Parsha Points To Ponder

1. יִתְרוֹ Joins בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל
   • יִתְרוֹ heard that ה' saved בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל from מִצְרַיִם, and about all the נִסִים at the יַם סוּף and the war with עַמָלֵק. He also heard, that ה' was providing בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל with מָן and a well of water that traveled with them. He decided that it was time to bring משֶׁה's wife צִפֹּרָה and his two sons גֵרְשָׁם and אֶלִיעֶזֶר to join בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל in the מִדְבָּר.
   • יִתְרוֹ left the comforts of מִדְיָן and went on his way. He sent משֶׁה a message that they were coming. משֶׁה and all of בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל went out to greet יִתְרוֹ.
   • משֶׁה told יִתְרוֹ all the details of how ה' saved them from מִצְרַיִם and עַמָלֵק. יִתְרוֹ declared בָּרוּךְ ה'!. Now he was even more convinced that only ה' was G-d and that every עַבוֹדָה זָרָה in the world that he had served was worthless. יִתְרוֹ brought קָרְבָּנוֹת to ה' and ate a סְעוּדָה with אַהַרֹן, משֶׁה and the זְקֵנִים to celebrate to ה'.
2. יִתְרוֹ's Advice:
   • On the day after יוֹם כִּפּוּר, when משֶׁה returned to בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, Moshe sat while בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל came to him for judgment. יִתְרוֹ complained to משֶׁה that this showed a lack of כָּבוֹד to בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל. They should not have to stand waiting for him to judge them. He also felt it was too much for both משֶׁה and בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל for משֶׁה to judge them all.
   • יִתְרוֹ suggested that משֶׁה select men to help him. These should be wealthy, reliable men, who hate having money that is not theirs and fear ה'. These men would be in charge of smaller groups of בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל (groups of 1000, 100, 50, 10) and would judge the easier cases.
   • משֶׁה did as יִתְרוֹ said and appointed men to judge smaller groups and easier cases. All the difficult cases would come before משֶׁה to judge.
   • After this, יִתְרוֹ went back to his family in מִדְיָן to teach them about ה'.
3. בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל Arrive At הַר סִינַי
   • On ר''ח סִיוָן (Sivan 1st) בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל arrived at הַר סִינַי. They camped on the east side of the mountain, united with the willingness to accept the תּוֹרָה.
   • On the second day of סִיוָן, משֶׁה went up to הַר סִינַי where ה' spoke to him. ה' wanted משֶׁה to ask בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל if they were willing to accept the תּוֹרָה. They would then be the עַם סְגֻלָּה (Treasured Nation) of ה' and a מַמְלֶכֶת כֹּהֲנִים וְגוֹי קָדוֹשׁ (Kingdom of Priests and a Holy People).
   • משֶׁה returned to בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל and spoke to them as ה' said. They answered that everything ה' said they would do.
   • The next morning, on the third day of סִיוָן, Moshe went back up the mountain and reported to ה' the answer of בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל.
   • Didn't ה' already know the answer of בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל? Why did משֶׁה have to go back and tell him? The תּוֹרָה wants to teach us דֶרֶךְ אֶרֶץ from משֶׁה רָבֵּינוּ. It is proper דֶרֶךְ אֶרֶץ to report back to the one who sent you on a mission.
   • ה' then told משֶׁה to tell בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל that He would speak to משֶׁה from a thick cloud. All of בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל will see this and believe that ה' spoke to משֶׁה. They will then have faith in משֶׁה as a נָבִיא of ה' forever.
   • On the fourth day of סִיוָן, משֶׁה returned and told ה' that בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל wanted to hear from ה' himself and not through משֶׁה. ה' told משֶׁה that if He is to speak directly to בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל then they must prepare themselves for it.
   • בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל were to make sure that they did not become טָמֵא for the next few days, so ה' could speak to them on שַׁבָּת, the sixth of סִיוָן. Also, בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל would have to stand away from הַר סִינַי and not touch the mountain while ה''s שְׁכִינָה was on it or else they would die. משֶׁה came down and told all of this to בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל.
   • Early on [the third day after ה' gave משֶׁה instructions,] the sixth day of סִיוָן, the people of בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל woke up to thunder and lightning and the sound of the שׁוֹפָר. Hashem was waiting at הַר סִינַי to give them the Torah. הַר סִינַי was shaking and surrounded by fire and smoke.
   • משֶׁה went up the mountain and ה' told him to return and warn בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל again not to come near or touch הַר סִינַי.
4. The עַשֶׂרֶת הַדִבְּרוֹת
   • When ה' began to speak, everything in the world was silent and still. There was no sound whatsoever except for the words of ה'.
   • All of these ten דְבָרִים were first said in one instant, all at once. Then ה' began to repeat each one by itself so they could be heard by בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל.
   • After the first two Commandments, בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל begged משֶׁה to speak to them instead of ה'. They could not handle the full שְׁכִינָה of ה'. משֶׁה told בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל the last eight of the עַשֶׂרֶת הַדִבְּרוֹת.
   • On that day, ה' gave בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל the laws of how to make a מִזְבֵּחַ (eg. it cannot have steps) to serve ה', as well as all the מִצְווֹת in the next פַּרְשָׁה of מִשְׁפָּטִים, and the rest of the תּוֹרָה.