My Word: A Sacred Bridge

My Word: A Sacred Bridge
D’var Torah on Parashat Yitro
By Rabbi Boaz D. Heilman

This week’s parasha, Yitro (Exodus 18:1—20:23), is a huge turning point not only in the Torah itself, but in the whole history of the Jewish People. For it is in this portion that Judaism turns from a system of religious belief into a complex and complicated judicial system. Whereas earlier—both in the Torah and in the evolution of Jewish thought—God was a Divine power with whom humans could communicate simply through faith and sacrifice, from this Torah portion we learn that these are no longer enough. What God actually wants of us is proper behavior. God desires holy actions, not only hollow words. Parashat Yitro contains the Ten Commandments, which go far beyond defining our relationship with God. Past a basic few that do cover that territory, the majority of the Ten Commandments have to do with how we human beings interact with one another. Yes, we must be holy unto God; but, additionally, we must be holy unto one another.

It is no coincidence that this parasha has two main storylines: In the first, Yitro (Jethro), Moses’s father-in-law, having heard of the successful and miraculous Exodus, comes to visit Moses. Yitro is a priest among the people of Midian; he is noble and generous of spirit, wise yet humble; and he mentors (OK—he lectures) Moses about the terrible way Moses holds court. “What is this thing that you are doing to the people? Why do you sit by yourself, while all the people stand before you from morning till evening?” (Ex. 18:14). Moses wearies himself as well the people as he sits in judgment before them day in and day out. Yitro gives Moses a lesson in good leadership, instructing him to appoint judges and form lower and appellate courts, saving only the most difficult cases for himself. This judicial system would benefit everyone: The people in line won’t have to wait so long to have their cases heard, and Moses will have more time to do what Moses does best: Deliver to the people God’s word.

The next part of the portion has to do with exactly that: God’s word. More precisely, the Ten Words, or the Ten Sayings, or—as some translators would have it—the Ten Utterances.

The Hebrew designation of the Ten Commandments—Asseret ha-dibrot—implies that it isn’t only the content of the message that is important. It is the very word itself, its sound and shape, that becomes holy. From this point on, the Word—dibra—the utterance of God’s will in speech and writing—becomes a living vessel of holiness, as it gives form to God’s instructions. By absorbing the Word through hearing or reading it, we the people become holy. By the very act of studying Torah and deriving significance, meaning and relevance from God’s words, we transform ourselves and make our lives holy.

Each generation and, in fact, each individual human being, can find unique meaning from these Words. Starting with some of the most ancient laws of civilization, the interpretation of the Torah’s rules and regulations evolves through time, following a process that we can already perceive in the telling of this story. At first it will be God speaking the words. Then it will be Moses repeating them to the people; finally (later in the Torah), Moses will write them down. It’s a progression that makes the Words ours. When we engage in the study of Torah—all of us, throughout the generations—we make ourselves part of this long line of communication, not merely objective witnesses but rather active participants in a most extraordinary and eternally ongoing Revelation.

The Ten Commandments are the very foundation of a new Judaism. Whereas previously commandments came relatively sparsely, from this point on they will be coming on in droves. There are only 13 commandments in Yitro, but the very next portion will have already 53! Though there is some disagreement on the numbering of the Ten (see the differences between the Jewish and the Christian versions), there are basically two categories of law here. First come the laws pertaining to our relationship with God: The declaration of God’s uniqueness; the admonitions against worshipping any other gods (or even mentioning their names) and against making any physical image of God; and the law regarding the observance of Shabbat.

A bridge to the next five commandments is the one in which we are told to honor our father and mother. In the ever-widening circles of relationship, the close bond between parents and children is crucial. Unlike Las Vegas, what happens at home does not stay at home. We repeat what we learn from our parents—both in words and in actions. Beliefs are passed down through the generations. So, tragically, do lies, secrets and even abuse. The model for our relationship with the entire community is set at home. That is the foundation for who we are and what we can become in society.

The prohibitions against murder, adultery, stealing and giving false witness are also fundamental to our individual character as well as to societal well being. They are, respectively, Commandments number six, seven eight and nine.

The final Commandment could serve to summarize all the others, yet it also manages to go beyond them: Do not covet that which isn’t yours. This is the only Commandment that does not regulate what we do, but rather what we think. Because coveting rarely stops there. Of all feelings and thoughts, this one truly is a gateway passion. Coveting lies at the edge of a risky abyss. The tenth Commandment thus forms a border, a hedge against even coming close to this dangerous precipice.

For reasons that we cannot begin to comprehend, God needs us. In an imperfect world, God has a role for us: to be God’s partners in Creation. God wants us to become holy and join Him in this eternal quest. That isn’t done through faith alone. Faith as well as acts of justice and compassion are the twin foundation stone of Judaism. We may be as physically distant from God as a beginning from its end, but a sacred bridge does extend between the two: It’s God’s Word.

©2011 by Boaz D. Heilman