PARSHA SUMMARY
This week’s Torah portion begins with Moshe’s father-in-law, Yisro (whose name is the title of the parsha ), coming to join the Jewish People in the desert. (Hearing about the great miracles G-d performed for the Jews on their way out of Egypt spurred him to leave his comfortable life in Midian and join the Jewish nation.) In the Jewish camp, Yisro observes Moshe serving as the sole judge of the entire nation, working without respite from dawn to dusk. Yisro suggests a tiered judicial system, with different levels of judges addressing different levels of questions and disputes; only the most difficult questions would be brought to Moshe. Moshe accepts the plan and implements it. The Jews travel onward to reach Mt. Sinai. After spending three days preparing for the greatest moment in history – the rendezvous between G-d and Man – the time of the revelation arrives. G-d descends upon the mountain amidst thunder and lightning and the sound of the shofar and proclaims the Ten Commandments. Moshe then ascends the mountain to receive the remainder of the Written Torah and the entire Oral Law.
The Dual Aspect of Shabbat
Observing the Shabbat is one of the Ten Commandments. This highlights the prominence of Shabbat in Jewish life.
When the Ten Commandments are repeated in Deuteronomy, the Torah uses different wording to introduce the mitzvah of Shabbat. While this week’s Torah portion states, “zachor es yom Hashabbas,” remember the Shabbat day, in Deuteronomy the phrase is, “shamor es yom Hashabbas,” observe/guard the Shabbat day.
The Rabbis explain that observing Shabbat has two aspects, which are highlighted by these words. Zachor emphasizes the things we do to “remember” the Shabbat to make it a special day, such as wearing special clothing, eating tasty foods, and spending Shabbat in the presence of family, friends, and in the synagogue. Shamor refers to the way we keep Shabbat holy, by refraining from 39 proscribed acts of work. This reminds us not to treat Shabbat as just another day of the week. Shabbat is special, signified both by what we do and what we don’t do on that day.
What is so unique about the mitzvah of Shabbat? The Torah provides two reasons why Jews observe Shabbat. It reminds us of a Creator who worked for six days and rested on the seventh. Thus, each week when we rest on the seventh day, it reinforces our belief in a Creator who formed heaven and earth and runs the universe to this day. It also reminds us that the Creator took us out of Egypt, from bondage to slavery, manipulating the forces of nature through the ten plagues to impress upon the Egyptians and the Jewish People how He controls the forces of nature. Thus, Shabbat also reminds us of perhaps the most pivotal moment of our history, when G-d freed us from Egyptian slavery to become His nation.
“More than the Jews have kept Shabbat, Shabbat has kept the Jewish Nation,” it is said. Shabbat is one of the defining commandments that has kept Judaism alive and vibrant throughout the generations. Aside from its practical benefits –being away from the pressures of the workplace and spending time with family and friends – it reinforces the basic tenets of our faith, how everything that occurs in the world is the result of an Ompnipotent Creator, who watches over us each and every moment of the day. The Shabbat message carries us through the busy workweek, until the next Shabbat when we once again have an ideal opportunity for spiritual reinvigoration.