Portion 17 Yitro Exodus 18:1-20:23
18:4 This is consistent with 4:20 which refers to more than one son. It could be the second son’s circumcision that is referred to in 4:25. The second son’s name refers to God protecting Moses from capital punishment for murdering the Egyptian, a miraculous protection, without which, he would have been sentenced to death by Pharaoh when he returned to Egypt. Perhaps this section is placed here to remind us that Moses violated one of the Ten Commandments and to reinforce that capital punishment transgresses the boundaries between heaven and earth.
18:14 Jethro realizes that Moses’ power is harmful to the people, no matter how benevolently Moses wields it.
18:18 Jethro also realizes that Moses’ power is also harmful to Moses. Unchecked power is corrosive to the soul.
18:20 Jethro’s first proposal is his most radical. He advises Moses to instruct the people in the laws and teachings so that they can make decisions for themselves. Jethro is foreshadowing 19:6 “You shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” Under this proposal, the people could have chosen their own judges.
18:21-22 Jethro’s second proposal preserves and even enhances Moses’ power by giving him the sole authority to appoint judges.
18:24-26 Moses adopts Jethro’s second proposal but not the first.
19:3a How are we to understand this given the biblical and rabbinic understanding of the boundary between heaven and earth that we are forever tempted to transgress? “According to Rabbi Yose (2nd century C.E.): The Shechina never descended and Moses never ascended on high. “The heavens are the heavens of God, while the earth has been given to human beings” (Ps. 115:16). [That is, the biblical account is to be taken figuratively rather than literally. “Moses went up” is to be understood as “Moses was raised high,” that is, he was exalted by God above other people.]” –Plaut, from the Talmud.
19:3b The Rabbinic tradition identifies “house of Jacob” with women and “children of Israel” with men. Women are mentioned first because they have a far greater understanding of the real boundary between heaven and earth and the falseness of man-made boundaries, as in 19:15 for example.
19:6 Priests do not go to war and they are not assigned a territory of their own.
19:15 We transgress the boundary between heaven and earth by moving it so that we (and people of our gender or our nationality or what have you) are on one side while less desirable people are on the other. Moses interprets God’s words through the man-made boundary between women and men.
19:12, 19:21-25 God repeatedly warns Moses that the boundary between heaven and earth puts all of the people on one side and only God on the other. All of the people includes those calling themselves priests or anyone else tempted to assign themselves godlike status.
20:1 Plaut writes that in no other religious tradition does God speak to all of the people at once. I recently heard this claim repeated by David Saperstein of the Religious Action Center for Reform Judaism. Verifiable counterexamples will receive, while supplies last, a postcard featuring a picture of Hubert Humphrey wearing a hard hat. The Torah is ambiguous as to whether God spoke to all the people or just to Moses.
20:2 The holy nation must never forget that Egyptian blood was spilt so that we may live. This obliges us to a life of service to others. God is the warrior. We are to be peaceful. Exodus 14:14.
20:3 The holy nation must not to rely on idols such as the invisible hand or military might or future technological innovation or national borders for salvation.
20:4 The only acceptable image of God is all humanity, male and female, living and working together in harmony. Genesis 1:26-31
20:7 The holy nation must not claim divine right, or God’s will, or natural law, to justify its inequities.
20:8-11 The holy nation must provide sufficient time for rest and contemplation for its people.
20:12 The holy nation must provide abundant time, resources, and institutions for mother and fathers to care for their children. The holy nation must insure that its elders have the means to live a dignified life.
20:13 The holy nation leaves vengeance for God and remembers that Moses was guilty of murder. The holy nation honors its covenantal obligations with God and the people (see Ezekiel chapter 23 for a societal meaning of adultery.) The holy nation does not exploit the poor to benefit the rich. The holy nation does not lie to the people.
20:14 In the holy nation, inequities of wealth and opportunity are minimized.
20:16-19 Out of fear, the people respect the boundary between God and people. The hard part is not creating our own false boundaries between peoples.
20:20 Alongside the real boundary between heaven and earth we should not construct a false boundary dividing people based on wealth.
20:21 The altar is not an image of God. It is a reminder that all people are equally on the earth side of the boundary. No precious metals or other materials that people use to divide themselves from other people have any place on God’s altar.
20:22 “Why would the sword (i.e. an iron tool) profane the stones of the altar? The altar was made to lengthen human life and the sword to shorten it. Hence it would be wrong to lift up that which is designed to curtail human life against that which is designed to prolong it.”- Plaut, from the Mishna.
20:23 Awareness of our nakedness is our shrewdness, our desire to dominate, to transgress the boundary, and be like Gods. The altar is not raised to remind us that we are dust of the ground and to dust we shall return
18:4 This is consistent with 4:20 which refers to more than one son. It could be the second son’s circumcision that is referred to in 4:25. The second son’s name refers to God protecting Moses from capital punishment for murdering the Egyptian, a miraculous protection, without which, he would have been sentenced to death by Pharaoh when he returned to Egypt. Perhaps this section is placed here to remind us that Moses violated one of the Ten Commandments and to reinforce that capital punishment transgresses the boundaries between heaven and earth.
18:14 Jethro realizes that Moses’ power is harmful to the people, no matter how benevolently Moses wields it.
18:18 Jethro also realizes that Moses’ power is also harmful to Moses. Unchecked power is corrosive to the soul.
18:20 Jethro’s first proposal is his most radical. He advises Moses to instruct the people in the laws and teachings so that they can make decisions for themselves. Jethro is foreshadowing 19:6 “You shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” Under this proposal, the people could have chosen their own judges.
18:21-22 Jethro’s second proposal preserves and even enhances Moses’ power by giving him the sole authority to appoint judges.
18:24-26 Moses adopts Jethro’s second proposal but not the first.
19:3a How are we to understand this given the biblical and rabbinic understanding of the boundary between heaven and earth that we are forever tempted to transgress? “According to Rabbi Yose (2nd century C.E.): The Shechina never descended and Moses never ascended on high. “The heavens are the heavens of God, while the earth has been given to human beings” (Ps. 115:16). [That is, the biblical account is to be taken figuratively rather than literally. “Moses went up” is to be understood as “Moses was raised high,” that is, he was exalted by God above other people.]” –Plaut, from the Talmud.
19:3b The Rabbinic tradition identifies “house of Jacob” with women and “children of Israel” with men. Women are mentioned first because they have a far greater understanding of the real boundary between heaven and earth and the falseness of man-made boundaries, as in 19:15 for example.
19:6 Priests do not go to war and they are not assigned a territory of their own.
19:15 We transgress the boundary between heaven and earth by moving it so that we (and people of our gender or our nationality or what have you) are on one side while less desirable people are on the other. Moses interprets God’s words through the man-made boundary between women and men.
19:12, 19:21-25 God repeatedly warns Moses that the boundary between heaven and earth puts all of the people on one side and only God on the other. All of the people includes those calling themselves priests or anyone else tempted to assign themselves godlike status.
20:1 Plaut writes that in no other religious tradition does God speak to all of the people at once. I recently heard this claim repeated by David Saperstein of the Religious Action Center for Reform Judaism. Verifiable counterexamples will receive, while supplies last, a postcard featuring a picture of Hubert Humphrey wearing a hard hat. The Torah is ambiguous as to whether God spoke to all the people or just to Moses.
20:2 The holy nation must never forget that Egyptian blood was spilt so that we may live. This obliges us to a life of service to others. God is the warrior. We are to be peaceful. Exodus 14:14.
20:3 The holy nation must not to rely on idols such as the invisible hand or military might or future technological innovation or national borders for salvation.
20:4 The only acceptable image of God is all humanity, male and female, living and working together in harmony. Genesis 1:26-31
20:7 The holy nation must not claim divine right, or God’s will, or natural law, to justify its inequities.
20:8-11 The holy nation must provide sufficient time for rest and contemplation for its people.
20:12 The holy nation must provide abundant time, resources, and institutions for mother and fathers to care for their children. The holy nation must insure that its elders have the means to live a dignified life.
20:13 The holy nation leaves vengeance for God and remembers that Moses was guilty of murder. The holy nation honors its covenantal obligations with God and the people (see Ezekiel chapter 23 for a societal meaning of adultery.) The holy nation does not exploit the poor to benefit the rich. The holy nation does not lie to the people.
20:14 In the holy nation, inequities of wealth and opportunity are minimized.
20:16-19 Out of fear, the people respect the boundary between God and people. The hard part is not creating our own false boundaries between peoples.
20:20 Alongside the real boundary between heaven and earth we should not construct a false boundary dividing people based on wealth.
20:21 The altar is not an image of God. It is a reminder that all people are equally on the earth side of the boundary. No precious metals or other materials that people use to divide themselves from other people have any place on God’s altar.
20:22 “Why would the sword (i.e. an iron tool) profane the stones of the altar? The altar was made to lengthen human life and the sword to shorten it. Hence it would be wrong to lift up that which is designed to curtail human life against that which is designed to prolong it.”- Plaut, from the Mishna.
20:23 Awareness of our nakedness is our shrewdness, our desire to dominate, to transgress the boundary, and be like Gods. The altar is not raised to remind us that we are dust of the ground and to dust we shall return
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