Parashat Yitro - 22 Sh'vat 5770/5-6 February 2010
Torah: Exodus 18:1 - 20:23
Haftarah: Isaiah 6:1 - 7:6; 9:5-6 (Ashkenazim); Isaiah 6:1-13 (Sephardim)
Torah: Exodus 18:1 - 20:23
Haftarah: Isaiah 6:1 - 7:6; 9:5-6 (Ashkenazim); Isaiah 6:1-13 (Sephardim)
Dedications and calendar appear below.
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Clothes Don't Make The Man
"And the Lord said to Moses, 'Go to the people and sanctify them today and tomorrow; and they shall wash their clothes.'" Exodus 19:10
The 16th century Rabbi Moshe Alshikh, of Safed, says that the Torah teaches that it is not enough for a person to worry only about the externals, such as washing himself and his clothes, while neglecting himself internally - he must be clean and pure in both aspects. He adds, the internal aspect comes first - that is why they were ordered to sanctify themselves, and then to wash their clothes.
When one appears before a king to receive justice and mercy, one scrubs oneself and one's clothing, in order to make a good impression and not offend the king. But when one appears before the King of Kings, to receive the Holy Torah, as the Israelites do in this week's parashah, God wants the heart and soul to be pure before one worries about mere physical cleanliness. It should be so also when we pray and when we study Torah. If you think about it, shouldn't all of our dealings with other human beings as well be carried out in the same way? We are always standing before God. If we always strive to act with purity of heart and soul, the externalities will take care of themselves.
Have a wonderful Shabbat!
Rabbi Richard A. Flom - This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Burbank Temple Emanu El
Burbank, CA
http://www.btee.org
"For the sake of Zion I will not be silent; for the sake of Jerusalem I will not be still"
Isaiah 62:1
