/?p=1962"},"modified":"2018-01-30T15:58:48","modified_gmt":"2018-01-30T15:58:48","slug":"parashat-yitro","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ratisbonne.org.il\/bk\/2018\/01\/30\/parashat-yitro\/","title":{"rendered":"Parashat Yitro"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Shabbat Table Talk<\/p>\n

Parashat Yitro \u2013 Erev Shabbat 02 February 2018<\/p>\n

Week of 28 January-03 February 2018<\/p>\n

Torah portion: Exodus 18:1-20:23 Haftarah: Isaiah 6:1-7:6, 9:5-6<\/p>\n

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Download<\/a><\/p>\n

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Yitro (Jethro), the father of Zipporah, Midian priest, encourages Moses to set up a judiciary system; Jethro listens to Moses\u2019 account of the deliverance of the Hebrew people from Egypt; we read the preparations for the Theophany and the details of the Decalogue. The commentators in Etz Hayim refer to this parashah as \u201cthe hinge of the Torah\u201d (Lieber p.432). The hinge image needed to open or close the door, vividly pictures humanity\u2019s access to critical revelation.<\/p>\n

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a. Torah given to Israel, intended for all humanity<\/p>\n

a. Transformation of freed slaves to nation covenanted to God<\/p>\n

b. God reached down to reveal Torah to humanity<\/p>\n

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b. Jethro \u2026. heard (18:1) Jethro as righteous gentile; very human reasons for Jethro\u2019s association with people Israel include (Lieber p.432)<\/p>\n

a. Feeling of pity and compassion upon hearing the suffering of Hebrew people in Egypt<\/p>\n

b. Desire to be part of a victorious people<\/p>\n

c. Realization of the destiny of Israelites and desire to join them<\/p>\n

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c. G-d is aloof and unapproachable as well as immediate and full of love\/concern\/protection<\/p>\n

a. The mountain covered with fire and thunder, need for purification, danger of approaching God (Exod. 20:16; Exod. 28:35; Lev. 10:2)<\/p>\n

b. \u201cHow I bore you aloft on eagles\u2019 wings\u201d Exod. 19:4, Rashi says, it expresses the intimate relationship between the bearer and those borne, the concern and love of the benefactor for the beneficiary (Leibowitz, p293)<\/p>\n

c. God will come down, Ex 19:1 (Etz Chayim p.439) expresses God\u2019s infinite transcendence and personal, intimate involvement with humanity<\/p>\n

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d. How we treat one another is of concern to God<\/p>\n

a. Other nations had laws that stated \u201cIf you do this\u2026, then \u2026.\u201d. The Decalogue opens the door to the new understanding that certain acts are not only against the law, they are wrong in an absolute sense. \u201cYou shall not\u2026\u201d (Lieber p. 441)<\/p>\n

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e. The singularity of God\u2019s relationship with each one of us<\/p>\n

a. \u201cI the Lord am your God\u201d (20:2) The Hebrew word for \u201cyour\u201d is singular, for God is revealed to each one of us according to our own capacity to respond (Lieber p.442)<\/p>\n

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Bibliography: Leibowitz, Nehama, New Studies in Shemot, Jerusalem, 1976; Lieber, Etz Hayim, Torah and Commentary, New York, 2001<\/p>\n

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This week\u2019s teaching commentary was prepared by<\/p>\n

MariAnn (Marjan) Saenen, B.A. M.A. Michigan State University,<\/p>\n

Lay Minister, Diocese of Saginaw, MI<\/p>\n

Bat Kol alum 1999-2000, 2002, 2010, 2015, 2016<\/p>\n

Email: marjansaenen@hotmail.com<\/p>\n

[Copyright \u00a9 2018]<\/p>\n

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PLEASE NOTE: The weekly Parashah commentaries represent the research and creative thought of their authors, and are meant to stimulate deeper thinking about the meaning of the Scriptures. While they draw upon the study methods and sources employed by the Bat Kol Institute, the views and conclusions expressed in these commentaries are solely those of their authors, and do not necessarily represent the views of Bat Kol. The commentaries, along with all materials published on the Bat Kol website, are copyrighted by the writers, and are made available for personal and group study, and local church purposes. Permission needed for other purposes. Questions, comments and feedback are always welcome.<\/p>\n

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Bat Kol Institute for Jewish Studies, Jerusalem<\/p>\n

~~1983-2018~~<\/p>\n

\u201cChristians Studying the Bible within its Jewish milieu, using Jewish Sources.\u201d<\/p>\n

Website: www.batkol.info; Parashat Admin: gill@batkol.info<\/p>\n

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Shabbat Table Talk Parashat Yitro \u2013 Erev Shabbat 02 February 2018 Week of 28 January-03 February 2018 Torah portion: Exodus 18:1-20:23 Haftarah: Isaiah 6:1-7:6, 9:5-6 \u00a0 Download \u00a0 Yitro (Jethro), the father of Zipporah, Midian priest, encourages Moses to set up a judiciary system; Jethro listens to Moses\u2019 account of the deliverance of the Hebrew…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":46,"featured_media":1964,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ghostkit_customizer_options":"","ghostkit_custom_css":"","ghostkit_custom_js_head":"","ghostkit_custom_js_foot":"","ghostkit_typography":"","_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ratisbonne.org.il\/bk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1962"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ratisbonne.org.il\/bk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ratisbonne.org.il\/bk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ratisbonne.org.il\/bk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/46"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ratisbonne.org.il\/bk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1962"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.ratisbonne.org.il\/bk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1962\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ratisbonne.org.il\/bk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1964"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ratisbonne.org.il\/bk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1962"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ratisbonne.org.il\/bk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1962"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ratisbonne.org.il\/bk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1962"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}