Shemos 19:1-2 (The Gutnick Chumash)

Transcription

1 YISRO י ת רו 5776 Notes compiled by Christopher Fredrickson Phone: (828) Website: and

2 On the first day of the third month after the Children of Israel s departure from Egypt they arrived at the desert of Sinai. They had departed from Refidim doing teshuvah and they arrived at the desert of Sinai to do teshuvah. Shemos 19:1-2 (The Gutnick Chumash)

3 G-d said to Moshe, If the people want to hear me directly, then go to the people and make them ready today and tomorrow. They should was their garments. They should be prepared for the third day having separated from their wives, for the third day from today (ie: the sixth of the month of Sivan), G-d will descend before the eyes of the people on Mount Sinai. You should set boundaries around the mountain for the people around, which say Beware of ascending the mountain or touching it s edge! Whoever touches the mountain shall surely be put to death! No hand shall touch it, for he shall be stoned or cast down; whether man or beast, he shall not live. When the shofar sounds a long, drawn out blast, G-d s presence will depart and they may ascend the mountain. Shemos 19:10-13 (The Gutnick Chumash)

4 ( ס ינ י Sinai) means "thorn". Mount Sinai is also called Mount ( ח רב Horev) meaning "to lay waste", "be dried up" as well as "to fight". The word for sword in Hebrew is ח רב (Harev)

5 The Torah was given specifically in the third month for the number three symbolizes the threefold unity the Torah creates. One represents that there is no separate entity to disagree, but is an inherent, not created, unity. Two signifies duality, discord and separation. Three introduces a new element that reconciles the discordant concepts. It does not choose one way or the other, for that would be returning to one. Rather it blends the two, it allows each its own individuality and yet enables them at the same time to fuse into a greater whole. The Torah allows humans to exist as finite beings and still attain a level of Divine consciousness. It does not superimpose one reality over another, but melds the two into a G-dly and meaningful existence within our physical world. (The Rebbe; 3rd of Sivan 5735)

6 The parched desert is a metaphor for the thirst of godliness the people felt. Thirst for godliness is always accompanied by a corresponding healthy disdain for the material world. Sinai, hatred, alludes to their heightened disdain for the allure of materialism. (Torah Or)

7 For where your otzar is, there also will be your lev. The eye is the menorah of the basar. Therefore, if your eye is unblurred, then your whole basar will be lighted. But if yours is the ayin horo, your kol is choshech; if ohr choshech, great choshech! No one is able to serve two adonim (masters). For either he will have sinah (hatred) for the one and ahavah (love) for the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve Hashem and money. Matthew 6:21-24 (The Orthodox Jewish Bible)

8 The Torah was given in the wilderness to teach us that if a person humbles himself like the wilderness, which everybody treads upon, then the Torah is given to him as a gift. (Eruvin 54a)

9 G-d chose to give the Torah on a mountain, which expresses the ideal of elevating the physical world. A mountain is made of the same earth as a plane, but has been raised upward. It demonstrates how even lifeless dirt can be elevated to the highest levels. Mount Sinai was a low, unimposing mountain to teach us that the gateway to Torah is humility. On the other hand, the fact that the Torah was given on a mountain teaches us that humility must be complemented by self-assurance. The self assurance can never degenerate into arrogance, so the Torah warned us to encamp facing the mountain and Gd told us to make a boundary around the mountain. The Jews united at Mt. Sinai because they were facing the mountain. G-d created us as individuals, very different from one another. Only if we are facing the mountain, totally devoid of ego and focused in anticipation on receiving G-d s word do our petty differences pale and our common devotion to G-d s will transforms these differences to accept our collective mission. (The Rebbe; 3rd of Sivan 5735)

10 The Ten Commandments were addressed to each Jew as individuals. Each received it in a unique personal way, tailored to his spiritual and psychological makeup. (Shabbat 105a)

11 Therefore I impart chizzuk (strengthening) to you, I, the prisoner of Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach Adoneinu, and I admonish you to walk and fier zich (comport oneself) in your derech in a manner worthy of the kri'ah by which you were called, With all anavah (humility) of mind and meekness, with savlanut (longsuffering), showing forbearance to one another in ahavah, Being eager to keep the achdus (unity) of the Ruach Hakodesh in the uniting bond of shalom; As there is one Guf (Body) and one Ruach Hakodesh, as also you were called in one Tikvah (hope) of your kri ah: Adon echad, Emunah achat, Tevilah achat, One Elokim and Avi khol (Father of all), who is over all and through all and in all. But to each of us was given the Chen v'chesed Hashem according to the measure of the Matnat HaMoshiach. Therefore it says, alita lam maron shavita shevi lakachta matanot ("You ascended to the height, you led captive, you received gifts"), He has led captive a host of captives, He had brought matanot (gifts) to Bnei Adam. Now if He "ascended" what can it mean except that also He descended into the lower parts of ha'aretz? 10 The one who descended is Himself also the one having ascended far above all the Shomayim, that He might fill all things. And He gave some to be shlichim, and some nevi'im, and some gifted to be used in Kiruv efforts for Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach, and some supervising mashgichim ruchaniyim (spiritual overseers) who are ro'im and morim in the Kehillah, For the equipping of the Kedoshim for the work of avodas kodesh ministry, to the building up of HaGuf HaMoshiach Ephesians 4:1-12 (The Orthodox Jewish Bible)

12 But to each is given the disclosure of the Ruach Hakodesh for benefit: To one through the Ruach Hakodesh is given a dvar chochmah (a dvar of wisdom); to another, according to the same Ruach Hakodesh, a dvar da'as (word of knowledge); To another, by the same Ruach Hakodesh, emunah; to another, by the one Ruach Hakodesh, matanot harippuy (gifts of healing [refuah]); to another those of cholel niflaot ("accomplishing miracles") And to another divrei hanevu'ah (words of prophecy), and to another discernings (being about to make a nafka mina distinction) of ruchot (spirits), to another kinds of leshonot (tongues), and to another, pitronim (interpretations) of leshonot (tongues) All these things are activated by the one and same Ruach Hakodesh, distributing individually to each one as He determines. For even as the body is echad, and has many evarim (members), and all the evarim (members) of the body, though many, are one body, so is Moshiach. For also in one Ruach Hakodesh we were all given a tevilah into one body, whether Yehudim or Yevanim (Greeks), whether avadim (slaves) or bnei Chorin (freedman), and all were given to drink, as it were, from one Ruach Hakodesh. For the body is not one, but many, evarim (members). 1 Corinthians 12:7-14 (The Orthodox Jewish Bible)