19
votes
Accepted
Why the reverse order of "Zachor Veshamor" in "Lecha Dodi"?
The beginning of each stanza spells the name of the author שלמה הלוי. I surmise that the author wanted to spell his name and therefore reversed the order.
- 140k
10
votes
Accepted
Is killing a gentile also forbidden with the לאו of לא תרצח?
Raavan (12th cent.) writes that the prohibition against murder includes killing non Jews:
ראב"ן בבא קמא
וכ"ש שאסור לגנוב לגוי דלא תגנוב דומיא דלא תרצח ולא תנאף דהוי בין לישראל בין לגוי.
...
- 36k
7
votes
Source for the Aseres Hadibros being set up in pairs?
Rashi (Song 4:5) explains how each commandment on one tablet corresponds to one on the next:
שני שדיך על שם הלוחות תאומי צביה שהם מכוונות במדה אחת וחמשה דברות על זו וחמשה על זו מכוונין דבור כנגד ...
- 25.9k
6
votes
Accepted
What type of theft does Lo Signov refer to?
Rashi and Ramban hold (citing Rabbi Yoshiyah in Sanhedrin 86a) that "lo tignov" in Shemot 20:13 means that one should not kidnap another person. Rashi's reasoning is that those who break the ...
- 19.2k
6
votes
Death of all Jews at Har Sinai
Rabbi Yosef Hayyim of Baghdad in his book Ben Yehoyada (Meg. 7b s.v. Rabba) asserts that there was no need to redo kiddushin (their marriages were not terminated) and goes on to answer the (related) ...
- 12.1k
6
votes
Why is Parshat Yitro not called Va'yishmah, after its first word?
Midrash Tanchuma (Parshat Vayeilech Moshe # 2) refers to it as Parshat Vayishma Yitro:
וזהו תורה צוה לנו משה כמנין תורה צוה לנו משה והשנים צוה הקב"ה כמו שפרשתי בפרשת וישמע יתרו
Ramban (commentary ...
- 50.3k
5
votes
Why does the Torah say, in Exodus 19:13, that those that try to see G-d will be 'stoned or shot with arrows'?
The issue derived from the verse
No hand shall touch it, for he shall be stoned or cast down; whether man or beast, he shall not live. When the ram's horn sounds a long, drawn out blast, they may ...
- 38.7k
5
votes
Why was Yisro sent home?
according to Yisro 18:27
Moses saw his father in law off, and he went away to his land.
Moshe Rabbeinu did not send him away but saw him off with honor when he (Yisro) decided to go back to Midian....
- 43.5k
5
votes
What type of theft does Lo Signov refer to?
Aside from the Seporno mentioned by Ezra, there a few other rishonim who also include monetary theft in Lo Signov.
R. Saadia Gaon writes:
לא תגנב לא תסרק
R. Avraham Ben Harambam writes:
פשטיה ...
- 50.3k
5
votes
Accepted
Yitroh's Advise to Moses - did Hashem agree?
Shout out to DanF for being Mechavein to many of the Mefarshim:
Rashi, Ibn Ezra, and others assume that the words Vetizvecha Elokim (Shemos 18:23) that Yisro said mean "and if God will command you to ...
- 21.2k
5
votes
Accepted
You shall not have any other gods
R' Samson Raphael Hirsch's translation1 of this verse is similar to the convention you cite:
Thou shalt have no other God before My Presence.
However, R' Hirsch's commentary on this verse does ...
- 48.6k
5
votes
Accepted
How are there 72 verses in Parshat Yitro?
This is indeed another version of the Ta'am Elyon. A nice overview is given in the Likutei He'aros Mesorah, who assumes that this happened by accident:
In Exodus, Chapter 20 contains 20 verses ...
- 21.2k
5
votes
How was Yitro allowed to say to Moses "you're acting not good"?
Yisro is not coming against the torah, but speaking of the practical method of governing the people. Moshe did not judge the people in that way on the instructions of Hashem, but based on his own ...
- 43.5k
5
votes
Accepted
The sons of Tzipporah
Yisro is saying that if Moshe is not in a position to take care of his family (which is why he had sent them back from Mitzrayim) then Yisro would still continue to take care of them as members of his ...
- 43.5k
4
votes
Why was Yisro sent home?
To add to Sabbahillel's answers (mefarshim here):
Seforno (18:27) explains that Yisro went back because he was old, but that Yisro's children stayed:
וְזֶה אוּלַי מִצַּד זִקְנָתוֹ, כְּעִנְיַן ...
- 21.2k
4
votes
Yitroh's Advise to Moses 3 - judging Moses on the first day?
The Torah does not say that it was his first day judging. (Edit: In fact, many mefarshim go out of their way to note that it was not his first day, (e.g. Ibn Ezra linked below).)
However, this is a ...
- 21.2k
4
votes
Why Moses named his son Eliezer "after" Avraham's slave?
Radak writes in his commentary to Genesis 15:2 that Abraham gave his servant the name Eliezer:
או אפשר שהיה שמו דמשק כשבא אל אברם והוא קרא אותו אליעזר כי אליעזר לשון עברי הוא
Why he specifically ...
- 50.3k
4
votes
Why does Rambam learn the prohibition for adultery from Parashat Acharei Mot and not Yitro?
In my experience Rambam will always cite the verse that expresses the idea most clearly as the primary source. That is not to say that the yisro commandment isnt referring to adultery and doesnt count ...
- 4,020
3
votes
Yitroh's Advise to Moses - What's the Chiddush?
Moshe Rabbeinu assumed the task of dinim on his own. Yisro criticized him for this, instructing him instead to delegate.
- 1,229
3
votes
Source for the Aseres Hadibros being set up in pairs?
Ramban (Exodus 20:13) mentions that the Ten Commandments are split between the two tablets, with the first five paralleling the latter five, but he does not discuss the specific links.
והנראה במכתב ...
- 50.3k
3
votes
Accepted
Moshe appointing leaders & judges - different accounts in Yitro & Devarim
Mefarshim here as usual:
Ibn Caspi to Devarim 1:9 says that the story in Devarim story took place after Yisro had suggested this idea to Moshe. This seems to also be the understanding of R"i Bechor ...
- 21.2k
3
votes
Accepted
Lo Sachmod Prat U'klal
You need to read the Mechilta:
"לא תחמוד בית רעך" - כלל. "ועבדו ואמתו ושורו וחמורו" - פרט. כלל ופרט - אין בכלל אלא מה שבפרט. וכשהוא אומר
Once the passuk says "anything that is to your friend,"...
- 23.1k
3
votes
Do Tzipporah and her children need to retell the story of Exodus if they weren't there?
Even converts are required to tell over the story of yetziat mitzrayim. As a general rule, all mitzvot (commandments) apply to every individual even if the reasoning doesn't fully apply to them.
- 515
3
votes
Inconsistent base-10 system of judges
Some say that the captains of thousands and hundreds were primarily military leaders (cf. Numbers 31:14), while the captains of fifties were primarily Torah teachers and elders (cf. Isaiah 3:3; ...
- 730
3
votes
Whatever happened to the Chiefs of the 10, 50, 100 and 1,000?
I'm not sure where in the Torah you would expect to see them. As many mefarshim point out, once the Torah mentions something in one place, it does not need to detail it in any other places whatsoever....
- 21.2k
3
votes
What is the significance of the title of Parshat Yitro?
I think it's simply that Yisro is the first interesting word in the text. (As Al Berko wrote in his comment.)
But we shouldn't underestimate how much his contribution added to the giving of the Torah....
- 9,971
3
votes
Why is Parshat Yitro not called Va'yishmah, after its first word?
Maybe it's to highlight the fact that he added an extra Parsha (Shmos 18:21) into the Torah, as Rashi informs us:
יֶתֶר, עַל שֵׁם שֶׁיִּתֵּר פָּרָשָׁה אַחַת בַּתּוֹרָה "וְאַתָּה תֶחֱזֶה"
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3
votes
Why Moses didn't care for his sons after leaving Egypt?
Midrash Shemos Rabba 4,4:
ובאלה שמות רבה (ד ד), וילך משה, להיכן הלך שהלך ליטול אשתו ובניו, אמר לו יתרו להיכן אתה מוליכן, למצרים אמר לו, משהם מבקשים לצאת את מוליכן למצרים, אמר לו, למחר עתידין לצאת ...
- 11.6k
3
votes
How did Yitro know he can join the Jewish Nation?
Yisro's daughter Tzipora was in Egypt (as explained by the Ramban quoting Midrash Shemos Rabba here Why Moses didn't care for his sons after leaving Egypt? ) with Moshe Rabeinu when he went as ...
- 11.6k
3
votes
How are there 72 verses in Parshat Yitro?
There are indeed 72 verses using the Ta'am Elyon split up. I counted on Mechon Mamre.
That's 62 for the rest of the Parsha and 10 for the Ten Commandments.
(It seems you stumbled upon a mistaken ...
- 101k
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