Parshat Yitro: Exodus 18:1 -20:23 By: Rabbi Denise L. Eger

Our rich Torah portion, Yitro contains so many important messages for us. Of course the centerpiece of this week’s Torah reading is the Ten Commandments. The children of Israel have arrived in 50 days from their exodus from Egypt at the foot of Mt. Sinai and there Moses ascends and receives the tablets of law from God. This is the contract, the covenantal guidelines of the relationship between God and Israel and also the beginning of the social contract between the Israelites.

The first five of the commandments focus specifically on the relationship between God and Israel. But more importantly as many of the Torah commentators point out the first commandment, “I am Adonai your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage” (Ex.20:2) was written in the singular. The word you here is not a plural form speaking to the whole household of Israel. But the commentators point out that each person at Sinai heard these words uttered by God directly to them. Each in his or her own way. God spoke directly to the individual. This wasn’t a revelation given only to Moses on at the top of Mt. Sinai. But these Ten Commandments were given to each person individually.

No intermediary was necessary to experience the Divine Revelation. This is such a powerful concept especially for a group of former slaves. How elevating to think that the Divine who did wonders and miracles like provide the manna that they ate, water from the rock to drink, split the Red Sea and delivered them from the house of bondage would even desire to speak directly to this ragged group of former slaves who were at the bottom of the Egyptian social strata.

This is an incredible notion of freedom. This is an incredible moment of throwing off the chains of slavery. Perhaps it is this moment at Sinai that is truly the Exodus. They might have left Egypt physically but to have God speak directly to them and to prepare them for this moment shows God’s faith in them as much as their faith in God.

Today for many of us our experience of God is not so direct. We don’t take the time to listen closely for the voice of God that can speak to us daily urging us to a better life, a more ethical and ‘menstchlich’ life. But God is still speaking directly to us as God did at Sinai. The Ten Commandments was the foundation of that ethical living. The Ten Commandments was the beginning of bringing order out of the chaos of slavery. That is why it too like the creation story in Genesis is a creation story.

And yet listen is what we must strive to do. Listening is what we are urged to do every day, morning and night when we recite the Shema prayer. “Listen, Israel” it urges us. “Adonai is our God, Adonai is One”. It is up to each one of us to listen for God in our lives and the lives of the Jewish people. And when we have trouble hearing or tuning in—it is then that living in and among the Jewish people is the most critical because we can rely and build upon the voice that others may hear in the hopes that we too might really listen and come to know. Not just the voice of God that speaks to us of the possibilities for a life of meaning and hope, but the voice of God that reinforces our faith and the work of our hands.

The time for listening is now.

Posted by Jimmy at February 11, 2009 09:21 AM