Dear Reader,
Is starting a sentence with an AND bad grammar - Not in the Torah!
Tonight I am privileged to share an insight by Rav Z. Weinberg, who came past where I was sitting after the evening prayers and introduced himself to me - thank Hashem. I asked for a Dvar Torah which I am going to share in a very short post two paragraphs below:
This past Sabbath we just finished Exodus chapter 20 which concluded with the giving of the Torah on Sinai, it is interesting that in ch 20 v 23, where it states we should not have steps on the alter so the Kohen - priest when ascending does not uncover his nakedness, just something to think about the next time you may want to dress a certain way before attending a service – the Shechina (holy spirit) requires you to be sensitive to purity, perhaps we will talk about this in another post where we discuss the clothing the Kohanim had to wear during the service (very refined and modest)!
But lest I drift away to much, back to the Dvar Torah: on Exodus 21 verse 1 entitled Mishpatim (In Hebrew Mishpatim means Rational Laws, Laws that seem rational to humankind based on logic) – In verse 1 it is written AND these are the Laws that you shall set before them. Why this grammar, starting a sentence with an “AND these…” Why not start with “These are the Laws…?”
Rashi says the AND comes to teach us that we must read this chapter as a continuation of what preceded it, being the 10 commandments received on Mt Sinai, and the verse about the Alter, Rashi says the 10 commandments were followed by the section dealing with the Alter to teach us that the Judgements of the Sanhedrin were to be done in a place of holiness, a place connected to the giver of the Law - the court of justice (Bais Din) was thus built near the Bais Ha Mikdash (on the Temple mount.)
Rav Z. Weinberg said tonight that the AND comes to teach us, as a hint that the laws we are about to learn despite being logical came from Sinai, they came from G-d - we thus keep the Laws not because we in our human minds know that they are Rational and make sense, but more importantly despite them being rational we keep them because G-d connects them to Sinai i.e. because he told us too, and this is the reward in keeping them. Thus the importance of Listening to instructions from the ultimate authority, the King of Kings!
I heard last week a similar concept - a tape on Yitro where Rabbi Goldfein ZTL stated that when we honour our parents we do so because Hashem told us too, and not because we owe them so much for what they have given us, but simply because it is a command of the King, (though gratitude is vitally important - Judah was named and given his name due to his mother’s gratitude to Hashem a reason we are called Jews – Yehudim, the root Hoda-ah means to thank) This insight fits well with the 5th command of honouring parents being next to Command 10 on the second tablet, i.e. to not covet, as discussed in a prior post – even if you are not blessed with great parents, you still need to honour them – or if your situation is tough, you still need to show respect and are still not allowed to Covet! We understand this is our Lot and challenge in life and try and build ourselves accordingly, despite the difficult situation, we listen, this is our journey and the road we must travel!
Justin Shulman told me he heard over on the verse Exodus ch20 v 14 where it states "Do not covet your neighbour’s house, do not covet his wife, his slave, his maid, his ox, his donkey or anything else that belongs to your neighbour. Why did Hashem not just say “Do not Covet!” FULL STOP the Torah does not waste a single letter, he says the lesson is G-d was clear because Man rationalises his desires and had G-d not stipulated all the different types of Coveting , man might, say oh i am sure I am not allowed to Covet his wife, that must be what Hashem meant, but surely this would not apply to his ox, he has so many of them and I not have even a single one, or any other animal! So Hashem states no your lot is your lot, have faith in me, despite the tough situation you must obey as I know what is best for you.
The point is we do Hashem’s will because he said so – if the commands seem rational all well and good, but that is not why we do them, we do them because that is what our father and king asks of us, hence the "AND" connecting G-d’s rational laws of this Parsha back to Sinai where he revealed to us he is the True cause of all causes!
G-d is all knowing and present throughout and above time, he is telling us these are the Laws, my laws don't try rationalise them away or change them, they come from me all those year's ago and were passed down from me to you from generation to generation all the way back from Sinia!
Have a lovely day and night
G-d Bless
Michael
Deuteronomy 4 v 2
Hear now, O Israel, the decrees and laws I am about to teach you. Follow them so that you may live and may go in and take possession of the land that the L-RD, the G-d of your fathers, is giving you. Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of the L-RD your G-d that I give you.
Deuteronomy 12 v 32
See that you do all I command you; do not add or take away from it
Proverbs 30 v 6
Do not add to his words, or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar.
An eloquent quote I must share form Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sack’s blog
“The sedra of Mishpatim, with its detailed rules and regulations, can sometimes seem a let-down after the breath taking grandeur of the revelation at Sinai. It should not be. Yitro contains the vision, but G-d is in the details. Without the vision, law is blind. But without the details, the vision floats in heaven. With them the divine presence is brought down to earth, where we need it most.”
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