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Third decade
Second thousand
Ears and nose don't work
e"dl
exzi
1123
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Feb 6-7 '15
OU Israel Center • 22 Keren HaYesod • POB 37015 • Jerusalem • (02) 560-9100
K'ISH ECHAD and ISH ECHAD
As One Person and One Person. That's the translation of the title. Here's
what it refers to.
The Torah describes the arrival of the People of Israel to Mount Sinai. In the
third month from the Exodus (Sivan), on THIS day (Rosh Chodesh), they
(plural) came to the Sinai Wilderness. THEY traveled from R'fidim, THEY
arrived in Midbar Sinai, THEY camped in the desert, and Israel (singular)
camped opposite the mountain. Rashi's famous comment on the switch
from plural verbs to singular - at Mount Sinai, the multitude of people unified
to the extent that they were K'ISH ECHAD, as one person, with one heart.
More than six hundred thousand men plus women and children - a soon-tobe nation of two to three million people, were like one person with cont. page 4
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...there was thunder and lightning and a heavy cloud on the mountain...
JERUSALEM in/out times for Shabbat Parshat YITRO
Candles 4:42PM • Havdala 5:56PM • Rabbeinu Tam 6:30PM
Pi x
ParshaP
Explanations further on
dia
dag
nap
jour
siku
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Last week, we asked a TU BISHVAT
BRACHA RIDDLE. Here it is again, and then the answer.
You have before you raisins, dried apricot, and banana chips and you plan on eating
them all. Your favorite among the three is apricot. Second favorite are the banana chips.
You are about to partake when you realize the problem. Apricots have priority over
banana chips because of CHAVIV (you like them better). Banana chips have priority
over raisins because you like them better and the brachot are different (Shulchan
Aruch). Raisins have priority over apricots because of 7 Species within same bracha
(Shulchan Aruch). So what do you do? Answer begins on page 16
Candles
Shabbat Parshat Yitro
Havdala Mishpatim-å
Ranges are 11 days, Wed-Shabbat
4:42
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5:00 Aza area (Netivot, S'deirot, et al) 5:59 5:06 6:05
Earliest Talit & T'filin
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Sunrise
6:31-6:22½am
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Modi'in / Chashmona'im
4:58
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11:53-11:53¼am
(halachic
noon)
5:04
6:04
4:58
5:58
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4:42
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Petach Tikva
(earliest Mincha)
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HaShem (2 names), Avraham (2 names), Yaakov (2 names)
cont. from previous TTr: Reuven, Balak, Par'o, Yitro, Moshe
Vayeitzei, Vayishlach, Vayeishev, Vaychi,
Yitro, Vayakhel, Korach, Balak, Matot,
Vayeilech - all what?
The wine or in the wine
In Yitro, Esther, and Divrei HaYamim Bet
Honor your parents with a cup of wine
Not just Parshat D'varim - Yitro & Vayakhel too

Most of us appreciate the
significance of scientific thought in
bringing about scientific revolution, but very few are aware of the
power of moral speculation in
producing moral change.
 Our lives are but an instant - how
can we relax?
 Restraint is meaningless unless we
know precisely what it is that we
are restraining.
from "A Candle by Day" by Rabbi Shraga Silverstein z"l
www.createspace.com/4492905
continued from the Front Page
one heart, with one unified goal - the
receiving of the Torah and establishing a mutual relationship with
G-d, who had taken them out of
Egypt.
And the One Person? That refers to
Yitro, (former) Midyanite priest,
father-in-law of Moshe Rabeinu.
One person who came to be part of
that nation. The One Person for
whom the sedra that contains the
account of Revelation at Sinai, is
named.
Let's go back to the K'ISH ECHED.
The people were LIKE one person but they weren't one person, they
were two to three million people.
When a Jew sees a gathering of at
least 600,000 Jews, there is a
bracha to recite. The bracha begins
as most due: Baruch Ata HaShem,
Elokeinu Melech HaOlam, and ends
with an unexpected two-word
phrase that describes one aspect of
G-d - CHACHAM HARAZIM, the
One who is wise to secrets.
Some explain this bracha by pointing out that when people see a large
multitude of people, they are overwhelmed by the massiveness of the
group and fail to see the individuals
who make up the group. Each
person is no longer an entity unto
itself, but part of a mass of humanity. Only G-d, in His infinite compacity, can distinguish each individual
from the multitude. He - and only He
- is CHACHAM HARAZIM, the One
who knows the individual secret
hearts of each person.
Even though we consider it highly
admirable and complimentary to the
people who stood at Har Sinai K'ISH
ECHAD B'LEIV ECHAD, there is a
down side to that status. Except for
G-d, we cannot help but lose sight of
the individual as an individual, with
all that that means. Even the people
who are part of the large group itself,
would tend to not think of themselves as individuals.
We as Jews need two kinds of
feelings about our commitment to
G-d, Torah, and Mitzvot.
We need to feel that commitment
and whatever struggles and challenges that commitment entails as
individuals, as a unique person and
Jew. We must never forfeit our personal identity to the group.
But, at the same time, we must feel
a total belonging to that group, to
Bnei Yisrael, to the People of Israel.
Yitro shows us the way to the former
mode of thinking and feeling. The
united multitude of men, women,
and children who stood at Sinai and
entered into an eternal covenant
with G-d, and a mutual relationship
with Him, show us the way to the
latter mode of thinking and feeling.
Mathematics says that the whole is
equal to the sum of its parts.
Judaism says the whole is greater
than the sum of its parts. but that
can only be so if each part of that
greater whole maintains his or her
unique identity and personality. This
is the dual challenge of being a Jew
and of being part of Am HaShem
OU Israel Center TT 1123  page 4  The Yitro 5775 issue
Yitro
17th of 54 sedras; 5th of 11 in Sh'mot
Written on 138 lines in a Torah, (46th)
15 Parshiyot; 4 open, 11 closed
Numbers in [square brackets] are the
Mitzva-count of Sefer HaChinuch AND
Rambam’s Sefer HaMitzvot. A=ASEI
(positive mitzva); L=LAV (prohibition). X:Y
is the perek and pasuk from which the
mitzva comes.
1105 words, 4022 letters - ranks 46th
Kohen - First Aliya
12 p'sukim - 18:1-18
Yitro is the smallest sedra in Sh'mot
[P>
75* p'sukim - ranks 47th
(only 7 sedras have fewer p'sukim)
*Tradition is that Yitro has 72 p'sukim,
not 75. If we count DIBROT rather than
p'sukim for the Aseret HaDibrot, then
the number drops to 72 (from 75) and
that might reconcile the difference.
But not quite. Because when we read
the Aseret haDibrot with TAAMEI
HA'ELYON (as Dibrot), there are only 9
p'sukim/dibrot, since the first two are
definitely combined. Total - 71.
Yitro contains 17 of the 613 mitzvot;
3 positive and 14 prohibitions
Note that 14 of the 17 mitzvot in Yitro are
within the Aseret HaDibrot. That means
that Ten Commandments is not really
the best translation for Aseret HaDibrot.
The Ten Statements might be a better
rendering of Aseret HaDibrot or Aseret
HaD'varim
[P> X:Y (Z)] and [S> X:Y (Z)] indicate start
of a parsha p'tucha or s'tuma. X:Y is
Perek:Pasuk of the beginning of the
parsha; (Z) is the number of p'sukim in the
parsha.
Yitro, Moshe's
father-in-law, hears "all that has
happened" to the Children of Israel
and comes to Moshe with Tzipora
and Moshe's (actually, Tzipora's that’s how the Torah describes
them!) two sons, Gershom and
Eliezer. Moshe, Aharon, and the
Elders welcome Yitro with great
honor. Yitro praises G-d for all that
He has done for the People.
18:1
(27)]
The straight reading of this
portion is that Yitro heard about the
Crossing of the Sea and the battle
with Amalek. These are the events
recorded in the previous sedra.
Other commentaries point to certain
textual references about Sinai and
are of the opinion that Yitro came
after Matan Torah, sometime during
the almost one year that the People
were camped near Sinai. If this is so,
then we have an example of "there
is no set order in the Torah's
account..." and we can add the
events of Sinai to the list of what
Yiro "heard and came". Of course,
when the Torah does not follow
chronological sequence, there are
reasons... sometimes we get insight
into what those reasons might be.
OU Israel Center TT 1123  page 5  The Yitro 5775 issue
VAYICHAD YITRO, Yitro was
delighted with all of the good that
G-d had done for the people of
Israel. That’s the “plain” meaning of
the word. Rashi mentions another
possible meaning of the word - of
the skin breaking out in “goosebumps”, perhaps a subconscious
feeling of mortification for the
downfall of his former colleagues.
One has to be sensitive and careful
with what one says to a convert or
potential convert.
Levi - Second Aliya
11 p'sukim - 18:13-23
On the "following day", Yitro
observes Moshe judging the People
from morning until night. He
offers suggestions for a more
efficient system. Moshe should
teach the People what G-d requires
of them, and he should also handle
the most difficult questions and
disputes. But the bulk of the daily
judging should be assigned to
qualified individuals who will be
in charge of groups of ten, fifty, a
hundred, and a thousand people.
Yitro explains that this new system
will not only make things easier for
Moshe, but the people too will be
benefited.
(This portion of the sedra definitely
seems to have occurred after Matan
Torah, even if you want to say that
Yitro's original arrival was before.)
"On the following day..." The
plain meaning would be, on the day
following Yitro's arrival. Rashi,
however, quotes the Midrash in
saying that the day was the morrow
of Yom Kippur, that very first Yom
Kippur when Moshe came down
from the mountain with the second
set of Luchot. This makes an
important statement, that not only is
building the Mishkan an essential
part of the "getting back to life
following the Golden Calf disaster"
period, but so is the everyday social
and civil functioning of the people.
In the big picture, we see that
Parshat Yitro with the main description of Matan Torah precedes
Mishpatim with its mundane, everyday, down-to-earth laws. Yet at the
beginning of Yitro, we find this
out-of-sequence portion of the
Mishpatim-related concept. And at
the end of Mishpatim, we have the
rest of the story of Maamad Har
Sinai. So which really comes first the lofty, spiritual dimensions of
Judaism, or everyday life? We can
(and should) look at it as a package
deal.
However you look at the first part of
the sedra, the story of Yitro seems
to be an interruption between the
events of the Exodus and the
Splitting of the Sea on the one hand,
and Matan Torah on the other. But it
is definitely NOT an interruption - it
is a prerequisite for Matan Torah.
Moshe's view of the judging process, as he explains to Yitro who
asks him what he's doing, is that the
people come to him LIDROSH ET
HA'ELOKIM, to seek out G-d. Yitro's
point is that there is a lack of civility
among the disputing individuals
OU Israel Center TT 1123  page 6  The Yitro 5775 issue
which must be handled BEFORE
they can pursue Knowledge of G-d.
This interlude about civil justice can
teach us that good interpersonal
relations allows us to really benefit
from Matan Torah. Similarly, Derech
Eretz Kodma LaTorah.
Shlishi - Third Aliya
4 p'sukim - 18:24-27
Moshe accepts Yitro's suggestions
and selects the judges. Commentaries point out that the actual
qualifications of the judges that
Moshe selected were more
"modest" than Yitro had recommended. In theory, the very highest
caliber person should be sought
after as judge. In reality, we often
have to settle for the best we can
find in our society.
Moshe sends Yitro off on his
journey to Midyan (to convert his
family, says Rashi).
Notice that the first three Aliyot are
all part of a single parsha, the
parsha of Yitro (not to be confused
with weekly sedra of Yitro). Pull that
parsha out of the Torah for a
moment (don't worry, we'll put it
right back), and the next thing we
read about is Israel traveling from
Refidim towards Sinai. This follows
smoothly from the battle with
Amalek which took place in Refidim.
Sequentially, the removed parsha of
the Yitro episode is not missed at
all. Therefore, it seems obvious that
the Yitro portion is there for its
lesson value alone. Which is fine,
and is how we understand the EIN
SEDER MUKDAM U'M'UCHAR BATORAH phenomenon. The Torah is
not just going to put things out of
chonological order for no good
reason (as mentioned earlier).
R'vi'i - Fourth Aliya
6 p'sukim - 19:1-6
Here begins the Torah reading for
Shavuot morning
[P> 19:1 (25)] The Torah now
returns to the sequence of Y'tzi'at
Mitzrayim to Matan Torah. On
Rosh Chodesh Sivan (six weeks
after leaving Egypt) the Children of
Israel arrive at Sinai.
Worth reviewing...
In the third month following the
Exodus, on THIS day, they (the
Children of Israel) arrived at the
Sinai Wilderness. Why THIS day;
THAT day is how you tell a story.
The Torah isn’t a once-upon-a-timea-long-time-ago story book. The
Torah is a living guide for us, to be
constantly rediscovered. Every day,
each Jew should imagine him- or
herself at Sinai receiving the Torah
anew. Today we have come out of
Egyptian bondage; today we stand
at the foot of Mt. Sinai eagerly
awaiting Divine Revelation, and
today we commit ourselves to G-d
and what He asks of us. Today is
the first day of the rest of our lives.
The words of Torah which we learn
and live should never become stale.
They should be in our eyes as if
TODAY we have received them. We
OU Israel Center TT 1123  page 7  The Yitro 5775 issue
should learn Torah and do mitzvot
with the freshness and enthusiasm
of a first-time experience. This too
fits well with the "Yitro model". The
challenge: Be a true Torah Jew all
your life, for as many years as G-d
gives you, but have an enthusiasm
that is more common to converts
and Baalei T'shuva.
After settling in at the foot of
Mount Sinai, Moshe ascends to
G-d (whatever that really means)
and G-d tells him what he is to say
to the women and men (sequence
is intentional and based on the
analysis of the terms Beit Yaakov
and then Bnei Yisrael). A clear
connection is made between G-d's
having taken us out of Egypt and
His taking us to Him as His Chosen
People - with the condition that we
follow Him and His Torah. It is true
that a Jew is a Jew regardless of his
keeping the Torah or not, but it is
clear that G-d has always
demanded of us that we be
committed to Torah and Mitzvot in
order for our relationship with
Him to be mutual and actively
positive from both sides.
Chamishi 5th Aliya
13 p'sukim - 19:7-19
Moshe presents G-d's words to the
Elders (and the People), who
answer with a resounding "All that
G-d says we will do". (Not yet with
the famous Naaseh V'Nishma - that
comes next week.) Moshe then tells
the people to prepare for three
days to receive the Torah. During
this time, the Mountain was offlimits (to people and to animals).
On the morning of the third day,
the People gather at the foot of the
mountain to the accompaniment of
the supernatural sounds and sights
of the Shofar, thunder, lightning,
and smoke. G-d will speak to
Moshe in such a manner that the
People will be witness to this direct
communication. When Moshe will
speak, G-d will answer with a
"voice" (and not just via a vision or
spiritual telepathy - so that the
people could be part of the experience).
G-d tells Moshe that the
People should "sanctify themselves
today AND tomorrow". It is relatively
easy to sanctify oneself on the day
of the great miraculous events of
Matan Torah. The challenge to each
of us is to sanctify ourselves on the
many tomorrows that follow. The
days after the wondrous events...
The days when our lives return to
"normal". This is what being Jewish
is about. Yom Kippur is special and
holy. Our additional challenge is to
sanctify the day after Yom Kippur.
We sanctify the mundane. Therefore, there really is nothing that is
actually mundane for us.
OU Israel Center TT 1123  page 8  The Yitro 5775 issue
Shishi - Sixth Aliya
20 p'sukim - 19:20-20:14
G-d descends onto Har Sinai (so to
speak) and calls to Moshe to join
Him. G-d tells Moshe to repeat the
warning against approaching the
mountain. Moshe then goes down
to the people to tell them G-d's
words.
[S> 20:1 (1)] G-d (Elokim) speaks
all the following things, saying...
What follows is/are Aseret HaDibrot, the Ten Commandments. They
are comprised of 13 p'sukim which
contain 14 mitzvot of the Torah's 613.
[S> 20:2 (5)] What we call the first
two commandments (or sayings or
statements) are combined in a
single parsha of 5 p'sukim. They
can be seen as two sides of the
same coin. You must believe in
G-d; you may not believe in other
gods... Some Chumashim consider
the ANOCHI pasuk and LO
YIHYEH... to be a single pasuk. In
Taamei HaElyon they are definitely
joined into a single pasuk.
The first commandment sounds
like a statement by G-d - an introductory remark, perhaps, to what
follows, but is viewed by Rambam,
Chinuch, and others as a mitzva to
believe in G-d [25, A1 20:2]. (And
others do view it as an introductory statement.)
The second commandment contains several prohibitions related to
idolatry. Specifically, not to believe
in other gods [26,L1 20:3] (this
mitzva includes the prohibition of
having no belief at all - atheism),
not making idols [27,L2 20:4], nor
bowing to them (even without
believing in them) [28,L5 20:5],
nor worshiping idols in any manner [29,L6 20:5]. Note that this
commandment deals with both the
thought and actions of Avoda Zara
(idolatry).
[S> 20:7 (1)] The third command-
ment prohibits swearing in vain
[30,L62 20:7].
This is defined as (1) swearing to the
truth of something that is obviously
true and well- known - e.g. that the
Sun is hot; (2) to swear in denial of
an obvious truth - that the Moon is
made of cheese (interestingly, this is
not considered a lie or a false oath,
since - hopefully - everyone knows
that the Moon is not made of
cheese. Only when the truth of a
matter is unknown do we use the
term lie and false oath. A vain oath
is just as serious as a false one, so
this distinction is largely academic,
but it emphasizes the seriousness
of being flippant in regard to
swearing.); (3) to swear to violate the
Torah - e.g. that one will eat pork.
Such an oath is immediately void
since we are considered to have
taken a prior oath (at Sinai) to not
OU Israel Center TT 1123  page 9  The Yitro 5775 issue
eat pork. Hence, the oath is in vain
and is a disrespectful use of G-d's
name; (4) to swear to do something
that is impossible - e.g. to stay
awake for a full week. The common
denominator of these types of vain
oaths is that they all "cheapen" the
use of G-d's name and threaten the
smooth functioning of society which
often must rely on the seriousness
of a real oath.
In addition to actual vain oaths, this
prohibition is considered by some
authorities to include the saying of a
BRACHA L'VATALA, and its partner,
a BRACHA SHE-EINO TZ'RICHA.
Saying G-d's name in vain is forbidden but is not considered part of
this Commandment #3. It falls
under one or more other isurim.
[P> 20:8 (4)] Commandment #4
deals with Shabbat and contains
the positive mitzva to remember
the Shabbat with Kiddush [31,
A155 20:8], and the prohibition of
all manner of Melacha, specific
categories of creative activities [32,
L320 20:10].
The mitzva of ZACHOR includes
saying Kiddush as Shabbat enters,
and Havdala as Shabbat leaves.
(Officially, K&H are said in davening
as a fulfillment of the Torah
command, and again with wine, in
fulfillment of a Rabbinic command.
It's a bit more complicated than that,
but this is the basic idea.)
Prohibitions of Melacha are divided
into 39 categories, each of which
contains other related activities,
usually with the same goal. E.g.,
PLANTING is one of the 39 categories; watering, pruning, fertilizing
all help the growth of plants and are
TOLADOT of PLANTING, and are
also considered Torah violations of
equal seriousness to the parent
melacha, Planting.
Aside from these two mitzvot about
Shabbat, there are three others in
the Torah - last week's prohibition of
T'CHUM SHABBAT, next week's
positive command to abstain from
melacha (the other side of the
prohibition here), and Vayakhel's
prohibition of courts carrying out
punishments on Shabbat.
[S> 20:12 (1)] The fifth com-
mandment is to honor
parents [33,A210 20:12].
one's
Grandparents, in-laws, older (or
possibly oldest) brother (maybe
sister too), and teachers are
included in this mitzva, but with
different parameters. Honor of
parents is usually considered to
refer to that which one does for
one's parents, in contrast to reverence (fear) of parents which include
that which should not be done
because it would be disrespectful.
[S> 20:13 (2/11 of the pasuk)] #6
is the prohibition of MURDER [34,
L289 20:13], which is considered
the antithesis of Belief in G-d, since
murder directly negates creation of
human being in His image.
[S> 20:13 (2/11)] Commandment
#7 against ADULTERY [35, L347
OU Israel Center TT 1123  page 10  The Yitro 5775 issue
20:13] is the prohibition of having
parsha...
relations with a married woman, but
as a "chapter heading" it also points
to the other forbidden relations.
[S> 20:14 (11/15)] specifies the
[S> 20:13 (2/11)] LO TIGNOV, #8
[36,L243 20:13], which is specif-
ically defined as kidnapping, but is
also the category header of many
mitzvot in the Torah.
[S> 20:13 (5/11 of a pasuk)] #9 is
the prohibition of "bearing false
witness" [37,L285 20:13].
We can see in this mitzva, as well as
many others, how important it is to
G-d, so to speak, that we be able to
function as a society. Both oaths
and testimony are necessary for the
establishment of TRUTH, in the
absence of having direct first-hand
knowledge. So much of the dealings
between people involves the trust
we place in each other's word,
especially when backed by an oath,
and in the confidence we place in
the testimony of witnesses. Without
these elements of our interpersonal
relations, we would be incapable of
functioning as a society and each of
us might as well look for a cave
somewhere to live as a hermit.
[S> 20:14 (4/15 of a pasuk)] #10
is the prohibition of COVETING
[38, L265 20:14] sums things up in
that it focuses on thoughts that can
lead to all types of sins. Being part
of The Big 10 points to the significance of thought, where the usual
focus is on deeds. The second part
of this commandment is in its own
prohibition of coveting one's
fellow's wife, his male or female
servant, his ox or donkey, or
anything that is his.
Sh'VII Seventh Aliya
9 p'sukim - 20:15-23
[S> 20:15 (4)] The People are
awestruck by the supernatural
phenomena of the Sinai experience and they keep their distance.
They ask Moshe to tell them what
G-d wants rather than hearing His
Voice directly.
After the second statement, the
People panicked and asked Moshe
to tell them what G-d wants, so that
they would not hear "G-d's voice"
directly. G-d agreed, on the condition
that we listen to the word of the true
prophet who speaks in G-d's name.
[S> 20:19 (5)] G-d tells Moshe to
remind the People that they heard
G-d speak; that they shall make no
graven human images (even for
art) [39,L4 20:20]; they shall make
an altar and offer sacrifices upon
it; if the altar be of stone, its stone
shall not be cut with metal tools
[40,L79 20:22]. The Altar may not
be approached with immodest
steps [41,L80 20:23] but rather via
its ramp. Maftir is last 5 p'sukim.
OU Israel Center TT 1123  page 11  The Yitro 5775 issue
Haftara 21 p'sukim
Yeshayahu 6:1-7:6, 9:5-6
Parallel to the Torah's account of
the awesome experience at Sinai,
this passage from Yeshayahu
describes his first awe-inspiring
vision of angels proclaiming
Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh. Both
sedra and haftara present us with
"visions" of G-d's awe, majesty, and
holiness. Also, in the sedra, G-d
tells us that we will be to Him a
kingdom of kohanim and a holy
nation. In the haftara we see a
model of K'dusha (the angels), and
also a glimpse of a potential
Moshiach.
mgpn ixac
Divrei Menachem
[email protected]
Of course! The immediate question to ask
about this week's parsha, Yitro, is why it is
named after Yitro, Moshe's father-in-law?
Surely a parsha that contains a description
of the Revelation on Har Sinai should be
titled with the star of that momentous
event, namely, Moshe. And this question is
compounded when we consider that Yitro
was a Midianite priest, a spiritual leader of
an idol-worshiping sect!
According to our initial understanding of
the text, Yitro was so moved by what,
"Hashem had done for Moshe and Israel" how G-d divided the Red Sea and how the
people successfully overcame Amalek
(Rashi) - that he left Midian with Moshe's
wife and children (who had been sent
away) to meet Moshe. On deeper reflection, however, it appears that Yitro's
insight and perception far superseded his
earlier wonderment at these events.
Yitro understood that G-d thrust an
unwilling people out of Egypt (Sh'mot 12:39)
and that He turned around a passive bunch
of slaves - miraculously freed from bondage and Egypt - into an organized fighting
force that did not rely on even one miracle!
He understood that what Hashem had done
for Moshe was to save him from certain
death for failing to circumcise his son. And
now a wizened non-Jew teaches Moshe
that he must reunite with his family. And
surprisingly it is Yitro (who apparently
abandoned his heathen ways) who is the
first to make a blessing to G-d for saving
the Jewish people.
It seems strange, but sometimes it takes a
Yitro to remind us to live up to our calling,
and to actualize our collective Hebrew
name, "Yehudi" - to thank Hashem for his
continual merciful oversight. Reason
enough to name the parsha for Yitro.
OU Israel Center TT 1123  page 12  The Yitro 5775 issue
TU BISHVAT BRACHA RIDDLE
The riddle is based on certain
halachic opinions, which aren't the
only opinions that exist. The riddle
assumes that the rules mentioned
in its presentation are the ones we
follow. If that is not completely so,
then the riddle might fall apart, so
for the sake of the riddle, assume
that the details presented are correct.
Some words of introduction first. If A
is greater than B, and B is greater
than C, then A is greater than C. This
is known as the transitive property
of inequalities. Taller than, older
than, bigger than, smaller than,
stronger than... all are transitive. One
might think that "has priority over" is
also transitive, but it 'ain't necessarily so'.
A well-known children's game that
does not have a transitive property
is Rock, Paper, Scissors. Rock beats
Scissors, and scissors beats paper,
but it does not follow that therefore
Rock beats paper. The opposite is
the case in that game.
The lack of transitive property is
often counter-intuitive. In our riddle,
one might think that if raisins have
priority over apricots, and apricots
have priority over banana chips,
then certainly raisins would have
priority over banana chips.
With raisins and apricots, only one
bracha will be said. Shulchan Aruch
therefore gives the honor of the
bracha to one of the Species that
describe Eretz Yisrael in D'varim 8:8.
With raisins and banana chips, two
brachot are said. The raisins will still
be honored (so to speak) with a
bracha. As to which bracha goes
first - rather than which one gets the
bracha - Shulchan Aruch says
CHAVIV - whichever you like better
goes first.
So far, we've explained the riddle.
We have not yet touched upon the
answer - or shall we say, and
answer. We'll do that now.
The rulings as set in the posing of
the riddle do not help us identify a
specific order of brachot and eating.
Rabbi Reuven Aberman, therefore,
posited the following solution.
Shulchan Aruch presents us with
the Rambam's opinion, which he
(Shulchan Aruch) does not accept.
But he includes Rambam's opinion
in Orech Chayim 211. Rambam's
opinion is that regardless of same
brachot, different brachot (HaEitz
and HaAdama only), 7 Species or
not, one makes the (first) bracha on
CHAVIV, what he likes the best. And
this works for our situation. Apricots
first. Rambam to the rescue.
But they don't. Here's a way of
understanding
the
difference
between raisins and apricots on the
one hand and raisins and raisins
and banana chips on the other.
OU Israel Center TT 1123  page 13  The Yitro 5775 issue
Vebbe Rebbe
B'racha on a
Newly Renovated Home
Question: If I did major renovations in
my home, do I recite Shehecheyanu on it?
Answer: The mishna (B'rachot 54a)
says that one who builds a new house
or buys new "utensils" recites
Shehecheyanu. While the gemara
(ibid. 59b-60a) cites an opinion that
this b'racha is only for the first such
acquisition, which would exclude the
possibility of a b'racha on renovations,
we follow the opinion that it applies
even if one built a second house
(Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chayim
223:3).
But are renovations comparable to a
new house? The gemara in Sota
(mishna, 43a; gemara, 44a) discusses
the halacha that one who builds a new
house that he has not inaugurated
returns from the battlefield. The first
opinion identifies building projects on
his property that do not qualify as
building a house. Rabbi Yehuda says
that even if one rebuilt the house on
its previous site, he does not return
from battle. However, the gemara
posits that extending the house's
height does qualify. The Mishna
Berura (223:12) says that this serves
as a halachic precedent for Shehecheyanu as well. Contemporary poskim
(see Halichot Shlomo 23:14 in the
name of Rav S.Z. Auerbach and V'zot
HaB'racha, p. 166 in the name of Rav
M. Eliyahu) assume the same is true
for any significant extension of the
house, even without acquiring new
land. However, renovations that do
not include expansion, but just
improvement of the house's appearance or functionality, are not comparable to building or buying and do
not warrant a b'racha (ibid.). The time
for the b'racha is when the new area is
ready to be used, which coincides
with the time for attaching a mezuza
(V'zot HaB'racha ibid.). (We are not
relating to the new furniture that often
accompanies renovations, which itself
likely warrants a b'racha.)
A few factors could raise questions
about the b'racha. The first is that
there is a minhag cited by several
Sephardi poskim to not make a
b'racha on a new house. It is hard to
determine this minhag's exact origin,
reason, and extent. The Pri Megadim
(223, Mishbetzot Zahav 4), who is
Ashkenazi, suggest that there is a
minhag to not make Shehecheyanu on
clothes and utensils, and he suggests
that these people must rely on the
opinion that Shehecheyanu for such
events is merely optional. The Ben Ish
Chai (I, R'ei 5-6) is not impressed by
this logic, but he confirms the minhag
concerning a new house. He recommends solving the problem by following a different minhag. One makes a
chanukat habayit upon entering the
house, at which point he wears a new
garment and recites Shehecheyanu
with intention for the house in
addition to the garment. I do not know
if there is such a minhag of a chanukat
habayit for renovations. However,
those who want to follow the minhag,
OU Israel Center TT 1123  page 14  The Yitro 5775 issue
as opposed to the established halacha
to make the b'racha (Yalkut Yosef
223:2 and Birkat Hashem 2:57 do not
believe the minhag should uproot it),
can solve the issue with a new
garment.
Rav Chayim Palagi and the Kaf
HaChayim (OC 223:18) say that one
who bought a house on credit does not
make a b'racha because of the trouble
he may have paying up and the
possibility he might have to return it
to the seller. Besides the strong
questions on the basic opinion (see
Birkat Hashem 2:(250)), the situation
is uncommon regarding renovations,
as even one who takes loans for that
purpose rarely is nervous about his
ability to pay, and the renovations will
not be "returned".
Is Shecheyanu the correct b'racha?
The rule is that for acquisitions that
benefit more than one person,
Shehechyanu is replaced by Hatov
V'hameitiv (Shulchan Aruch, ibid. 5).
The gemara talks about buying a
house with a partner, but this also
applies to family members (see
Shulchan Aruch ibid. and Be'ur
Halacha to 223:3). If there is a
question of doubt between the two
b'rachot, Shehecheyanu is the safer
one, as it can work even when Hatov
V'hameitiv is appropriate (Be'ur
Halacha to 223:5). This is apparent
from those (including above) who
suggest using the b'racha on new
clothes to cover the b'racha on a new
house.
Rav Daniel Mann, Eretz Hemdah Institute
Rabbi Weinreb's Weekly Column:
Yitro
"The Maternal Influence"
When I was young I was an avid
reader of novels. As I've grown
older, I have found myself more
interested in good biographies. I
especially appreciate those biographies of great men that try to
focus on what exactly made them
great. Particularly, I try to discover
the roles played by father and
mother in the formation of these
personalities.
Until relatively recently, Jewish
tradition did not have many biographies of our heroes and heroines.
Bible and Talmud contain much
material about the lives of prophets,
kings, and sages, but only occasionally give us a glimpse of the
role that parental influences played
in making them great.
I recently came across a passage in
a book by a man I admire. His
name was Rabbi Yitzchak Yaakov
Reines (1839-1915). He was the
head of a very innovative yeshiva in
Lida, Lithuania, and was one of the
founders of the Mizrachi Religious
Zionist movement. He was a prolific
writer, and one of his works is
entitled Nod Shel Dema'ot, which
translates as "A Flask of Tears".
In this book, Rav Reines writes
about the important role that
mothers play in the development of
their children - sons and daughters
alike. He emphasizes the role of the
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mother in the development of the
Torah scholar. He claims that it is
not only the father's teaching that
motivates and informs the budding
Jewish leader. Rather, it is the
mother's feminine intuition and
maternal compassion that are, at
the very least, equally formative.
The sources of his thesis include a
verse from this week's Torah
portion, Yitro (Sh'mot 18:1-20:23),
in which we read that G-d called to
Moshe from the mountain and said,
"Thus shall you say to the house of
Yaakov and declare to the children
of Yisrael … you shall be to Me a
kingdom of kohanim and a holy
nation…" (19:3-6).
The Midrash explains that "Beit
Yaakov" refers to women and "Bnei
Yisrael" to men. Both men and
women must be involved if we are
to become "a kingdom of kohanim
and a holy nation". "Why the
women?" asks the Midrash, and
answers, "Because they are the
ones who can inspire their children
to walk in the ways of Torah."
Rav Reines adduces another
biblical verse to make his point. He
refers to the words in the very first
chapter of the Book of Mishlei, in
which King Solomon offers this
good counsel: "My son, heed the
discipline (mussar) of your father,
and do not forsake the instruction
(Torah) of your mother" (1:8). From
this verse, it seems that the
mother's message may be even
more important for the child's
guidance than that of his father.
After all, father merely admonishes
the child with words of "discipline",
whereas mother imparts nothing
less than the "instruction" of the
Torah itself.
Then comes the tour de force of
Rav Reines' essay: the biographical
analysis of a great Talmudic sage,
Rabbi Yehoshua ben Chananya.
The student of Pirkei Avot will
recognize his name from a passage
in Chapter Two of that work. There
we read of the five disciples of
Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai.
They are enumerated, and the
praises of each of them are
recounted. Of Rabbi Yehoshua ben
Chananya, we learn, "Ashrei
yoladeto, happy is she who gave
birth to him." Of all the outstanding
disciples, only Rabbi Yehoshua's
mother is brought into the picture.
What special role did she play in his
life that earned her honorable
mention?
Rav Reines responds by relating an
important story of which most of us
are sadly ignorant. The story is
recorded in B'reishit Rabba 64:10. It
tells of a time, not long after the
destruction of the Second Temple
by Rome, when the Roman rulers
decided to allow the Jewish people
to rebuild the Temple. Preliminary
preparations were already under
way for that glorious opportunity
when the Kutim, usually identified
with the Samaritan sect, confounded those plans. They maligned the Jews to the Romans and
accused them of disloyalty. The
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permission to rebuild was revoked.
Having come so close to realizing
this impossible dream, the Jews
gathered in the valley of Beit Rimon
with violent rebellion in their hearts.
They clamored to march forth and
rebuild the Temple in defiance of
the Roman's decree.
However, the more responsible
leaders knew that such a provocation would meet with disastrous
consequences. They sought for a
respected figure, sufficiently wise
and sufficiently persuasive, to calm
the tempers of the masses and to
quell the mutiny. They chose Rabbi
Yehoshua ben Chananya for the
task.
The
Midrash
quotes
Rabbi
Yehoshua's address in full detail.
He used a fable as the basis of his
argument: A lion had just devoured
its prey, but a bone of his victim
was stuck in his throat. The lion
offered a reward to anyone who
would volunteer to insert his hand
into his mouth to remove the bone.
The stork volunteered, and thrust its
long neck into the lion's mouth and
extracted the bone.
When the stork demanded his
reward, the lion retorted, "Your
reward is that you can forevermore
boast that you had thrust your head
into a lion's mouth and lived to tell
the tale. Your survival is sufficient
reward." So, too, argued Rabbi
Yehoshua, our survival is our
reward. We must surrender the
hope of rebuilding our Temple in the
interests of our national continuity.
There are times when grandiose
dreams must be foresworn so that
survival can be assured.
Rav Reines argues that this
combination of cleverness and
insight into the minds of men was
the result of his mother's upbringing. The ability to calm explosive
tempers and sooth raging emotions
is something that Rabbi Yehoshua
learned from his mother.
He was chosen for this vital role in
Jewish history because the other
leaders knew of his talents, and
perhaps even knew that their
source was to be traced back to his
mother, of whom none other than
Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai had
exclaimed, "Happy is she who gave
birth to him."
This wonderful insight of Rav
Reines is important for all of us to
remember, particularly those of us
who are raising children. Psychologists have long stressed the vital
roles that mothers play in child
development. In our religion, we put
much stress on the father's role in
teaching Torah to his children. But
we often underestimate, and indeed
sometimes even forget, the role of
the mother.
Our tradition urges us to embrace
the role of the mother not just in the
child's physical and emotional
development, but in his or her
spiritual and religious growth as
well.
We would do well to remember that
OU Israel Center TT 1123  page 17  The Yitro 5775 issue
Rav Reines is simply expanding
upon G-d's own edict to Moshe at
the very inception of our history:
"Speak to the house of Yaakov!
Speak to the women as well as to
the men."
Mothers, at least as much as
fathers, are essential if we are to
create a "kingdom of kohanim and a
holy nation." 
The Trade and Commerce
of the Talmid Chacham
by Dr. Meir Tamari
Guidelines from Nezikim:
Embezzelment, Robbery,
and Theft in the Market [1]
"ONE
WHO
ROBBED
HIS
FELLOW [of an article] SHAVEH
P'RUTA [at least of minimal value]..."
(Bava Kama 9:8).
All markets are based on the fundamental assumption that the property
rights of all the players will be
protected within the framework of the
market. This applies equally to the
employer and employee, buyer and
seller, lender and borrower, and to the
investor-entrepreneur and society.
Wherever this is not assured, then
either there will be no market or
people will require high rates of
profitability to enter. It is easy
therefore to see the Torah's laws
against unethical behavior in the
marketplace, simply as logical and
rational ones that could be constructed
by ordinary human intelligence.
Indeed this is the opinion of the
Rambam (Sh'moneh P'rakim 8). However, most of our commentators and
authorities do not agree with the
Rambam, instead they see them as
flowing from Hashem's Wisdom with
perspectives and effects that human
intelligence could never achieve.
"Thereby the mishpatitm, social laws,
include areas, perspectives and
relevance that otherwise would be
beyond our knowledge. This also
makes them subject to the justice and
punishment of G-d" (Abarbanel,
Introduction to Mishpatim).
Our Mishna is based on the verses of
Vayikra (5:21-26) which make quite
clear the divine source of Torah's
treatment of these unethical acts.
Right at the beginning of these verses
theft, fraud, robbery or oppression are
classed as me'ila, treachery or betrayal
[in modern Hebrew, embezzlement]
against G-d. There are no secret
crimes in Judaism. Rabbi Akiva
queried making immorality in a
human commercial transaction, a
treachery against G-d but then also
provided the answer. "G-d is always a
witness to all our financial transactions even where only the 2 parties
witness them and therefore denying
any obligations are a denial of
Hashem (Sifra). Me'ila is the term
used in connection with any misuse of
property of the Mishkan-Mikdash or
its use by non-qualified people. "We
see that it is worse to steal from
humans than to steal from G-d. Where
a person takes property of the
OU Israel Center TT 1123  page 18  The Yitro 5775 issue
sanctuary [G-d's property], he sins
only if he actually uses it, whereas
one sins by merely taking another's
property even if he does not use it."
Making economic crimes not only
damaging of other people's property
rights but also religious sins, acts
against G-d, takes our treatment of
them far beyond considerations only
of market efficiency, monetary loss,
social instability and even of any
mental anguish suffered by the injured
party. By Jewish law the perpetuator
has to compensate and appease the
owner for the theft. However, there
are no victimless crimes in Judaism,
so what about the spiritual-psychological-moral damage suffered by the
perpetuator himself? "So the transgressor must still bring a korban in
order to do t'shuva, since he has
sinned against G--d as well" (Sefer
Hachinuch 129; S'fornoo).
"Most people are not outright criminals but all like to take advantage of
their fellows to earn unjustified profits
at another's expense" (Ramchal,
Mesilat Yesharim). The spiritual and
religious aspects of being guilty of
such economic crimes is reflected in
the rulings of all the codes; Mishneh
Torah, Arba Turim and Shulchan
Aruch. "It is forbidden to steal [or to
rob] anything, whether from a Jew or
from a non-Jew, whether from an old
person or from a child, in jest or in
order to annoy the owner, in order to
later return the article, even to become
liable for the two-fold or fourfold or
fivefold fines" (Choshen Mishpat
348:1).
From our verses in Vayikra, the sages
learnt a halakhic difference between
theft, fraud, robbery or oppression of
articles worth less that a pruta, the
smallest measure of value and all
others articles. The Gemara's definition of theft of something worth less
than a pruta is one who breaks off a
twig from his fellow's hedge for his
use. This is theft even though there
are no legal actions and even though
the owner waives any claims
[Sanhedrin 57a). Unethical behavior
in such cases is considered a cheit-sin
but is not the subject for legal action;
anything regarding a greater value is
asham-guilty and is and can be the
subject of litigation. Notwithstanding
the legal distinctions between them,
both are forbidden acts, entail divine
punishment and require t'shuva.
"Chazal teach that the fate of Dor
HaMabul was not sealed until they
were guilty of robbery. Even though
they were guilty of idolatry and
murder as well, it is through robbery
that the whole moral and spiritual
world begins to decline" (Shem MiShmuel). "And the world was filled
with chamas and the world became
corrupted'; 'the chamas of the generation of the Flood was the theft of
things worth less than a shaveh pruta,
which cannot be brought before the
courts' " (B'reishit Rabba). "When
theft through legal means becomes a
norm, society disintegrates and
becomes corrupt" (S.R. Hirsch).
OU Israel Center TT 1123  page 19  The Yitro 5775 issue
The following is from
Sapphire from the Land of Israel
A New Light on the Weekly Portion
from the Writings of
Rabbi Abraham Isaac HaKohen Kook
by Rabbi Chanan Morrison
website: ravkooktorah.org
Breaking Bread
with Scholars
Adapted from Ein Eyah vol. II, pp. 395-396
A Meal Before G-d
When Moshe's father-in-law Yitro
met the Israelites in the desert, he
rejoiced when he heard about the
rescue of the Jewish people from
Pharaoh’s hand, and he brought
offerings to G-d.
And Aharon and all the elders of
Israel came to share the meal with
Moshe's father-in-law before G-d.
(Sh'mot 18:12)
The
expression
“before
G-d”
appears out of place here. In what
way was this particular feast in G-d’s
presence?
The Talmudic sage Rabbi Avin
explained:
To partake of a meal where a Torah
scholar is present is like enjoying
the splendor of G-d’s Divine
Presence. After all, did Yitro, Aharon,
and the elders of Israel eat before
G-d? They ate before Moshe! Rather,
this verse teaches us that sharing a
meal with a scholar [such as Moshe]
is like enjoying the splendor of G-d’s
Presence. (B'rachot 64a)
Rabbi Avin’s statement needs to be
clarified. What is so wonderful about
eating with a Torah scholar?
Wouldn’t studying Torah with him
be a much greater spiritual experience? And in what way is such a
meal similar to “enjoying the
splendor of G-d’s Presence”?
Common Denominator
The human soul, for all its greatness, is limited in its ability to grasp
and enjoy G-d’s infinite wisdom.
Whatever degree of pleasure we are
able to derive from G-d’s Presence is
a function of our spiritual attainments. The greater our spiritual
awareness, the greater the pleasure
we feel in G-d’s Presence. But while
we will never gain complete mastery
of Divine wisdom, even the small
measure of comprehension that is
possible is sufficient to fill the soul
with tremendous light and joy.
A Torah scholar whose holiness is
great, whose wisdom is profound,
and whose conduct is lofty cannot
be properly appreciated by the
masses. Common folk will not
understand his wisdom and may not
be able to relate to his holiness. In
what way can they connect with
such a lofty scholar?
A scholar’s greatest influence takes
place in those spheres where others
can best relate to him. Most people
will be unable to follow his erudite
lectures, but a meal forms a
common bond between the most
illustrious and the most ordinary.
This connection allows everyone to
experience some aspect of a great
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scholar’s path in Torah and service
of G-d.
When a Torah scholar reveals his
great wisdom and holiness, the
average person will be overcome by
a sense of unbridgeable distance
from such sublime attainments. He
may despair of ever reaching a level
so far beyond his own limited
capabilities. But when sharing a
meal with a scholar, the common
physical connection enables people
to be more receptive to the scholar’s
noble traits and holy conduct.
Of course, those who are able to
understand the scholar’s wisdom
can more fully appreciate his
greatness. Those individuals will
derive greater benefit and pleasure
from him. This is precisely Rabbi
Avin’s point: just as the degree of
pleasure
gained
from
G-d’s
Presence depends on the soul’s
spiritual state, so too, the benefit we
derive from a great scholar depends
on our spiritual level and erudition.
OzTorah
SOUND OR SILENCE?
Read chapter 19 of Sh’mot and see
how many words are about noise thunder, lightning, voice, speech.
Read midrashic commentary and
see how many words are about
silence - hush, quiet, serenity, calm.
Which set of words is more true?
They both are. The Giving of the
Torah was sound amid silence - or
silence amid sound.
There are two ways of communication, in sound and in silence.
There are times for sound, especially
when the Divine voice proclaims the
eternal verities. There are times for
silence, when the attentive world
hears every nuance and is awestruck at the grandeur of the
moment.
In human history there are times
when silence is courage, such as
when Aharon sees the tragedy that
befalls his sons who sin, and
Aharon remains silent - perhaps
because he realises the justice of
the Divine punishment, perhaps
because he cannot and must not
find the words to cry out.
There are times, though, when
silence is crass cowardice, when evil
abounds and the good people hold
their peace - perhaps because they
are afraid that they will draw
attention to themselves and be the
next to be attacked, perhaps
because they haven’t the nerve to
stand up, speak up and be counted.
The glory of being human is that the
decision is up to us, whether to utter
a sound or hold one’s tongue. K
Reprinted (with permission) from
Shabbat Shalom
Parsha Booklet (4) by
Rabbi Berel Wein
Yitro is one of the most enigmatic of
all of the personages that appear in
the Torah. There are many Yitros in
Yitro's life and perhaps this is the
reason that the rabbis taught us
that he possessed seven different
names. Each name perhaps represented a different Yitro at a different
point of his life. We meet him at the
crossroads of his life's choices and
beliefs. On one hand he is a priest
or former priest of paganism in
Midian. He has experimented with
every form of religion in the world
before coming to the faith of monotheism. He is influenced undoubtedly by his unexpected son-in-law,
Moshe. But he is also greatly
influenced by the Exodus from
Egypt and the visible and impressive miracles that accompanied this
event.
But there is also an inner conviction
that moves him and makes him a
monotheistic believer. He states:
"Now I know that the Lord is God
for He has avenged Himself on the
Egyptians in the manner that they
intended to destroy the Jews." The
Egyptians drowned Jewish children
in the Nile and they were therefore
drowned themselves at Yam Suf.
Thus Yitro is impressed not only by
the miracle of the destruction of the
Egyptian oppressor but by the
manner and method of destruction
that the miracle exhibited itself.
It is the measure for measure
method of punishment that truly
fascinates him and leads him to
abandon his home and background
to join Israel in the desert. Having
arrived at his new beliefs by judicial
and rational analysis, Yitro then
applies that same method in
advising his son-in-law Moshe as to
the formulation and efficient operation of the Jewish judicial system in
the desert. He is consistent in his
analytical approach to matters.
Perhaps that is why he was so
positively
influenced
by
the
measure for measure punishment
of the Pharaoh and his Egyptian
hordes.
Yitro is the ultimate "outsider"
looking in to see Torah and the
Jewish people. Many times the
"outsider" sees things more clearly
than the "insider" in a society does.
In Yiddish there is an expression
that a temporary guest sees for a
mile. (I know that this lost something in translation but you get the
gist of it.) The Jewish people,
especially in our religious world, live
a somewhat insular existence. Due
to this, many times we are unable
to see what otherwise can be plain
to others.
The example of Yitro encourages
us to give respect to the insights of
"outsiders" in our community.
Oftentimes they come from different
backgrounds and have fought their
way through many false beliefs to
OU Israel Center TT 1123  page 22  The Yitro 5775 issue
arrive at Torah and the observance
of mitzvot. Their views and experiences should be important to us.
The tendency to force the "outsiders" to become exactly like the
"insiders" is eventually counterproductive to both groups. Yitro
never becomes Moshe but Moshe
and Israel benefit from Yitro's
judgment and advice. We can all
benefit from insights, advice and
good wishes from our own
"outsiders". 
TtRiDdLeS
Previous (B'shalach) TTriddles:
[1] If he is of us
We've done this one in the past, with
variation. The words, phrase, sentence, whatever are meaningless.
The only thing that means anything
is a sequence of five 2-letter words,
as found at the end of B'shalach - KI
YAD AL KEIS KAH. Don't remember
if this sequence in the Torah is
unique or just extremely rare. But it
is a well-known sequence.
[2] It's before the Torah, but in the
Torah, it's before what?
In the famous saying: DERECH
ERETZ KODMA LATORAH, it
(Derech Eretz) is before the word
Torah. In the Torah, the words
DERECH ERETZ occur at the
bginning of B'shalach and are
followed by the word P'LISHTIM.
[3] One in double Noa'ch of one
Sheim
NO'ACH = 50+8 = 58. Double No'ach
is 116. SHEIM = 300+40 = 340.
B'SHALACH = 2+300+30+8 = 340.
So the TTriddle means: One mitzva
in the 116 p'sukim of B'shalach.
Interesting observation told to me
by MF in the name of Rav Mattis
Weinberg. The sedra of B'shalach
divides neatly into 58 p'sukim and
58 p'sukim, exactly at the end of the
Shira. The first half of the sedra
deals with the conclusion of the
Exodus: The People are out, Egypt
pursues, the sea splits, the People
go through on dry land. Egypt
follows and is drowned as the sea
returns. The people sing thanks and
praise to G-d. End of chapter. 58
p'sukim. Next 58 p'sukim begin the
next chapter as the people make
their way to Sinai. They have
stopped looking back. Literally and
figuratively.
[4] Goes together like a horse and
what? No rhymes necessary
The wording of this TTriddle comes
from the song Love and Marriage a
song with lyrics by Sammy Cahn
and music by Jimmy Van Heusen,
first introduced in 1955 by Frank
Sinatra. In that song, Love and
marriage were said to go together
like a horse and carriage. NOT what
we were looking for with this
TTriddle. Hence, the no rhymes
necessary comment. The TTriddle
asked what is paired with horse, or
rather SUS, in Tanach. In B'shalach
we find SUS V'ROCH'VO, horse and
its rider. In the book of D'varim we
find SUS VARECHEV, horse and
vehicle
(chariot, probably).
In
OU Israel Center TT 1123  page 23  The Yitro 5775 issue
Melachim Alef we find SUS
VAFERED, horse and mule. Also in
Melachim Alef, there is another SUS
VARACHEV and a SUS UFARASHIM, horse and horsemen. There
are more repeats of some of the
above, but the official answer to this
TTriddle would be: rider, chariot,
mule, horsemen.
[5] CF of Adirim and Chulam
Common factor. In the Torah, the
word right before the MI CHAMOCHA pasuk on Shirat HaYam is
ADIRIM. In davening (besides AZ
YASHIR in P'sukei d'Zimra) we find
MI CHAMOCHA before the AMIDA
of Shacharit and ARVIT. The word
that precedes MI CHAMOCHA is
CHULAM, as in V'AM'RU CHULAM,
and they all said. There is a TBDATR
piece related to this pasuk and what
leads into it in davening, but instead
of putting it here as a BTW comment
in a TTriddle solution, maybe we'll
do it in a regular TBDATR feature.
See there (maybe).
[6] Buttermilk & Dale
The Lone Ranger's horse was Silver;
Tonto's was Scout. Roy Rogers rode
Trigger and his wife Dale Evan's
horse was Buttermilk, making the
answer to this TTriddle: SUS
V'ROCH'VO, horse and its rider.
Topper and Hoppy? Tornado and
Zorro? Joker and Jingles? Better
stop. Who rode Pie and who rode
Nelson? Okay. No more. One more:
Sophie.
[7] FPTL - 6th Motza"Sh intro-verse
Motza"Sh intro-verses refers to the
p'sukim we say at Havdala before
the brachot for wine, b'samim, fire,
and hamavdil. Oops. We counted
wrong. Sorry. The 5th pasuk is
.K¨A g«¥
© hŸA mc¨`¨ ix¥y§ `© ,zF`¨a'v§ 'd
Gimatriya: 26 + 90+2+1+6+400 (499)
1+300+200+10 (511) + 1+4+40 (45) +
2+9+8 (19) + 2+20 (22) = 1122.
Why was the Torah
NOT given in Israel?
by
Rabbi Ephraim Sprecher
Dean of Students, Diaspora Yeshiva
Why did G-d give the Torah in the
Sinai Desert rather than in the Holy
Land? The Talmud explains that G-d
wanted to demonstrate that the Torah
didn't belong to one nation alone or
even to one country. A desert is
halachically designated as a MAKOM
HEFKER (an ownerless place). The
Torah was not given in the Land of
Israel for that would have meant that
it was to be uniquely for the HOLY
LAND.
The Torah was given in a space and
place, accessible to all humanity. The
purpose of The Revelation at Sinai
was to turn a world without Torah,
which by definition is a barren desert,
into a blooming and productive place
for human existence.
Yitro, Moshe's father-in-law, is the
name of the Parsha in which we read
the account of the most important
event in Jewish history, the Giving of
the Torah. It is remarkable that this
Parsha has as its title, the name of
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someone who was not even born a
Jew. Yitro was a pagan idol
worshiper, but only later in life
abandoned
his
paganism
and
recognized the One, True G-d.
Why was Yitro chosen to have the
Parsha of MATAN TORAH named
after him?
It is because he is the greatest
illustration of what the Torah is meant
to accomplish. The Torah's goal is to
transform idolaters into believers and
pagans into the worshipers of the One
True G-d. Judaism is not a restrictive
club for born Jews only. Any non-Jew
who sincerely desires to embrace
Torah true Judaism is welcome.
When the Jewish People stood at
Mount Sinai and were prepared to
accept the Torah, G-d defined their
mission by telling them, "Therefore if
you will listen to My voice and keep
My covenant, then you shall be My
own, special treasure from among all
nations, for all the earth is Mine, and
you shall be to Me a Kingdom of
Kohanim and a Holy Nation" (Sh'mot
19).
Yehuda HaLevi wonders about the
phrase "a Kingdom of Priests"
(MAMLECHET KOHANIM). Surely
the Jewish People will not all be
kohanim. The 12 Tribes were divided
into Kohanim, Levites and Israelites.
Most Jews are simply Israelites. Why
does G-d say that the Jewish People in
its entirety will become a "Kingdom
of Priests"?
Yehuda HaLevi answers that just as
the Kohanim were to be the teachers
and leaders for the rest of the Jewish
People, so too the Jews have to
become the leaders and teachers of the
rest of the world. That is the meaning
of "… You shall be My own special
treasure from among all nations…"
We are to be the Kohanim who will
insure that all nations eventually will
acknowledge the One True G-d.
That's why G-d says "…for all the
earth is Mine."
We Jews perform our G-d-given task
in 2 ways - Judaism for Jews and
those who want to sincerely convert to
Judaism and the Torah's 7 Noahide
Laws for the gentiles. Our motto to
non-Jews is "Keep the 7 and go to
Heaven."
This Divine Plan is used by the
Talmud to explain why Jews throughout history have been exiled around
the globe. The Talmud offers the
rationale that the punishment of our
exile may have a totally different
purpose. "G-d did not exile Israel
among the nations but only so
converts might join them, as is
written, 'And I, (G-d), will plant her
for Me in the land'… (Hoshe'a 2:25);
"Surely a man plants a SE'AH [a
biblical measure] in order to harvest
many KOR" [an even greater
measure] (Pesachim 87b).
Our mission as Jews is to spread the
knowledge of the One True G-d, as
the prophet Yeshayahu says, "We are
to be a light unto the nations".
OU Israel Center TT 1123  page 25  The Yitro 5775 issue
MACHON PUAH
The Book of Remedies
Last week we closed with the Mishna
(Pesachim 4:9) that praised King
Chizkiyahu for secreting away the
Book of Remedies. The Bartenura
explained that instead of praying when
they got ill, people just relied on the
medicines and potions contained in
the Book of Remedies and the King
secreted it away to urge people to pray
instead. This suggests that it is more
commendable to pray than to rely on
doctors and medicine.
However the Rambam has a completely
different explanation. He derides those
who explain that the Book of Remedies
prevented the people from praying.
Chizkiyahu would not do such a thing,
claims the Rambam, for such is the
way of fools. In the same way that one
eats and still praises and prays to God
and the two are not at all mutually
exclusive, on the contrary when we eat
we appreciate God's gifts that enables
us to be full and satisfied, so can a
person seek medical advice and
treatment and can still thank and pray
to God.
The Book of Remedies, explains the
Rambam, was filled with medical
treatments that were inappropriate
and were treated like talisman and
forbidden amulets. These were
forbidden since they were idolatrous
and removed the people from being
connected to God. This was the reason
that King Chizkiyahu stored away such
a book and did not want the populous
to get their hands on such remedies.
In his commentary on the Mishna
(Nedarim 4:4), the Rambam writes that
"the doctor is obligated from the law
to heal the sick of Israel and this is
included in the verse 'and you will
return to him' (D'varim 22:2) that
includes his body, that if he saw it
being destroyed and he can save it
then he saves him with his body, his
money or his knowledge."
The doctor is obliged to heal the sick
person and this is deduced from the
verse "and you will return to him" and
sees returning someone's health as no
different from returning his lost
belongings. In the same way that if one
finds something that belongs to
another person has to return it so if we
can give back a person their health
then we also have to do so.
But this raises the question, why did
the Rambam use this verse as a source
and not the more commonly used
verse "and he will heal" from which the
Gemara deduced that the doctor is
permitted to heal?
More on this next week.
Rabbi Gideon Weitzman, Director, Puah Institute
CHIZUK ! IDUD
Divrei Torah from the weekly sedra
with a focus on living in Eretz Yisrael Chizuk for Olim & Idud for not-yet-Olim
The Parsha begins with two simple
words: VAYISHMA YITRO - and
Yitro heard. Yitro does not only hear,
his listening leads him to action. The
reports of major world events have an
immediate effect upon him galvanizing
OU Israel Center TT 1123  page 26  The Yitro 5775 issue
him to take life-transforming action:
“Yitro, the Kohen of Midian, Moshe’s
father-in-law, heard all that G-d had
done for Moshe and His People…"
Yitro gathers together his daughter and
grandchildren, and a few short verses
later we already read that "Yitro,
Moshe's father-in-law… came to the
desert where he was camped, to the
mountain of G-d”.
Rashi cites the Gemara (Zevachim
116a) which states that Yitro had heard
both of the splitting of the sea as well
as reports describing the war lsrael
waged against Amalek. These reports
prompted him to journey from Midian
to the encampment of the Israelites in
the desert. Analyzing what Yitro heard,
we can guess which feelings were
aroused within the "Kohen of Midian".
– First, as a religious person, he was
made aware of the miracles that
Hashem performed for His People - e.g.
- splitting of the sea. Yitro, a priest of
Midian, was first impelled to act by the
Divine miracles. Secondly, he was
made aware of the war against Amalek
which indicated that the miracles were
not a one-time event, rather Hashem’s
care and concern for the People would
be on-going. G-d would continue to
protect them against their enemies
thereby enabling them to reach their
goals.
Yitro was not the only one to have
heard of these events. “Many nations
heard”, but Yitro was the only one who
was propelled to action. How would we
have reacted in his place?
This may sound slightly far-fetched but
I would suggest we need not imagine
very hard. It seems reasonable to
compare Yitro's situation with our own.
The miracles of the Exodus can be
compared to what happened to the
Jewish People after the Holocaust. The
Jewish People seemed to have fallen
into a bottomless pit both in ancient
Egypt as well as in Nazi Germany.
Millions upon millions were doomed in Egypt the children were thrown into
the sea, in Germany they were led to
the gas chambers. Yet, after the hell of
the Holocaust, the miraculous re-establishment of Medinat Yisrael reverberated loudly throughout the whole world
- on par with the splitting of the sea.
We, today, have not only heard of the
splitting of the sea - the "sea of
nations" which split wide to grant us
the right to finally re-establish a Jewish
state. We have also heard, and continue
to hear of the war against the
Amalekites. The war we continuously
wage against those - like Amalek of old
- whose hatred for the Jews is not based
on this-worldly concerns. The Jewish
people posed no threat to Amalek who
like their modern day anti-semite
counterparts, were motivated by their
antipathy and hatred towards the Jewish
People as G-d’s Chosen People. In
truth, though, Yitro was not the only
one affected by these events. The
people of Israel whom he joined at the
foot of the mountain of G-d, were
encamped there K'ISH ECHAD B'LEV
ECHAD, as one person with a single
heart. The shared events had brought
them together as one, and this unity
was a necessary prerequisite for
receiving the Torah. Where is this unity
today? In the Israeli elections which
took place in January 1949, despite
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differing Ideologies, there was a special
unity of purpose. A one-time event
took place, which has not been repeated
in any subsequent election. All of the
religious parties were united running
together on one single slate! The
United Religious Front (Chazit Datit
Meuchedet) was formed bringing
together four different religious parties,
the Mizrachi, Hapoel Hamizrachi,
Agudat Yisrael and Poalei Agudat
Yisrael.
Rav Shaul Yisraeli [himself number 49
on the joint list] noted later on, how in
those early years we were able to put
aside religious, and other, differences
and celebrate together the day when we
arose from the dust to become an
independent state.
Oh, if only we were able to do the same
today!
The miracles, Baruch Hashem, still
continue taking place on a daily basis,
if only - like Yitro - we could learn to
hear of them and be propelled to reach
the right conclusions!
Rabbi Yerachmiel Roness, Ramat Shiloh, Beit Shemesh
Portion
Shabbat and our
young children
This week we read the Ten Commandments - the utterances from
G-d that changed the world. The
fourth commandment is to keep the
Shabbat. We are told that on the
seventh day we shouldn't do any
work. Also our sons and daughters,
servants, and animals must not work
on Shabbat.
Rashi asks a question on the verse
"ATA UVINCHA UVITECHA - you,
your son and your daughter" (20:10).
Is this verse referring to older children or to younger children? If it's
referring to older children, why does
the verse have to specify them as
well? If we are commanded to keep
Shabbat, they as adults - someone
over bar or bat mitzva - are also
obligated. So Rashi concludes that
the verse comes to warn parents of
their obligation to make sure that
even their young children, who are
minors, keep Shabbat.
This Halachic topic is discussed in
Yevamot (114a), which was learned
recently by those learning Daf Yomi.
Below is the text in English from
Yevamot, taken from the Koren
Talmud Bavli. The Noe Edition,
edited by Rabbi Dr. Tzvi Hersh
Weinreb, and published by the Shefa
Foundation and Koren Publishers.
If a gentile comes to extinguish a
Jew's fire on Shabbat, one may not
say to him: "Extinguish" or "Do not
extinguish", because responsibility
for his rest is not incumbent upon the
Jew. However, if a Jewish child
comes to extinguish a fire on
Shabbat, they do say to him: "Do not
extinguish", despite the fact that he is
not yet obligated in mitzva observance, because responsibility for his
rest is incumbent upon the Jew. This
shows that one must prevent a minor
from violating a Torah prohibition.
OU Israel Center TT 1123  page 28  The Yitro 5775 issue
Rabbi Yochanan said: This is referring to a minor who is acting with his
father's consent.
The Koren Talmud Bavli, Noe Edition
includes notes by Rabbi Adin EvenIsrael Steinsaltz as well as a section
where the Halacha is summarized. In
the notes section, Rabbi Steinsaltz
discusses the difference between a
court, and the father of a minor.
Some state that there is no difference between the obligation of the
court (beit din) or the father in stopping a young child from transgressing (Tosefot Rid.) Whereas
others indicate that the obligation of
the father is greater than that of a
beit din, due to reasons that go
beyond the mitzva of education in
the narrow sense of the term
(Rambam). The commentaries add
that this difference makes sense
since a father is obligated to educate
his children in the performance of
mitzvot, while the court's role is to
prevent minors from transgressing
(Yam shel Shlomo). In the Halacha
section it explains that one may not
let a minor become accustomed to
desecrating the Shabbat, even with
respect to an action prohibited by
rabbinic law.
Practically, we must keep this in
mind. For example parents might
think that if the light gets turned off
by accident on Shabbat, it's better to
have a young child turn it back on
because "they don't really know yet
what they are doing. They won't
realize. It won't affect them." But from
the verse in our portion quoted
above, we learn that parents have a
special obligation to make sure that
their young children are keeping
Shabbat. Whereas a stranger might
be able to ignore the transgressions
of a young child, the child's parents
have a different type of responsibility
and must guide his behavior.
Mazal Tov to all those who finished
Yevamot in Daf Yomi. Good luck with
the next tractate, Ketubot (also called
mini Shas, because it encompasses
most of the sugyot learned in the
Talmud). For those looking for an
English translation, commentary and
study aid to learn with, The Koren
Talmud Bavli, Noe edition is an
option. It includes the traditional
Vilna pages in Aramaic on the right
side, with translation and summary
on the left, with easy referencing
between the two sides. It also has
introductions and summaries of the
chapters as well as color illustrations.
SINCE WE TALKED ABOUT
Shabbat here is a simple potato
kugel recipe, a traditional Shabbat
food.
POTATO KUGEL
3 lbs. potatoes, grated
(drain the water)
3 eggs, beaten
1 lg. onion, grated
1 cup oil
¼ cup Matza meal
Salt & pepper
Beat eggs well. Add onion, matza
meal, oil, and potatoes. Mix well. Add
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more oil, if necessary, so mixture
looks oily. Bake in 180°C oven for
about 45 to 50 minutes. Cool and
serve.
Ed. note: There is one rule of Shabbat that
children need not follow, nor do parents have to
train their children in this rule before Bar/Bat
Mitzva. Children may eat before Kiddush and
should not be made to feel bad if they do.
Maharal on the Sedra
Speech is for the Living, in this World
and after the Revival of the Dead
Sh'mot 19:16 - And it was on the
third day, there were voices…
Tiferet Yisrael 30:452b - When the
Torah was given, the spiritual order
emerged into actuality, for until
then it was only in potential. This
emergence was accompanied by
voices [kolot], which originate as
wind in the lungs, potential speech,
which is formed into speech by the
throat, palate, teeth, and lips,
creating a sound that did not exist
originally. Torah is the completed
perfected existence, which is why it
was given with five voices - the
voice of rejoicing, the voice of
happiness, the voice of bridegroom
the voice of bride, the voice of
bridegrooms emerging from the
bridal canopy. The number five
represents the whole world - the
spreading out in four directions and
the central point of spirituality.
Batra 16b]. The mourner is silent
because death has come to a close
relative, and a partial death comes
to him as well. It is not fitting for
him to bring his speech into
actuation and shelemut, for nothing
actuates like speech. On the other
hand, when a man is in shelemut,
he can sing and give praises to the
source of his shelemut. When the
Torah refers to nefesh chaya [living
soul], Onkelos renders it ruach
memallela [a speaking spirit],
implying speech is the life force
itself. The lower creations serve the
higher creations listed as inanimate
[domaim], plant life [tzome'ach],
animal life [chai], and speaker
[medaber, man]. Speech is, then,
life force itself, and Torah becomes
manifest and perfected through it.
Shlomo tells us, "When you walk, it
shall lead you, when you lie down, it
will watch over you, and when you
awake. it shall talk with you"
[Mishlei 6:22]. Torah guides you in
this world, protects you in the grave
from Gehinom and chibut hakever
[the powerful kick that greets you
when you die], and after the revival
of souls, speaks to you.
Column prepared by Dr. Moshe Kuhr
Speech is the mechanism by which
man becomes completely actualized. This is hinted at by saying that
the mourner has no mouth [Bava
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Hearing ear of VAYISHMA YITRO, and Yitro
heard... • B"H was said by Yitro when he
heard all the things that G-d had done for
Israel. From that we are taught that one
makes a bracha on miracles • Scales are for
the justice system, Yitro's suggestions,
Moshe's response, etc. • Yitro's advice
included the assignment of "captains" of
groups of 1000, 100, 50, and 10 - represented
by the Roman numerals M,C,L,X • Bnei
Yisrael's arrival at Har Sinai is described by
the word VAYICHAN, as Rashi puts it, we
were like one person with one heart. That's
the graphic under the ear • The Shofar is one
of the symbols of the Sinai experience, as we
more than mention on Rosh HaShana • The
washing machine is for the people to clean
their clothes during the preparatory days for
Matan Torah • Wine cup is for Kiddush
(Zachor) • and the negation circle is for the
prohibition of Melacha, including writing,
watering plants, digging, sewing, building •
Do not steal (the Xed out thief) • and do not
go up to the Mizbei'ach with steps (the
negated ladder) are two other prohibitions in
the sedra • Volcano represents Har Sinai
smoking from the fire of G-d's presence • An
angel flew to the Heavenly Mizbei'ach and
picked up a glowing coal in a pair of tongs. He
then touched the coal to Yeshayahu's lips,
representing a purifying process that would
allow the prophet to speak on behalf of G-d •
MEM SOFIT, which is better called a "Closed"
MEM, appears in the haftara in the middle of a
WORD, rather than at the end, where we are
used to seeing that kind of MEM • Three dots
and a short vertical line are the difference in
the 4-commandment pasuk between the two
sets of TROP-notes • Max Baer Jr. played
Jethro (Yitro) for 9 years on the Beverly
Hillbillies • 1-18 is LOW on a roulette wheel,
tea, saw as in LO TISA, Dibra #3 • Upper
right: the dragonfly has four wings and the
White House has two wings. Together they
represent the six wings of the angels
described by Yehshayahu in the haftara •
Many hospitals are named Mt. Sinai, as the
one pictured in Manhattan • Two different
symbols for UV, ultra-violet light or radiation.
In Hebrew, AL-SEGOLI. Feminine form for the
color violet is SEGULA, as in G-d's promise
that we will be for Him the AM SEGULA above
all other nations - hence, ULTRA-SEGULA •
Above Jethro and to the right is a montage of
characters from Scholastic Press's Goosebumps series... When Yitro came to Moshe,
having heard about the Splitting of the Sea
and the battle against Amalek (and maybe
about Matan Torah), Moshe detailed all that
had happened to Bnei Yisrael. The Torah
describes Yitro's reaction with the words
VAYICHAD YITRO. Rashi says that the plain
meaning of the word is that Yitro rejoiced
because of all the things he heard. Rashi gives
a second possible explanation of the word
VAYICHAD. That Yitro's skin erupted in
goosebumps. A nervous or frightened reaction, perhaps, to what happened to Egypt, to
whom he had been allied and with whom he
possibly identified. From here, our Sages tell
us, we learn to be extremely sensitive to the
convert, who has changed his life completely
by becoming Jewish, but still has memories
and feelings about his former life • Ehud
Barak is for the BARAKIM that are mentioned
in the relating of the Sinai experience • Tomi
Lapid, similarly, is for the LAPIDIM in the same
description • The can of bug spray represents
one specific brand, whose name is a word
that occurs in the sedra twice and two other
times in the Torah, besides 9 more times in
the rest of Tanach - RAID! • The fat heart is a
reference in the haftara • The words at the
top and bottom of the left-hand side of the
ParshaPix are the four tastes - Sweet, salty,
sour and bitter are four tastes - T'AMIM. Two
of them are TAAMEI HA-ELYON, the upper
notes, and two are TAAMEI HATACHTON, the
lower notes • plus an Unexplained
dxi¨ W¦ Ep¨r Ll§ l`¥ x¨U§ i¦ i¥paE
§ dWŸ
¤n
:m¨Nkª Exn§ `¨ e§ ,d¨Ax© dg¨ n§ U¦ A§
dl¨ d
¡ Ÿ`« d¨
Last week's TBDATR featured the
word NE-ER-MU which is accented,
not on the last or next- to-last
syllable, as almost all Hebrew
words are, but on the third to the
last sysllable.
For your trivia information: The last
in a series is called the ultimate.
The next-to-the-last is called
penultimate. Third to the last is
called
antepenultimate.
And,
believe it or not, preantepenultimate is fourth from last.
NE-ER-MU is accented on the
antepenultimate syllable, a.k.a.
MIL-EIL D'MIL-EIL.
This week's word is not really like
that, although it appears the same.
The syllables of this word are HA,
O, and HELA. The HEI has a
CHATAF-SEGOL under it, which is
a very short vowel in the SH'VA NA
family. It does not make its own
syllable, but is attached to the
following syllable. 
For those who need a refresher:
TBDATR stands for Towards Better
Davening & Torah Reading.
This piece is for davening. Shacharit and Arvit, the MI CHAMOCHA
quote from the Shira is preceded
by
Moshe & Bnei Yisrael responded to
you (G-d) with great joy, and said:
MI CHAMOCHA...
B'SIMCHA RABBA belongs with
L'CHA ANU SHIRA - even though
most people pause after SHIRA
and attach B'SIMCHA RABBA to
V'AM'RU CHULAM. Note the
comma above - and in accurate
siddurim - but bad habits are bad
habits. And this goes even for RH
and YK when the ingrained tune
pauses in the wrong place. 
z­¨AX©
© d mF¬iÎz`¤ xFk¨
²f
:FW« C©
§wl§
Shmirat Shabbat is equated to keeping all the mitzvot.
Shabbat is (one of ) the symbols of our relationship
with G-d. We keep Shabbat and Shabbat keeps us (so
to speak). A pasuk that blesses the Jewish People for
the special relationship we have with G-d is
:ux¤`¨
¨ e m¦in© W¨ dUŸ¥ r 'dl© mY¤ `© mikEx
¦ A§
T'hilim 115:15 - May you be blessed to G-d, maker of
Heaven and Earth.
These two p'sukim have the same gimatriya (1837)