Shabbat Shalom The weekly parsha commentary – parshat (link to original page) Parashat Yitro NOW IT WAS ON THE MORROW: MOSHE SAT TO JUDGE THE PEOPLE AND THE PEOPLE STOOD BEFORE MOSHE FROM DAYBREAK UNTIL SUNSET. WHEN MOSHE'S FATHER-IN-LAW SAW ALL THAT HE HAD TO DO FOR THE PEOPLE, HE SAID: WHAT KIND OF MATTER IS THIS THAT YOU DO FOR THE PEOPLE? WHY DO YOU SIT ALONE, WHILE THE ENTIRE PEOPLE STATIONS ITSELF AROUND YOU FROM DAYBREAK UNTIL SUNSET?   The Judge Can Judge Only By What He Sees … From the text, it seems that originally Moshe...

Shabbat Shalom The weekly parsha commentary – parshat (link to original page) Parashat Yitro You shall also seek out from among all the people capable men who fear God, trustworthy men, who spurn ill-gotten gain. Set these over them as chiefs of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens, and let them judge the people at all times. Every great matter they shall bring before you, but every small matter they shall judge by themselves. Make it easier for yourself by letting them share the burden with you.  (Shemot 18:21-22)   WHAT IS A  "GREAT MATTER"?   "Every great matter they...

Shabbat Shalom The weekly parsha commentary – parshat (link to original page) Parshat Yitro "You Shall Not Covet" Said Rav Huna: We find that Israel was not exiled from their land until they transgressed "They covet fields and seize them; houses, and take them away." (Micha 2:2) (Psikta Rabbati, Chap. 24)   "You Shall Not Covet": The Seal of the Holy One Is Upon the Mitzvot "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 mitzvot between man and...

Shabbat Shalom The weekly parsha commentary – parshat Yitro (link to original page) Parshat Yitro Yitro heard and came Aharon Shlomoff In beloved memory of Haya Ronit Mendel Bat Ziva Esther and Aharon Shlomoff 24 Shevat 5748 May her soul be bound up in the bond of everlasting life. Of the 54 Torah portions, only five are named after individuals: Noah, Yitro, Korah, Balak, and Pinhas. Why did these five individuals deserve to have Torah portions named after them? Even our three forefathers didn't achieve this honor. Nor did Moses, our greatest prophet, the receiver of the Torah and...