ON THE PARSHA
          Parshas Yisro

          by Dovid Lipman, Jerusalem


The World Of The Supernatural

     (19:17) "And Moshe took the nation out..." The gemara
(Yerush. Shek. 1:1) laments this example of how for evil, the
Jews need no encouragement, but for good, they must be helped.
One explanation is that people are composed of a physical half
and a spiritual half, and can choose to strengthen the spiritual
side, but the physical side prevails by nature. So the gemara is
not complaining or mourning over misbehavior. Its language is
that we should FEAR (i.e. humbly acknowledge) the existence of
our "bad side", and prepare to battle it.

A Time To Laugh

     (18:20) "The path they shall follow..." The gemara (Kidd. 2b)
points out that 'path' is clearly used as a feminine noun here,
but elsewhere it is masculine. The gemara answers, there it speaks
of war, which is normally done by men, and here it speaks of Torah,
which itself is a feminine noun. However, Rashi (Bava. Metz. 30b)
says this pasuk refers to a profession. According to that pshat,
perhaps it means professions should normally be the domain of women!

Worthy Of Note
     (18:20) "And teach them the path..." Rashi (Bava Metz. 30b)
says this refers to a profession. The GR"A (O.C. 248) says this is
the source of the opinion that earning a living is a mitzvah with
respect to travelling on Friday. The Beis Yosef there says not to
rely on this opinion, for most opinions hold that the reason a
mitzvah trip is okay on Friday is the principle, 'Once involved
in a mitzvah, one is exempt from another.' (Once on the trip, one
will be automatically become exempt from preparing to enjoy
Shabbos, if the trip is for a mitzvah.) But with respect to this
principle, earning a living cannot possibly be a mitzvah, for if
it were, everyone would be exempt from mitzvos all the time! So
those opinions obviously would not consider minor mitzvos like
earning a living sufficient reason to travel on Friday. (See,
however, O.C. 415, where they DO suffice to permit one to make
an Eiruv Techumin.)

From the Gemara

     (19:16) Berachos 6b - Whoever gladdens a groom at his feast
will merit Torah, which was given with five 'voices'.
     (20:14) Bava Metzia 8a - Most people think 'Do not covet' only
means if one doesn't pay for the object, but it is not so.
     (18:13) Shabbos 10a - Did Moshe really judge continuously
"from morning to evening"? When would he learn Torah? It must be
to teach us that one who judges truthfully is considered a partner
in Creation, where it says "It was evening and it was morning..."

Rare And Unusual Words

     (20:8) "Zachor" This word, translated 'remember', connotes
verbal reminding as well, as with other mitzvos (like remembering
what Amalek did).  (Toras Cohanim 26:3)

Mitzvah Digest [The Ten Commandments are marked I to X]

[I]    25) One must believe that there is a G-d.
[II]   26) One may never think that there is any other god.
       27) One may not make, or have made, any physical form
           to be worshipped.
       28) One may not bow to serve other gods (even when that
           is not their normal form of worship.)
       29) One may not perform the normal worship of another god.
[III]  30) One may not swear falsely or uselessly.
[IV]   31) One must speak of the greatness of Shabbos when it
           begins and ends, to maintain belief in the Creation.
       32) One may not do anything called 'work' on Shabbos, or
           allow our children, servants, or animals to do so.
[V]    33) One must honor ones parents with food, drink, clothing,
           shelter, and accompaniment, to show gratitude.
[VI]   34) One may not kill (further details beyond the digest's
           scope), for Hashem favors life.
[VII]  35) One may not engage in relations that destroy the
           family (specifically, a man with another's wife).
[VIII] 36) One may not kidnap a Jew.
[IX]   37) One may not testify falsely.
[X]    38) One may not think of undertaking to acquire something
           that belongs to someone else, for it destroys a person.
39) One may not make a form which resembles a human, to distance
    idol worship.
40) One may not make an altar out of stones touched by metal, to
    reinforce that the altar brings peace, and metal brings death.
41) One may not take large steps, such as those needed to climb
    stairs, when climbing the altar, to reinforce the need for
    seriousness in serving Hashem.