And the entire Mount Sinai smoked

because the Lord had descended upon it in fire,

and its smoke ascended like the smoke of the

kiln,

and the entire mountain quaked violently.

(Shemot 19:18)

And [the entire] Mount Sinai smoked – This does not mean that the fire from Above makes smoke; rather, it

means to say that He, may He be blessed, caused Mount Sinai to be full of smoke

because the Lord had descended upon it in fire [and smoke was needed] to

keep the people from looking upon the Divine presence and taking pleasure in it

(ReMA).

and the entire mountain quaked violently… if I were not afraid I would say that this

around it, adding it to what had been said earlier, all [kol]

the people that were in the camp shuddered [vayeherad – the same

word translated as "quaked" in reference to the mountain]. That is,

the word kol refers to perimeter and surroundings, deriving from the

term klil (klil tifferet berosho natata – "You

placed a glorious crown upon his head"), which is a crown and a

tiara, so named because it encompasses and encircles the head…[as for] the

meaning of the entire mountain – it says and the entire mountain

quaked – it means that those who surrounded the mountain standing around its

base fell into a wondrous shuddering and amazement at seeing the revelation of

the Blessed Exalted One's glory before their eyes. (R. Yaakov Tzvi Meklinburg

(Königsberg, Germany 19^th century)

 (HaKtav VeHaKabbala)

Smoke represents judgment and

punishment. It says And the entire Mount Sinai smoked, [because] He "held the mountain over

them like a basin" expressing the force of judgment against those who

transgress His commandments.

 (Malbim)

Between heaven and Earth

Moshe Meir

The

description of the Assembly at Mount Sinai is the focus of parashat Yitro. Afterwards,

the parasha sets out the implications of the assembly:

The Lord said

exposed upon it.'" (20:19-23)

The

first implication is clear: since you saw that I spoke to you from the heavens,

do not fashion gods for yourselves from the earth. Silver and gold are the choicest

ingredients of the earth and therefore it is prohibited to fashion gods even

from them.

The

second conclusion learned from the Assembly at Sinai is somewhat odd: why

should the altar be built from earth? And furthermore – does this command

derive from their experience at Sinai? And if so – how?

The

third conclusion deals with the possibility of a stone altar being built

instead of an earthen one. Two rules are formulated: first, that it is

forbidden to wield a sword or other iron implement over the stones, but that

they should rather be left in their natural state. Second, that steps should

not be built for the altar. Rather, it should be approached via a straight

diagonal ramp because one's nakedness would be revealed to the stones while

ascending stairs (when one is clothed in a kind of dress). The third conclusion

is odd in itself, and its connection to the assembly at Mount Sinai is not

clear. The Sages contended with this strangeness and lent the second rule a

symbolic meaning:

And

you shall not ascend with steps upon My altar… this is a kal vahomer [an a

fortiori argument]: Stones lack thoughts of good and evil, but the Holy

One, blessed be He, warned us not to treat them disrespectfully, all the more

so [you should avoid disrespectful behavior towards] your fellow, who is the

image of the Holy One, blessed be He. (Midrash Tanhuma)

The

next parasha is Mishpatim, and Midrash Rabba explains its proximity to

parashat Yitro:

What

immediately precedes? And you shall not ascend with steps upon My altar, so

that your nakedness shall not be exposed upon it, and then follows: Now

these are the ordinances. What connection is there between the two?

Furthermore, was then the nakedness of the priest revealed? Is it not written, And

thou shalt make them linen breeches to cover the flesh of their nakedness (Shemot 28: 42)? "The truth is," said R. Abina,

"that just as God warned the priests not to take big strides on the altar,

but to walk with the heel touching the toe, so God warns all subsequent judges

not to take big strides, as it were, in passing judgment." (Shemot Rabbah 30:2,

based on Soncino translation)

Faced

with the unreasonable idea that the command is concerned with protecting the

honor of the stones by shielding them from human nakedness, both of the above

midrashic explanations remove the passage from its plain meaning.

The

entire parasha can be read in the following way: Scripture uses the term heaven

to refer to that which is beyond comprehension. The Assembly at Sinai made it

clear that God is beyond the boundaries of the world and beyond human comprehension.

The first conclusion follows from this – that one may not make gods of silver

or gold, since silver and gold are parts of this world.

Since

God exists beyond the boundaries of comprehension, man is left in the space

within those boundaries, a space void of God. That is the arena of human

activity, and the altar is the instrument of worship within those boundaries. Earth

symbolizes the world of earth, which stands in opposition to heaven. The

command to build an altar of earth tells us: "Act within the boundaries of

the possible and do not try to cross them."

Stones

are also part of the world;

they belong to the arena of possible human action. If God is part of the world,

then stones – as well as wood and other constituents of the world – become

objects of divine worship. If there is no god, man is left alone to rule

nature; he can desecrate and destroy it. If God is in heaven, beyond the

limits of comprehension, man is left alone in the world. However, the very

existence of an Other, despite His being "bracketed" in Heaven, limits

man's power and prevents the desecration of nature.

If

man ascends steps and reveals his nakedness to the altar, should he be

concerned with the feelings of the stones? The bracketing of God – in heaven – directs

the world towards man and directs all of man's feelings towards the world. Perhaps

there is some exaggeration in worrying about the world's "feelings,"

but one who does not reveal his nakedness to nature will know to take care and

not desecrate it. And, as the midrash teaches, one who does not desecrate

nature may also learn not to harm humanity.

It came about on the next day that Moses sat down to judge the

people. The day after Yom Kippur.

[and the people stood before Moses] from the morning until

the evening. Did Moses judge

Israel from morning to evening? Is it not true that judges only judge until

mealtime? What do we learn from [the phrase] from the morning until

the evening? That Scripture counts

anyone who makes genuinely true judgment Scripture as if he were a partner with

the Holy One, blessed be He, in the work of Creation. Here it written from

the morning until the evening and

regarding the work of Creation it is written, and it was evening and it was

morning.

(Mekhilta

Yitro 2)

It came about on the next day that Moses sat down to judge the

evening.

(Shemot

18:13)

Every use of the word maharat

["the next day"] in Scripture refers to the day following the

events just described. This is reasonable, because otherwise it would not be

understandable at all, since every day is called maharat in relation to

the day which precedes it. That is why I say that according to the plain

meaning of Scripture this present use of the term maharat should also be

understood literally, i.e., the day after they [Jethro and Moses' family] arrived

at the wilderness. Scripture says that Moses sat to judge the people because on

the day Jethro arrived Moses busied himself solely with doing honor to his

father in law; he told him all that had happened and made a feast for him,

leaving him [Moses] no time to judge the people. However, on the next day he

returned to his usual custom of judging the people. Do not be perplexed as to

how Moses judged the people before the Torah was given, for there are many laws

which are available to the human mind even if they are not commanded, such as [the

laws prohibiting] robbery and violence, and false oaths, and the like. Furthermore,

they already had the commandment of the Sabbath and of circumcision, and had

been warned against spilling human blood, and the other rational commandments

that are called the Torah of Humanity, or the Seven Noahide Commandments. Moses

would spend the whole day interpreting and applying them.

(R.

Yitzhak Shmuel Reggio ad loc)

And enjoin upon them the laws and

they are to follow.

(Shemot

18:20)

And enjoin [ve'hizharta] upon

them – As in And

the knowledgeable will be radiant [yazhiru], that he will clarify and elucidate the laws

and teaching for them until they are pure and bright like the very heavens. In

this he also restates what he had said elsewhere: and I made known God's laws and

His teachings.

(R.

Yitzhak Shemuel Reggio ad loc)

They journeyed from Rephidim, and

Israel encamped there opposite the mountain.

(Shemot 19: 2)

The Torah Was Given out of Peace and Unity, But Unity Does Not

Necessarily Imply Unanimity

Israel encamped – as one person of one heart, but all the

other stations of encampment involved complaining and controversy.

(Rashi on Shemot 19: 2)

Peace is great – for of all [other] legs of the journey, it is written: They

journeyed from… and they encamped (Bamidbar 33, passim) – They journeyed from in disagreement and they encamped in

disagreement. When they all arrived before Mount Sinai, they all formed one

encampment, as is written: Israel encamped. It is not written vayahanu

[they encamped, in the plural] rather vayihon sham Yisrael [Israel

encamped there – in the singular]. The Holy One, Blessed be He, said: This

is the hour to give my son the Torah.

(VaYikra Rabbah 9)

Scholars increase peace in the world – Some people mistakenly believe that world peace can only be achieved by

scholars investigating wisdom and Torah ideas, and as a result of these

investigations the number of viewpoints and methods multiplies, they think that

they [the scholars] cause controversy and the opposite of peace. But in truth

it is not so, for the true peace can only come to the world by way of the value

of the multiplicity of peace. The multiplicity of peace occurs when all

viewpoints and methods become visible, and it becomes clear how each has its

own place, each according to its worth, its place, and its concerns.

(HaRav Avraham Yitzhak

HaKohen Kook, ztz"l Olat RaAYaH, pg.330)

Other Gods

You shall have no other gods – are they really gods? Is it not written, And have committed their gods to the flames and have destroyed them,

for they are not gods? What then

are we to learn from other gods?

But [the meaning is that] others consider them to be gods. An alternative explanation: other gods – they delay the good from coming into the world. [Translator note: The

root a'h'r' means both "other" and "to

delay"] Another explanation: Other

gods – they are others to their

worshippers, as is written, If

they cry out to it, it does not answer; it cannot save them from distress (Isaiah 46:7)

(Mekhilta, Parashat Yitro, Masekhet

D'BaHodesh,

Parasha 5)

Please do not bury me in Egypt – Why? …Lest they make me an object of idolatry.

(Yalkut

Shimoni,

Bereishit, Chap. 47, 156)

Let us now discuss anger. There is the short-tempered person of whom it

is written "One who is quick to anger is like one who worships

idolatrously". This is the person who becomes furious whenever his will is

contradicted, becoming filled with rage, to the point where he loses good

judgment. Such a person would destroy the world if only he could, because his

intelligence has no control over him; like all animals of prey, he is

unreasonable, and of him it is written (Job 8): You who tear yourself to

pieces in anger – will earth's order be disrupted for your sake? It is easy for him to transgress all sorts

of sins in the world if his fury carries him there, for he has no motivation

other than his anger – wherever it leads him, he follows.

(Mesillat

Yesharim,

Chapter 11)

Included in the

widespread idolatry of today's world is a powerful reality: the concentration

of all thought and activity towards the accumulation of wealth and the success

of possessions. They are the mighty gods upon whom they lean, they are

supported by their faith; by sanctification of their names, they deny the

existence of God above.

(The "Baal HaAkedah" as quoted by Prof.

Nehama Leibowitz z"l, in her Iyyunim BeSefer Shemot, p. 234)

The names change, the

multiplicity remains. Culture and civilization, nation and state, nationality

and race, economy and class – here you see a partial list of the pantheon of

contemporary gods. Who can deny the existence of these gods? Never had an "idol

worshipper" bowed to his god with greater sacrifice, greater faith, than

does modern man… therefore, even until this day, in man's heart a war is

waged – between the worship of the One and worship of the many, and the outcome

of this battle is uncertain.

(From "Franz Rosenzweig: Jehuda Halevi –

Anmerkungen", translated and quoted by Prof. Nehama Leibowitz z"l)

You

Shall Not Covet: The Seal of the

Holy One Is Upon the Commandments "Between Man and His Fellow Man"

Know

that the prohibition You shall not covet and You shall not desire is

the seal of God imprinted on the section of commandments between man

and man in the Ten Commandments. A flesh and blood lawgiver can also

command: "You may not murder, etc." But only God is able to prohibit You

shall not desire. God, Who examines kidneys and heart, before whom not only

are actions revealed – but also the stirrings of the heart and thought. A human

being can prohibit only the transgression, and once the transgression has been

perpetrated, the offender may (sometimes) be brought to judgment. But human

eyes will never reach the primary source and focus of crime. Once the sin has

ripened in one's heart, the threat of human justice and punishment will not

deter him from executing it. Therefore, the building of human administration is

futile because such a building will remain imperfect and fragile as long as it

is based upon man's glory alone… And this is the truth of the matter: All that

we term "religion" and all that we call "Service of God with

heart and thoughts of truth" – these are nothing if they are not

accompanied by the power to control the words of our tongue and the actions of

our hand, in family and society. Only through our actions, in the broadest

sense, can we prove that we are truly and honestly "Servants of the

Lord"… Only God sees into the heart and judges man's thoughts. Every good

and straightforward action must derive from inside the heart, every positive

stirring in the heart must turn into action… this is the spirit which hovers

over the foundations of God's Torah, and this is the spirit which unifies the

two tablets – that of the commandments between man and God and that of the commandments

between man and his fellow man – until they become inseparable.

(Rabbi Shimshon Rafael Hirsch, Shemot 20:14)

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