B"H
Tuesday, Shevat 20, 5781 / February 2, 2021
In this week's Parsha, Yitro, we read about the giving of the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai. The Parsha is named after Yitro, who was the priest of Midyan and later became Moshe’s father-in-law, when Moshe fled from Egypt to Midyan.
The Parsha begins with Yitro coming to join the Jewish people. He became a true convert and embraced the Torah and mitzvot. This is why the Parsha of the Giving of the Torah bears his name.
Q. In the Torah there are 613 mitzvot (commandments). At Mount Sinai, G-d gave the Jewish people the Ten Commandments. When were the other commandments given?
A.According to our sages, all 613 mitzvot of the Torah were given at Mount Sinai. G-d gave Moshe the other commandments during the 40 days he was up on Mount Sinai. Our sages explain that, in fact, all the commandments are included in the Ten Commandments and are all equally important.
The sages didn't include the Ten Commandments in the daily prayers to avoid the implication that the Ten Commandments are more important than any other part of the Torah. All the 613 commandments are equally important.
Our sages tell us that, the Ten Commandments correspond to the Ten sayings with which G-d created the world, as recorded at the beginning of the Torah in the story of creation. This teaches us that the purpose of the entire creation is to adhere to the Ten Commandments and to observe the Torah.
Q. The Torah tells us that before receiving the Torah, the people of Israel proclaimed, "Na'aseh V'nishma" ("we will do and we will understand"). First, "we will do" and only after, "we will understand." What is the lesson in this for us?
A. This teaches us that one should observe the mitzvot (commandments) even before they fully understand the reason for the mitzvot. The deed, the performance of the mitzvah, is what counts. Through performing the mitzvot and doing G-d’s will, we connect with G-d, Who gave us these mitzvot.
Q. How long was Moshe on Mount Sinai before coming down with the Tablets?
A. Moshe remained on Mount Sinai for forty days and came down with the First Tablets. However, he broke the Tablets when he saw that the people made the Golden Calf. He then went up for another 40 days to ask G-d’s forgiveness for the people. Then he went up again for another 40 days and came down with the Second Tablets. Thus, he was on Mount Sinai for a total of 120 days.
HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY & SUCCESSFUL DAY