February 10th: Yitro
THIS WEEK IN THE TORAH
Rabbi David E. Ostrich
This week’s Torah portion concludes the story of the Exodus with the Revelation at Mount Sinai. In our traditional understanding, freeing the Hebrews from Egypt is not just a liberation; it is a liberation for a purpose, and that purpose is an ongoing relationship with the One God. As it is explained in Exodus 19.6: “You shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.”
As far back as Rabbi Akiva in the Second Century, mystics have imagined Yetzi’at Mitzrayim, the Exodus from Egypt, in romantic terms. Israel is a maiden imprisoned by an evil king, and the Lord whisks her away and brings her to desert to marry her. “Arise, my darling, my fair one, and come away.” (Song of Songs 2.10) Who is this coming up from the desert, all perfumed with myrrh and frankincense? (Song of Songs 3.6) God rescues us brings us to Mount Sinai so we can “get married.” Thus do the Ten Commandments represent our “wedding vows,” as we officially begin our lives together.
As with most weddings, the emotions are heightened. “As morning dawned, there was thunder, and lightning, and a dense cloud upon the mountain, and a very loud blast of the shofar; and all the people who were in the camp trembled. Moses led the people out of the camp toward God, and they took their places at the foot of the mountain.” (Exodus 19.16-17)
Before this, however, the people are told to prepare for their Divine encounter. “The Lord said to Moses, ‘Go to the people and warn them to stay pure today and tomorrow. Let them wash their clothes. Let them be ready for the third day; for on the third day the Lord will come down, in the sight of all the people, on Mount Sinai.’” (Exodus 19.10-11)
There are instances in the Bible when God appears to people suddenly and without any human preparation, but there are also cases where individuals need to ready themselves for the spiritual encounter. In the story of Moses and the Burning Bush, the Lord does not speak until Moses turns aside from his shepherding to inspect the miracle. For the original Passover night, the people need to prepare: choosing their lambs, painting the doorposts with blood, and eating the roasted meat with matzah and bitter herbs. Without our participation/preparation, the salvation does not take place. This seems to be the case at Mount Sinai as well. The people need to get ready for the Revelation.
This is not unusual, as we often need to get ourselves ready. Whether it is warm-up exercises before sports, warm-up comedians before live television shows, aperitifs and appetizers before fancy meals, or pep-rallies before football games, we like to get our moods and bodies prepared so we can get the most out of our experiences. How much the more so would we need to get ourselves ready before hearing the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai?
Growing up, I always figured that our worship begins at the beginning—at the opening hymn. Thus it came as a surprise to learn that the official beginning of the service is Barchu / the “Call to Worship” which comes later. Everything before that—the songs, hymns, Psalms, and prayers—are all designed to warm-up our concentration and focus, our kavannah. Thus, when the prayer leader instructs us to “Bar’chu et Adonai ham’vorach. / Praise the Lord Who is deserving of praise,” we answer by expressing our readiness: “Baruch Adonai ham’vorach le’olam va’ed! / Yes, we praise the Lord, Who is deserving of praise forever and ever!” Now that our minds and souls are ready, we can begin our prayers in earnest.
It is certainly possible to pray without knowing the service’s spiritual process, but, to me, understanding the method and process has always enhanced my prayer experience. Remember the basic plan:
(1) The first part of the service, what I like to call “the Kavannah Exercises,” are to get us in a prayerful mood.
(2) The Shema and Its Blessings (from Bar’chu up until the Amidah) are for us to contemplate the attributes of the God to Whom we shall pray.
(3) The Amidah/Tefilah is the main prayer, the prayer that takes the place of the ancient sacrifices. In the Rabbinic mindset, it is the most important part of the service, and we are urged to be ready and in the proper state of mind. As the Mishna teaches: “One should not stand up to say Tefilah except in a reverent state of mind. The pious men of old used to wait an hour before praying in order that they might direct their thoughts to God.” (Berachot 5.1)
(4) The Torah Service offers us another avenue to our relationship with the Divine. When we study the Lord’s word, we are brought into proximity with God and godliness. This is the point of Rabbi Chananya ben Teradion when he says: “When two sit together and words of Torah are [spoken] between them, then the Shechinah / God’s Presence abides among them.” (Pirke Avot 3.2)
(5) With Alaynu and our closing prayers, we complete the mood, summarizing the themes and purposes of our worship—and remembering the continuity and eternality of our relationship with God.
The whole point of this spiritual process is to open our minds and hearts to the Divine—making room for God in our thinking and in our possibilities. As Rabban Gamliel understood it, the purpose is to “Aseh r’tzono kir’tzon’cha, Align your will with God’s Will.” (Pirke Avot 2.4) The Baal Shem Tov saw it in terms of making sure that we leave room in our lives for God: “There is no room for God in those who are full of themselves”— a sentiment echoed by the modern Rabbi Rami Shapiro who invites us to “empty some of our egos in order to make room for God.”
At Mount Sinai, before meeting God, we were instructed, “Be ready.” May we remember this when next we gather to encounter the Lord.