Quick Thoughts on the Parsha

In the third aliyah, after Yitro has advised Moshe to appoint leaders to help him adjudicate more effectively and efficiently, Moshe implements Yitro’s system. The Torah says, וַיִּשְׁמַ֥ע משֶׁ֖ה לְק֣וֹל חֹֽתְנ֑וֹ וַיַּ֕עַשׂ כֹּ֖ל אֲשֶׁ֥ר אָמָֽר, “Moshe listened to the voice of his father-in-law and did all that he said” (Shemot 18:24). And yet in the verse right before, Yitro explains that not only does Moshe need to implement this system but God also has to command it, צִוְּךָ֣ אֱלֹקים (Shemot 18:23). Why do we then see Moshe appointing the leaders without God confirming that this is the right plan of action? Rashi offers a crucial detail to help us better understand. He explains, ואם יעכב על ידך לא תוכל לעמוד, “If God prevents you from doing this you will be unable to endure” (Rashi on Bereshit 18:23). Whether or not God gives a stamp of approval to Yitro’s advice is reflected in Moshe's experience of implementing the new system. This model is not so much that of the midbar-- when God’s will was consistently revealed-- but instead that of galut, exile, with which we are personally familiar. In galut, we only know we are on the right path if we can discern God’s hand in our lives. Confirmation that we are on the right path may take the form of things going smoothly, in a deepening of meaning in response to struggles and obstacles, or in the form of support from others. While prevention from the wrong path may come with obstacles that we cannot overcome or with a lack of inspiration and connection. No matter how God’s guidance manifests, knowing if we are on the right path requires that we cultivate the perspective and awareness to notice when God is commanding us and when God is preventing us from enduring. Today, practice looking for God’s hand guiding you in your life and be open to His path.

--Rabbanit Alissa

In the fourth aliyah, we read that Hashem gave the Torah ביום הזה, ‘on this day’. Rashi (quoting the Midrash) famously asks why the pasuk does not instead say ביום ההוא, ‘on that day’. Wasn’t the revelation at Har Sinai a one-time event in history? He answers that the language of ‘this day’ was used purposely in order to teach us that every day we are to see the Torah as being newly given to us. Matan Torah was not a one-time event in the past, but a daily event in our present. How then do we practically live out this concept of daily revelation? The text provides us with an answer just a few verses later. Hashem tells us, אתם ראיתם, ‘you have seen’-- this is not a tradition that was passed down to you-- it is something you saw and experienced with your own eyes. And so, the way we experience Matan Torah each day is by seeing it. Seeing Torah means seeing the Aseret HaDibrot, the Ten Commandments, as well as the rest of our commandments being upheld in practice. This may come about in our fulfillment of the mitzvot bein adam lechavero, between people, or bein adam laMakom, between us and God. The chiddush of this answer in our text is that now the daily revelation of Hashem’s Torah in large part depends on us-- on our living His mitzvot. Today, look for the Torah being revealed by you and by those around you. And notice what Torah is lacking and in need of being realized. May we all be able to say ראיתי-- today I not only saw Hashem’s giving of the Torah, but I helped bring about His revelation.

--Rabbanit Alissa

In the sixth aliyah, HaShem gives us the Aseret HaDibrot, the Ten Commandments. The Gemara in Masechet Shabbat 88b tells us that with every word that HaShem uttered, B’nai Yisrael died and were resurrected. Aside from this being an awe-filled, terrifying, and seemingly physically and spiritually exhausting ordeal, this image also informs how we experience every word of Torah we hear or speak. Torah is meant to elevate us and to give us tools to better our world. In our spiritual growth, there are parts of ourselves that we need to destroy, that we in some sense need to extract and kill. This could be greed, jealousy, spitefulness, or anything that harms our relationships with HaShem and each other. In overcoming and eradicating these destructive parts of ourselves, we grow stronger and are given renewed perspective and inspiration. In this way, when we apply Torah to our personal growth, the negative and divisive parts of ourselves die and we are reborn and reinvigorated to serve Hashem. As Rambam explains in Hilchot Teshuvah, when we conquer our own yetzer hara, we take on a new name, a new identity. This is our resurrected self, the self that stands at Har Sinai and is recreated through words of Torah. Today, ask yourself what you want to let go of and what you want to renew in yourself with each word of Torah you learn.  

--Rabbanit Alissa