Parshiot Tetzaveh-Zachor 5772, 2012:
                                            Overcoming Amalek
                                               Rabbi David Etengoff

Dedicated to the sacred memories of my sister-in-law, Ruchama Rivka Sondra, my sister, Shulamit bat Menachem, and Shifra bat Chaim Alter, and the refuah shlaimah of Yosef Shmuel ben Miriam and Yehonatan Binyamin Halevy ben Golda Friedel, and in honor of the joyous birth and brit milah of my grandson, Levi ben Asher Dovid, nairo yair.

What is a hero? American media bombards us with images of sports and media figures that supposedly represent the definition of this term. As a result, we are ceaselessly presented with the most picayune details regarding the lives of these individuals. Indeed, an entire industry has arisen with the sole purpose of “Sports and Entertainment News.” Unfortunately, many of these people lead lives that are the polar opposite of the standards contained in our holy and eternal Torah. Clearly, these “cultural icons” cannot be our heroes. In short, their “morals” do not reflect our values.

Let us return to my opening question. What is a hero? Two of the suggested definitions found at Merriam-Webster.com are: “a man admired for his achievements and noble qualities” and “one that shows great courage.” In my opinion, the crucial words here are “noble qualities” and “great courage.” In other words, like many contemporary sports figures and Hollywood actors, it is possible to have universally recognized achievements and nonetheless be totally lacking in noble qualities and authentic courage. In stark contrast, Jewish history is replete with genuine heroes who achieved magnificent goals that required tremendous moral rectitude and courage. Our heroes, in the broadest sense, are the Avot (Patriarchs) Emahot (Matriarchs), Moshe, Aharon, the Neviim (Prophets), and Chazal (the Torah Sages throughout the ages).As a group, they created the Jewish world in which we live, and demonstrated the ethical values that we must emulate.

In my estimation, one of the truly great heroes of the spirit was the Chasidic Master, Rabbi Levi Yitzchak ben Meir of Berdichev, Russia (1740-1810). “The Berdichever,” as Jews fondly and respectfully have always known him, is famous for advocating on our behalf before HaKodesh Baruch Hu. In doing so, he followed in Avraham Avinu’s (Our Father Abraham) footsteps. When Hashem informed Avraham, in Sefer Bereishit (18:23-25), of the imminent destruction of S’dom and Amora, the first Patriarch challenged the Almighty with these unforgettable words:

He came forward and said, “Will You actually wipe out the innocent together with the guilty? Suppose there are fifty innocent people in the city. Would You still destroy it, and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty good people inside it? It would be sacrilege even to ascribe such an act to You - to kill the innocent with the guilty, letting the righteous and the wicked fare alike. It would be sacrilege to ascribe this to You! Shall the whole world's Judge not act justly?” (Translation, Rav Aryeh Kaplan zatzal)

Rabbi Levi Yitzchak learned from Avraham’s approach to Hashem. As a result, he prayed for and pursued truth, justice, and mercy for our people at all times – even when it meant challenging the Master of the Universe Himself. The following vignette illustrates the depth of love the Berdichever had for the Jewish people and the extent to which he was willing to challenge the Creator of the Universe on our behalf:

Master of the World, I have several complaints – four in number – to register against the legal decisions of your Court, for I am Rav in Israel and acquainted with Your laws.

First, it is written in the Talmud, tractate Ketubot, “You may acquit the accused in his absence, but you may not convict him in his absence.” How then is the Heavenly Court able to find us guilty when we do not appear before them?

Second, our Sages have written in Pirkei Avot: “Do not judge your fellow man until you have been in his place.” How then can those who abide in Heaven judge those who abide on earth, since they have never experienced earthly life?

Third, our Sages decreed in the Talmud, tractate Sanhedrin, that “no man may be appointed a member of the Sanhedrin [religious court] who is childless, for children teach a father to have compassion.” How then can angels, who have no children, qualify as judges?

Fourth, there is a paragraph in our laws of jurisprudence that “the accuser must come to the accused.” Since they above are the accusers, and we below are the accused, let the Heavenly Judges come down to us and render judgment in our courts of justice according to the law! (Samuel Dresner, The World of a Hasidic Master: Levi Yitzhak of Berditchev, pages 82-83)

It should be noted that this encounter of Rav Yitzhak Levi with the Master of the Universe took place before his entire congregation – on Yom Kippur.

The Berdichever’s most famous work is the Kedushat Levi. Herein, this towering personality unflinchingly examines our holy Torah with his legendary depth and insight. His explanations are often novel and always thought provoking. One such example occurs in reference to Parashat Zachor. Rabbi Levi Yitzchak was challenged by a straightforward conceptual and psychological problem in reference to Amalek: How can we maintain such a strong emotional revulsion against a people that no longer exists and regarding events that took place in the 13th century BCE? After all, according to Mishnah Yadaim 4:4, Sennacherib, the King of Assyria (720-683 BCE approx.), completely destroyed the ethnic cohesiveness of nearly all the nations of his time. They were decimated and their members were “cast to the wind.” Thus, as a result of Sennacherib’s marauding evil, Amalek ceased to exist as a tribal entity. Since this is the case, why does the Torah instruct us to “Remember what Amalek did to you” and give us a total of three separate and eternal mitzvot regarding a tribe and people that is no more? How are we to understand this seeming anomaly?

In his analysis of these issues, the Berdichever suggests that remembering what Amalek did to us and blotting out his accursed memory is only a part of the obligation that is incumbent upon us. He adroitly takes the concept of Amalek out of the historical realm and transfers it to the personal realm, thereby rendering the mitzvah all the more relevant: “Each and every individual among the Jewish people is mandated to wipe out the evil portion [of his personality] that is called ‘Amalek’ that is hidden in his heart.” Suddenly, the commandment is relevant to us all, since it is no longer historically bound. Instead, Amalek suddenly becomes quite personal that we each need to encounter. Therefore, Rabbi Levi Yitzchak stresses the dangers that Amalek continues to represent:

As long as the “seed of Amalek” is found in the world, since man is considered to be a “small world [unto himself],” there, therefore, exists the reality of Amalek [behind] the power of evil in each person. This [power] awakens anew to cause a person to sin. It is concerning this that the Torah has the reminder of [“Remember what Amalek did to you…”] (Brackets my own)

Sadly enough, Amalek lurks within each of us. True, as the Berdichever continues, while we are involved with Torah study and heartfelt prayer, Amalek can do us little harm. We are protected, so to speak, by Hashem’s divine light and by His holy presence. When, however, we are not immediately protected by Hashem’s chane v’chesed v’rachamim (favor, kindness, and mercy), we run the risk of falling under Amalek’s hypnotic spell. Thus, the Berdichever teaches us that we must never deviate from our path of serving Hashem. By remaining true ovdei Hashem (servants of Hashem), we will have: “a powerful reminder to not allow the power of Amalek to cause us to err.”

May the Master of All give us the wisdom to understand what it means to be true Jewish heroes and to follow the mesilat hayesharim (the path of the just) of our Gedolim. May He give us the strength to recognize the Amalek that lies within, and to overcome this personification of evil through Torah study, heartfelt prayer and honestly performed gemilut chasadim (acts of loving kindness). V’chane yihi ratzon.

Shabbat Shalom

Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org

The email list, b’chasdei Hashem, has expanded to hundreds of people. I am always happy to add more members to the list. If you have family or friends you would like to have added, please do not hesitate to contact me via email [email protected].

My audio shiurim on Tefilah and Haskafah may be found at: http://tinyurl.com/7sp5vt3

****New*** I have recently posted 164 of Rabbi Soloveitchik’s English language audio shiurim (MP3 format) spanning the years 1958-1984. They are available here: http://tinyurl.com/82pgvfn.

**Follow new postings on my Twitter account: @theRavZatzal.

                            Parashat Terumah 5772, 2012:
          
            Our Task: To Enable Hashem to Dwell Among Us

                                Rabbi David Etengoff

Dedicated to the sacred memories of my sister-in-law, Ruchama Rivka Sondra, my sister, Shulamit bat Menachem, and Shifra bat Chaim Alter, and the refuah shlaimah of Yosef Shmuel ben Miriam and Yehonatan Binyamin Halevy ben Golda Friedel.

Our parasha contains the source text for the mitzvah of building the Beit Hamikdash (Holy Temple). The Rambam (1135-1204) states in the first halacha (law) of Hilchot Beit Habechira (Laws of the Chosen Place): “There is a positive commandment to make a House for Hashem, that is established for the purpose of offering sacrifices, and rejoicing therein three times a year. As the Torah states: ‘And you will make a Mikdash (a Holy Place) for Me…[Sefer Shemot 25:8]’”

The conclusion of the above-quoted pasuk (verse) is: ”v’schachanti b’tochom”(“and I will dwell among you [the Jewish people]”). As amazing as it seems, the Torah teaches us that G-d, the Infinite, seeks to be among us, the finite. He wants to shine His Divine countenance upon us and enable us to receive His mercy and kindness. What do we need to do to be worthy of our Creator’s blessings, to become proper vessels to accept His chane v’chesed, v’rachamin (His favor, kindness, and mercy)? The answer is clear: We need to be m’takane nafsheinu, to perfect our spiritual being, to the best of our abilities. How can this noble and essential goal be achieved? How can we become better than who we are today?

Talmud Bavli , Eruvin 13b, helps provide an answer to our questions:

Our Rabbis taught: For two and a half years Beit Shammai and Beit Hillel argued. One side said: “It would have been better if man had not been created rather than his having been created.” The other side claimed: “It is better that man was created rather than his having not been created.” They reached the following conclusion: “It is better that man should not have been created rather than his having been created. Now, however, that he was created, he should examine his actions.” An alternate text reads: “He should scrutinize his actions.”

In my opinion, this dispute appears, at least in part, to be based upon two contrasting passages that are found in Sefer Bereishit. The first section refers to the creation of man, the second to mankind’s perversity. In the first, many midrashim teach that man appears as the crown of Hashem’s creation, the greatest of all His handiworks:

G-d said, “Let us make man with our image and likeness. Let him dominate the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the livestock animals, and all the earth - and every land animal that walks the earth.” G-d [thus] created man with His image. in the image of G-d, He created him, male and female He created them. G-d blessed them. G-d said to them, “Be fertile and become many. Fill the land and conquer it. Dominate the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, and every beast that walks the land…” G-d saw all that he had made, and behold, it was very good. It was evening and it was morning, the sixth day.

Unfortunately, a mere five chapters later, following the expulsion from the Garden of Eden and the first murder in history, man’s potential for depravity and evil reaches crescendo-like proportions. Humanity corrupts the entire world to the point where Hashem decides to destroy it:

G-d saw that man's wickedness on earth was increasing. Every impulse of his innermost thought was only for evil, all day long. G-d regretted that He had made man on earth, and He was pained to His very core. G-d said, ‘I will obliterate humanity that I have created from the face of the earth - man, livestock, land animals, and birds of the sky. I regret that I created them.’ (Translation, Rav Aryeh Kaplan, The Living Torah)

Clearly, man’s beginning, as depicted in these two passages, contains the elements of his nearly unlimited potential for good as well as for evil. Man, it seems, is a study in polar opposite potentialities. He is a conflicted being who is constantly presented with the choice of performing actions that are either good or evil. Hence, the two and a half year dispute between Beit Shammai and Beit Hillel, two of the greatest yeshivot in Jewish history.

I believe that the key to man’s potential spiritual growth and improvement is contained in the concluding statement in the above-cited Talmudic passage: “Now, however, that he [man] was created, he should examine his actions. An alternate text reads: ‘He should scrutinize his actions.’” The original Hebrew terms are “y’phashpfash b’maasuv” (“examine his actions”) and “y’mashmash b’maasuv” (“scrutinize his actions”). Each of these terms is explained in different ways by our classic commentators.

The Aruch (Rabbi Yechiel ben Natan, 1035-1110) explains “y’phashpfash b’maasuv” as referring to careful inspection of one’s actions after having committed a sin. In contrast, “y’mashmash b’maasuv,” refers to the scrutiny of one’s potential actions to ascertain whether or not they fit the criteria of meritorious behavior. These approaches, therefore, should prevent a person from committing a chate (sin) or, at the very least, from repeating it. Rashi (1040-1105), the Prince of Commentators, follows the Aruch’s approachin reference to “y’phashpfash b’maasuv,” while significantly expanding upon the analysis of “y’mashmash b’maasuv.” In doing so, he comes close to paraphrasing the mishnah in Pirkei Avot 2:1, wherein Rabbi Yehudah Hanasi said: “Be as careful with a minor mitzvah as with a major one, for you do not know the rewards of the mitzvot. Consider the cost of a mitzvah against its rewards, and the rewards of a transgression against its cost.” Thus, in his commentary on our Talmudic passage, Rashi states the following:

y’mashmash b’maasuv – for example, if one has an opportunity to perform a mitzvah, he should consider the loss that will obtain due to its non-performance in light of the reward that would accrue as a result of its performance. He should, therefore, not put off its performance because of the [momentary] monetary expenditure since, its reward will surely come in the future. [Moreover,] if the possibility of performing a sin presents itself, he should carefully consider the “reward” that will accrue immediately over and against the future loss for which he will have to make restitution.

In my opinion, however, the most trenchant analysis of “y’phashpfash b’maasuv” and “y’mashmash b’maasuv” is found in the classic gem of the Mussar Movement entitled, “Mesilat Yesharim,” authored by the great Italian kabbalist and ethicist, Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto zatzal (17707-1746). Rav Luzzatto defines “pishpush” (the nounal form of “y’phashpfash”) as:

…to examine all of our actions, in general, and to carefully think about them. [To ascertain] if they contain therein actions that we ought not to do that do not follow the ways of the commandments and statutes of Hashem. Any actions that fit [this negative criterion] should be destroyed from the world.

In contrast, he defines “mishmush” (the nounal form of “y’mashmash”) as:

…the careful and exact analysis of even good actions, to determine and see if they contain any aspect, whatsoever, that is not good or any bad feature that must be removed and destroyed…one must scrutinize his actions [in this fashion] to examine their innermost content, the purpose of this examination to [yield] actions that are pure and perfect.

According to Rav Luzzatto, then, the ultimate purpose of “pishpush” and “mishmush” is “for man to scrutinize all of his actions and to be aware of all of his approaches [to the world], in order that he will not have any bad habitual behaviors or negative moral qualities – and all the more so that he will not perform any manner or variety of sins.” (Translation and emphasis my own)

Rav Luzzatto has provided us with a blueprint for true spiritual growth and development that will allow the Almighty to dwell among us; namely, to examine all of our actions, those that we know need improvement, and even those that we currently believe to be above reproach. With Hashem’s help and guidance, we will thereby merit the fulfillment of the pasuk: “And you will make a Mikdash (“a Holy Place”) for Me and I will dwell among you.” May this time come soon and in our days. V’chane yihi ratzon.

Shabbat Shalom

Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org

The email list, b’chasdei Hashem, has expanded to hundreds of people. I am always happy to add more members to the list. If you have family or friends you would like to have added, please do not hesitate to contact me via email [email protected].

My audio shiurim on Tefilah and Haskafah may be found at: http://tinyurl.com/7sp5vt3

****New*** I have recently posted 164 of Rabbi Soloveitchik’s English language audio shiurim (MP3 format) spanning the years 1958-1984. They are available here: http://tinyurl.com/82pgvfn.

**Follow new postings on my Twitter account: @theRavZatzal.

Parashat Mishpatim 5772, 2012:

Who Should be Our Teachers?

Rabbi David Etengoff

Dedicated to the sacred memories of my sister-in-law, Ruchama Rivka Sondra, my sister, Shulamit bat Menachem, and Shifra bat Chaim Alter, and the refuah shlaimah of Yosef Shmuel ben Miriam and Yehonatan Binyamin Halevy ben Golda Friedel.

Our parasha begins with some very well known words: “V’aleh hamishpatim asher tasim lifneihem.”(“And these are the laws that you [Moshe] should place before them [the Jewish people].”) The halachic Midrash to Sefer Shemot, known as the Mechilta, suggests that this pasuk (verse) refers not just to Moshe, but to every rebbi, morah, and teacher who will teach Torah in the future:

Rabbi Akiva said: “And these are the laws,” why was this said? It was said since in another place the Torah states: “Speak to the Jewish people and say to them” [Sefer Vayikra 1:2]. From this statement I would only know that it would be necessary to tell them once, from where would I derive an obligation to repeat it to them a second, third, and fourth time until they would [thoroughly] learn it? The Torah, therefore, states: “And you should teach the Jewish people.” [Sefer Devarim 31:19]. I might have thought this could mean that they would only have to learn it and not repeat it, therefore the Torah states: “Place it in their mouths” (Ibid.). [Furthermore,] I might have thought that it would be sufficient for them to be able to repeat it, but not to fully comprehend it. The Torah therefore teaches: “And these are the laws that you should place before them.” [This places the obligation upon the teacher] to set the laws before them like a [fully] set table (shulchan aruch) just as it says: “You are the ones who have been shown so that you will know that G-d is the only G-d, and there is none besides Him.” (Ibid., 4:35) (Translation my own)

A brief analysis of Rabbi Akiva’s second century teaching method reveals the following:

1. The act of teaching Torah requires patience and skill on the part of the educator since he/she is obligated to teach and repeat the material in such a way that the students thoroughly master it.
2. Reinforcement of the material is crucial and essential to the learning process. Therefore, it is insufficient for the teacher simply to thoroughly teach the Torah. He/she must review the passages/laws under discussion until “they can repeat it” i.e., it becomes part of them. In other words, the students must assimilate the material so that it becomes an essential part of their knowledge base and their cognitive repertoire.
3. Mere knowledge of the material is a necessary, but insufficient, step in the Torah learning process. The end goal, according to Rabbi Akiva, is true intellectual mastery of the subject matter. This places the onus upon the Torah educator to teach with such clarity that the Torah content under discussion becomes so accessible that it is “like a [fully] set table (shulchan aruch).”

The Rambam (1135-1204), in Hilchot Talmud Torah 4:4, according to the analysis of the great Yemenite scholar, HaRav Yosef Kapach zatzal (1917- 2000), bases himself upon the above cited passage from the Mechilta in his formulation of the halacha: “The Rav who teaches and finds that the students do not understand should not become angry with them and become annoyed with them. Instead, he should review and repeat the material even many times until the students understand the depth of the halacha (law).” (Translation my own) The Tur, (Rabbeinu Yaakov ben Asher, 1270-1340), in Yoreh Deah: 256, and Rabbeinu Yosef ben Ephraim Karo (1488-1575) in Shulchan Aruch Yoreh Deah: 256:10, quote the Rambam’s statement verbatim. This is the case, as well, in the first Lubavitcher Rebbe’s (Rabbeinu Shneur Zalman of Liadi, 1745-1812) Shulchan Aruch HaRav, Yoreh Deah, Hilchot Talmud Torah 4:18 and in the Aruch HaShulchan, Yoreh Deah: 256:26 of Rabbeinu Yechiel Michel ben Aharon Yitzchak Halevi Epstein (1829-1908). Beyond a doubt, Rabbi Akiva’s statement, as found in the above-quoted passage from the Mechilta, must be taken as normative halacha since his words, via the formulation of the Rambam, are codified by the leading halachic experts throughout the generations.

Now that the Halacha has revealed to us the true task of the Torah educator, and the manner of exposition that he/she should follow, the question remains: “Who should be our teachers?” Clearly, our teachers must be individuals who are dedicated to serving Hashem by the act of transmitting His Torah and its authentic meaning. They need, therefore, to be people who have chosen Chinuch (Jewish Education) as a l’chatchila (their first choice), and not as a bidieved (by default since they have not “found anything else”). They ought to be people who are inspired, who feel that they have a special opportunity to impart G-d’s word to others. They need, as well, to realize the tremendous obligation and responsibility that they bear as their words and actions will directly affect their student’s perceptions of HaKadosh Baruch Hu and His Torah.

The sixth Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn (1880-1950), summarized some of the most salient qualities that a Torah educator should possess:

To be fit for the position, an educator or counselor requires special preparation - to ensure that his education or guidance brings about the desired benefits. Not everyone who would step forward to assume the title of educator or counselor can accept this great responsibility, since an unsuitable person not only fails to correct anything, but in addition makes things worse, bearing the full blame for doing so. The first step of an educator or counselor in preparing for this highly responsible and holy work of education and guidance is introspection.

Aside from an incisive self-critique of his teaching and its style, the educator or counselor needs to review his methodology, to ensure that it is characterized by extreme deliberation and politeness.

He must attempt to find sayings that are appropriate for his lessons, and communicate them pleasantly. In this way, the lessons will be engraved on the heart of a pupil, appearing before his eyes even after he leaves the presence of his educator or counselor. An educator or counselor must realize not only that it is essential for him to use appropriate phrases in his lessons, but that the manner of expression - whether he expresses them with politeness and patience, or with agitation and derision - also affects the foundation of education and guidance.

… words of disdain when coming from the mouth of his educator or counselor, though true, diminishes the educator's stature in his pupil's eyes. Many educators and counselors err here. They think that ferment by way of thunderous noise and clamor helps them achieve their goal in education or guidance. Among them are those who attack their pupils with extremely harsh and angry words, insulting and berating them.

Truly, even if the pupil becomes temporarily upset from the flaming words of the educator or counselor, his heart shrinking within him in pain, and at times he cries bitterly, this type of education or guidance yields no [lasting] benefit whatsoever.

Any [temporary positive] effects vanish like a fleeting dream. (Selections from The Principles of Education and Guidance, The Second Provision:

The Preparation of the Educator and Counselor, as found at http://www.chabad.org /library/article.asp?AID=115232)

Yehoshuah ben Prachiah teaches us in Pirkei Avot (“Ethics of the Fathers”) 1:6 “Aseh lecha Rav” (“Make a teacher for yourself”). In light of everything we have explored above, I would like to interpret this aphoristic statement in the following manner: Choose a teacher for yourself who first and foremost represents the highest standards of ethical behavior and treats others with true derech eretz – especially his or her students. Choose a teacher for yourself from whom you will learn not only Torah content, but Torah values as well. Choose a teacher for yourself who demonstrates kindness, patience, and a love of Torah that is so powerful he or she must share it with others. May we all be zocheh (“merit”) to find such teachers and benefit from their guidance in our never-ending quest to serve Hashem. V’chane yihi ratzon.

Shabbat Shalom

Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org

The email list, b’chasdei Hashem, has expanded to hundreds of people. I am always happy to add more members to the list. If you have family or friends you would like to have added, please do not hesitate to contact me via email [email protected].

My audio shiurim on Tefilah and Haskafah may be found at: http://tinyurl.com/7sp5vt3

****New*** I have recently posted 164 of Rabbi Soloveitchik’s English language audio shiurim (MP3 format) spanning the years 1958-1984. They are available here:

http://tinyurl.com/82pgvfn.

**Follow new postings on my Twitter account: @theRavZatzal.

_ Parashat Yitro 5772, 2012




Rabbi Soloveitchik On the Mitzvot



Rabbi David Etengoff




Dedicated to the sacred memories of my sister-in-law, Ruchama Rivka Sondra, my sister, Shulamit bat Menachem, and Shifra bat Chaim Alter, and the refuah shlaimah of Yosef Shmuel ben Miriam and Yehonatan Binyamin Halevy ben Golda Friedel.







Parashat Yitro is preeminently the parasha of the Aseret Hadibrot (The Ten Commandments). The great Jewish philosopher and biblical exegete, Rabbeinu Saadiah Gaon (882-942), suggests in his Sefer Hamitzvot (Book of the Commandments) that the Aseret Hadibrot are actually a summary of all of the 613 Torah commandments. Thus, contrary to popular belief, they have no greater significance than the rest of the mitzvot. Instead, their importance derives from their symbolic representation of all the commandments of the Torah. Given this emblematic connotation, and, in opposition to the Rambam’s opinion (1135-1204; as expressed in his responsum no. 263, Blau ed.), many Ashkenazi congregations stand during the public reading of the Aseret Hadibrot. This minhag (practice)is, in reality, a reenactment of our acceptance of the entire Torah at the moment of he Revelation, and is, therefore, very different from our standard public Torah readings. It is this singular difference that obligates us to rise during their recitation. Thus my rebbi and mentor, Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik (1903-1993) in his recently published posthumous work entitled Out of the Whirlwind: Essays on Mourning, Suffering and the Human Condition, states:



…actually the reading of the Aseret ha-Dibberot is not only a didactic performance of limmud [Torah study], but a restaging, a dramatic reenacting of mattan Torah [receiving the Torah]. This is why people rise when it is read. Rambam asked in his responsum, Why should they rise? Aseret ha-Dibberot is no more sacred than the parasha which speaks of Timnah, the concubine of Elifaz (Gen. 36:12)! But the Aseret ha-Dibberot is read not only as a text which is being studied, but as a text which is being promulgated and proclaimed by G-d Himself. (Page 15)




Since the Aseret Hadibrot symbolically represent the entire Taryag Mitzvot (613 Commandments), Parashat Yitro presents an opportunity for us to pause and reflect upon our relationship to the commandments. On the most basic level, we know that there is a tripartite process that forms the background of each and every commandment: Hashem as the metzaveh (the Commander), the mitzvah (the commandment), and man as the metzuveh (the commanded). Each time we are mekayam a mitzvah (fulfill a commandment), we demonstrate our loyalty to our Creator and prove to the world that the Voice emanating from Har Sinai (Mt. Sinai) continues to be heard in all of its power and majesty. Moreover, we show the entire world that the relationship He forged with our forbears continues to flourish until our own historical moment. By keeping Hashem’s Torah, we thereby proclaim: “Hashem Hu HaElokim.” (“Hashem is our G-d and Master”)




It is important to note that the Torah differentiates between two distinct categories of mitzvot: chukim and mishpatim. Talmud Bavli, Yoma 67b interprets these terms in the following manner:




Our Rabbis taught: “You should perform my mishpatim” (Sefer Vayikra 18:4). These are matters that were they not actually written [by G-d] it is logical that they would have been. These are some examples: the prohibitions of idol worship, illicit sexual behavior, murder, stealing, and cursing Hashem. “… and you should guard my chukim” [Ibid.] These are matters wherein the Satan [Rashi, yetzer harah, the “evil inclination”] attempts to disprove their validity and veracity. These are some examples: the prohibitions of eating pig flesh, wearing garments comprised of a mixture of linen and wool threads, the act of relieving a brother-in-law of his obligation to marry his widowed sister-in-law (chalitzah), the ritual purification of the individual afflicted with Tzarat, and the scapegoat rite [of Yom Kippur]. [Since you cannot understand them] perhaps you will say that they are completely worthless and devoid of meaning! Therefore the Torah states [Ibid.]: “I am the L-rd your G-d.” I am He who has decreed it [i.e. the chukim] and you do not have permission to question them. (Translation, my own)




The Rambam (1135-1204) codifies the distinction between chukim and mishpatim in the following fashion:



The mishpatim are those commandments wherein their rationale is revealed and the value (lit. “good”) that obtains as a result of their performance is known in this world. For example: the prohibitions of stealing and murder and the obligation to honor one’s father and mother. [In contrast,] the chukim are those commandments whose rationale is unknown. (Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Meilah 8:8, translation my own)




In summary, mishpatim are laws that we could have derived on our own, if left to our own devices. In this sense, they are “natural laws,” even though their obligatory and immutable character derives directly from the ineffable moment of Revelation at Har Sinai. In contrast, chukim escape current human understanding. While they, too, have reasons, our cognitive limitations prevent us from their discovery.




According to Rabbi Soloveitchik, man’s acceptance of the chukim, man’s acquiescence and submission to laws that defy his comprehension, is an essential element of the faith gesture. Moreover, when we accept the transcendent yoke of the chukim, we demonstrate our trans-historical connection to the first patriarch, Avraham Avinu, and by extension, to Knesset Israel (the Community of the Jewish People:



What does man cherish more than the intellect, around which his sense of dignity is centered? Precisely because of the supremacy of the intellect in human life, the Torah requires, at times, the suspension of the authority of the logos. Man defeats himself by accepting norms that the intellect cannot assimilate into its normative system. The Judaic concept of chok represents human surrender and human defeat. Man, an intellectual being, ignores the logos and burdens himself with laws whose rational motif he cannot grasp. He withdraws from the rationalist position… Once man has listened and retreated, he may later be instructed to march straight to victory… Abraham was told to withdraw, and to defeat himself, by giving Isaac away. He listened; G-d accepted Isaac but did not retain him. G-d returned him to Abraham… Abraham found victory in defeat. (“Majesty and Humility” delivered as an address at Rutgers College on April 14, 1973, reprinted in Tradition: A Journal of Orthodox Thought, Spring, 1978, page 37)




Given Rav Soloveitchik’s analysis, it is clear that we are obligated to view the entire Torah and its corpus of laws in their authentic light, namely, with the understanding that chukim and mishpatim, have an absolute demand upon us, an unquestionable claim upon our being that is derived from the Voice who communicated with us at the moment of the Revelation at Har Sinai. This is reflected in one of the prayers that we recite each and every morning:



May it be Your will our G-d and G-d of our fathers that we will keep your chukim (statutes) in this world, so that we will merit, and we will live, and we will see, and we will inherit good and blessings during the time of the Mashiach (Messiah) and in the world to come. (Siddur, Morning Prayers, translation my own)




May the entire Jewish people be zocheh (merit) to witness the fulfillment of this prayer soon and in our days. V’chane yihi ratzon.




Shabbat Shalom



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