yisro

“God spoke all these words, saying, ‘I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.’” (Shemos 20:1-2). These pesukim constitute the first of the aseres ha-dibros. However, the phrase “I am Hashem your God,” does not seem to be much of a command at all. It is just a statement of fact. What, exactly, is being commanded here?…

In competition to determine “the most important parsha” in a particular sefer of Chumash, Yisro would fair quite well as a candidate for Shemos. Indeed, a number of crucially important events transpire in Parshas Yisro, but we shall endeavor to examine herein quite a lesser-known aspect of the parsha. In particular, we shall focus on a Midrash that comments on the giving of the Torah...