Dear Friends;

I hope you will enjoy the following Parsha summary followed by a Dvar Torah;

” Parsha in a Nutshell ”

Hearing of the miracles G-d performed for Benei Yisrael, Moshe’s father-in-law Yitro arrives with Moshe’s wife and sons, reuniting the family in the wilderness. Yitro is so impressed by Moshe’s detailing of the Exodus from Egypt that he converts to Judaism. Seeing that the only judicial authority for the entire Jewish nation is Moshe himself, Yitro suggests that subsidiary judges be appointed to judge smaller matters, leaving Moshe free to attend to larger issues. Moshe accepts his advice.

Benei Israel arrive at Mt. Sinai where G-d offers them the Torah. After they accept, G-d charges Moshe to instruct the people not to approach the mountain, and to prepare for three days. On the third day, amidst thunder and lightning, G-d’s voice emanates from the smoky mountain and He speaks to the Jewish People, giving them the Ten Commandments:

1. Believe in G-d
2. Don’t worship other “gods”
3. Don’t use G-d’s name in vain
4. Observe Shabbat
5. Honor your parents
6. Don’t murder
7. Don’t commit adultery
8. Don’t steal (kidnap)
9. Don’t testify falsely
10. Don’t covet.

After receiving the first two commandments, the Jewish People, overwhelmed by this experience of the Divine, request that Moshe relay G-d’s word to them. G-d instructs Moshe to caution the Jewish People regarding their responsibility to be faithful to the One who spoke to them.

” Dvar Torah ”

In this week’s Parsha we read about the “Ten Commandments”, which is the foundation of Jewish religion. Hashem spoke the commandments directly to the Benei Yisrael without Moshe being the intermediator, even though it was just for the first two commandments. This was the first and the last time that the entire Jewish nation heard the voice of G-d at the same time. The Chachamim say that every single Jew reached his or hers highest level of spirituality at that time and prophecised , since anyone who hears the word of G-d, is considered to be a prophet!

As I was reading through the commentaries on the Ten Commandments, I realized that each commandment is a root to so many other laws in the Torah. So much detail and specification needed to perform each commandment.
Then I said to myself, out of all these commandments, which one is the hardest one to keep?
Would it be the first one; the mitzvah to believe in G-d? Faith doesn’t come to us so easily in our generation as it did many years ago to our ancestors, when they observed G-d’s miracles on a daily basis. Or could it be the mitzvah of “Honoring your parents”? As the parents get older, they become more demanding and test our patience. Not only we cannot be disrespectful to them whatsoever, but we also need to support them physically, emotionally and financially too. Still, others would say that the fourth commandment, to keep Shabath, cramps their lifestyle more than any other!

But the most difficult commandment that made it to the top of my chart was the tenth commandment: “You shall not covet (desire) your friend’s house; or his wife, servant, ox, donkey, and everything that belongs to your friend.”
To me, this commandment is by far the most irrational one of them all. All the other commandments such as believe in G-d, honoring parents, do not kill, do not steal, etc….. are all logical things to do, but not to desire your friend’s belongings is somehow difficult to understand. It’s one thing to be asked not to steal your friend’s belongings, but not to even desire it?! It is as if you tell your child: ” Not only you are not allowed to play with your brother’s toy truck, but you are not even allowed to “dream” about it!! The child might think that you are insane!!

So, what’s wrong with desiring your friend’s belongings? It’s not as if you don’t want your friend to have it; its just that you want to have it too! What’s wrong with just wanting something in our heads without telling anyone? Is it wrong to wish to have something that you don’t have? Why is the feeling of jealousy towards your fellow man’s belongings, a sin?

The Chachamim give the following explanation. We believe that everything that we have is solely based on Hashem’s decisions. So, when we desire other people’s belongings, it means that we are not happy with what Hashem has given us and we therefore wish for other people’s belongings. And questioning Hashem’s decision shows lack of faith and is considered a sin! We should believe that Hashem knows what’s the best for us and he gives us accordingly. Also, when you desire other people’s belongings, you’ll become less appreciative of your own’s. When you desire someone else’s wife, then your own wife will look less desirable in your eyes! When you desire your neighbor’s “Ferrari”, then your own car might be less fun to drive!!

But Rabbi Frand says that the ultimate reason why we should not desire our friend’s belongings is given in the pasuk (verse) of the Torah itself. First the pasuk lists a variety of specifics — house, wife, servant, etc. — and then still finds it necessary to add the generalization, “and EVERYTHING that belongs to your friend”?
Rabbi Frand says: Don’t look at the specific belonging of your friend; but rather look at the entire picture!
Hashem gives each person a share in this life, but it comes in a package. Each one of us has a different package. We can not pick and choose what we desire from our friend; the whole package comes together!! Some have wealth and glory but our missing in health and well being. Some have the good health, but are missing in having peace and harmony at home. Some have the peace and harmony at home along with the loving spouse, but they are deprived from having healthy children!
Which package is better, we don’t know?! All we know is that we should trust in Hashem that He knows what is the best package for us! The grass always seems to be greener on the other side, but only on the surface!

Yes my friends, Hashem gives everyone of us a share in this life, but He gives it to us in a package! The whole point of this commandment is to teach us that we should appreciate what we have, and not to desire or be jealous of the things we don’t have! So, instead of occupying our minds in desiring other people’s belongings, let us enjoy our own package! Let us make the most of our lives! Let us appreciate what Hashem has given to us, and let us not waste our precious life on desiring the things that Hashem doesnot want us to have!

So my friends, enjoy your package and enjoy your life. You’ll never know; you might have the best package of them all!!

Shabath Shalom and Regards;

Martin