Two Minute Torah Podcast

Yitro 5771 by Rabbi Helene Kornsgold

In the introduction to the Ten Commandments in Parsashat Yitro it is written, "And God spoke all these words. When the Torah uses the word leimor, "to say," it is usually because God is telling Moses something important which Moses in turn should pass on and tell the Children of Israel. So the use of the word leimor makes perfect sense. God said it to him to say it to them. But here in this  parasha we have a problem. In Judaism there exists an understanding that every Jew was present at Sinai, and that includes the unborn souls of future generations. Therefore, there was no need for Moses to pass on anything to anyone. If all the Jews heard the Ten Commandments directly from God, then what is the reason the word leimor is used?  And, to whom are we speaking?

Rabbi DovBer, the great Maggid of Mezeritch, explained that in our case the word leimor means to speak to you. Meaning, these words should not remain mere words, but should resonate and say something meaningful to you on a personal level.  The Ten Commandments must be relevant enough to make a difference in our lives; otherwise, whom did God say them to and whatever for?

In the Talmud there is a story about a thief who prays to God for success before breaking in to commit a burglary. This is a prime example of  hypocrisy--God told you, "You shall not steal," and now you have the chutzpah to ask God to help you succeed in defying God's wishes?!  So how do we understand this Talmudic thief's hypocrisy? The answer is that this thief, too, is a believer.  Deep down he has faith, but it is superficial and doesn't permeate his being sufficiently to influence his behavior.

In the end, the power rests with each person. If we believe and want to do mitzvot, then what do we as individuals need to do to make these desires come to fruition?  The trick is to translate our inner piety into outer practice. Each person must ask himself , "What does my faith do for me? Does it speak to me? How (if at all) does my faith transform my behavior, my life? Does it make any concrete difference in my daily behavior?”.  As Jews, we have been given both the task and  responsibility to make certain the Torah does not remain a theory on the drawing board. The Ten Commandments do indeed speak to us. The question is, are we simply hearing or are we listening?