Wednesday, Shevat 19, 5777 / February 15, 2017
This week's Torah portion is Yitro. The highlight of this Parsha is the Ten Commandments, which
G-d gave to the Jewish people at Mount Sinai.
The name of the Parsha, Yitro, is after Moshe’s father-in-law, Yitro, who was the priest of Midyan. Upon hearing all the miracles G-d performed for the Jewish people, he decided to bring his daughter, Tziporah, and Moshe’s two children to join their father at Mount Sinai. Yitro also joined the Jewish people.
The following are interesting points about the Parsha and the Ten Commandments:
There are only six Parshiot in the Torah which carry a person’s name: Noah, [Chayei] Sarah, Yitro, Korach, Balak and Pinchas.
The Ten Commandments were engraved on two tablets. Both tablets were of equal size, with five commandments on each tablet. Contrary to popular perception, the two tablets were square. They were not rounded on top.
One tablet contained the commandments between man and G-d. The other contained the commandments between man and man.
Although the commandments between man and G-d contained 146 words and the five commandments between man and man totaled only 26 words, they were written on the same size tablet.
Our sages point out an interesting point: The 26 letters took up the same amount of space because they were written in much bigger letters.
Lesson: G-d wanted to make us aware that one should not minimize in the importance of the commandments between man and man.
One cannot claim piety by meticulously performing the mitzvot toward G-d while ignoring the commandments between fellow humans. G-d especially wrote these commandments in LARGER letters to show that our attitude toward others plays a very important role in our relationship with G-d.
Rabbi Chanina ben Dosa in Pirkei Avot stresses this point as follows: "Anyone with whom his fellowmen are pleased, G-d is pleased with him; But anyone with whom his fellowmen are not pleased, G-d is not pleased with him!"
HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL DAY