Parashat Yitro – 5785

14 February 2025 (5785)

Week of 9-15 February 2025

Torah portion : Ex, 18 :1-20 :23 ; Haftarah : Isa 6 :1-7, 9 :5-6

Theme: Fit to receive the Torah

 Through the revelation at Sinai, Israel is transformed from a band of freed slaves to a nation covenanted to God.” (Lieber 432) In this parashah we have the moment when God revealed the Torah to humanity or more specifically it was given to the Israelites that they would live it and thereby reveal it to the rest of world.  This is the best known of the Jewish laws and the symbol of their faith. The ten words or pronouncements are not mentioned as commandments but have through the centuries become known as such.

      It would have been a truly spectacular moment with the people gathered at the foot of the mountain amid thunder and lightning, perhaps even fearful and wondering what will happen next. Did the Israelites actually hear God proclaim these utterances? Some scholars state that they heard all ten utterances while others claim that God spoke only the first two and that Moses gave the remaining eight. What God said was clear but how God communicated these words to human beings remains a mystery.

      In the verse, “I, the Lord, your God,” lacks an imperative verb and is itself not a commandment but rather an introduction to the entire Decalogue. “The Lord identifies Himself by name to solemnly indicate that His authority stands behind the following stipulations. His authority derives from His freeing Israel from Egypt.” (Jewish Study Bible 139)

       There are actually two accounts given of these utterances, one in Ex.20:4-6 and the other in Dt.5:8-10. It is believed that the account in Exodus relates what was written on the first set of Tablets which was ultimately broken following the tragic event of the Golden Calf whereas the account in Deuteronomy records what was written on the second set of Tablets that God gave Moses.

There are some differences that are found in these two accounts. For the words – “Remember the Sabbath day” in Exodus, the creation story is stressed to recall that the Israelites had just left slavery and were now being created anew as a free people. We see in Deuteronomy, the words, “Keep the Sabbath,” with the emphasis placed more on refraining from work. Another difference is the command, “You shall not covet.”  In Exodus the importance is placed on something that belongs to someone else whereas in Deuteronomy it goes further stating, “You shall not desire.”

      An interesting note is that in describing the Israelite desert crossing, all the verbs are plural – ‘they journeyed,’ ‘they entered,’ now for the first time the Hebrew verb for ‘encamped’ is singular suggesting that only after they had transgressed their differences, did they become one people fit to receive the Torah.  (Lieber 437)

      Since humanity is created in God’s image and having been entrusted with the commandments towards God, creation and all fellow human beings, we are definitely challenged to live morally and to leave this world a better place than when we came to it. This set of commands remains the simplest and shortest guide for creating a good and upright society.

For Reflection and Discussion: 1. How do we view these pronouncements of God?  2. Are they only as laws to be kept or are they revealing God’s character and intention to have a relationship with each of God’s creatures?

Bibliography: Lieber, David L.,Etz Hayim, Torah and Commentary, The Jewish Publication Society, 2001, New York, NY.,  Berlin, Adele and Brettler, Marc Zvi, The Jewish Study Bible, Oxford University Press, USA, 2004.

This week’s Parasha Commentary was prepared by
 Rita Kammermayer NDS, Jerusalem-Israel, Bat kol Alumna: 2001

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