From the week of February 10

Our Torah portion is all about freedom and the direction of ethical living for a new community, freed from bondage. It’s one thing to grant freedom, but it’s another to forge a people into a disciplined nation. So in our sedrah, God is the author of the moral law, as it is revealed at Mt. Sinai.

The portion begins with a conversation between Moses and his father-in-law, Jethro. The substance of this dialogue enables Moses to develop a better system for governing his people, and setting up a judicial system.

The ten commandments are actually referred to as the “ten words” in rabbinic literature. They are the “eser ha-div’rot,” the ten words spoken by the Almighty. This set of commandments is repeated in Deuteronomy, chapter 5, with a different wording for the fourth commandment, concerning the Sabbath.

The Haftorah is equally famous. It comes from the prophet Isaiah, who lived in the early 700’s BCE, who describes how he became a prophet, and the revelation he has received. From chapter 6 of Isaiah we find the origin of the liturgical phrase, “holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hosts.” This phrase is part of the Kedushah, the third blessing recited in the morning service.

Join us for a wonderful Torah study this Shabbat.