בס”ד
Yitro (Exodus 18-20 )
This week’s Torah portion features the momentous event of G-d giving the Torah to the Jewish people at Mount Sinai. However, the sages teach that before giving the Torah to the Jewish people, G-d offered the Torah to the other nations of the world: The Sifri1 relates:
“When the Holy One, Blessed is He, revealed Himself to give the Torah to Yisrael, it was not only revealed to Yisrael alone, rather to all the nations first. He went to the Children of Esav: He said to them, “Do you [want to] receive the Torah?” They said to Him, “what is written in it?”. He said to them, “Do not kill”. They said, the essence of those people [us] and their father [Esav] is that he is a murderer…He went to the Children of Moav. He said to them, “Do you [want to] receive the Torah?” They said to Him, “what is written in it?” He said to them, “Do not act immorally”. They said to Him, the essence of those people [us] is immorality…. He went to the Bnei Yishmael. He said to them, “Do you [want to] receive the Torah?”. The said to Him, “what is written in it?” He said to them, “Do not steal”. They said to Him the essence of their father [Yishmael] is that he was a thief.” Likewise [God went] to all the nations [and the same thing happened]. Since the Holy One Blessed Is He, saw it, He gave It [the Torah] to Yisrael.”
When G-d offered each nation the Torah, they asked what is written in it and G-d replied with the mitzvah that was most difficult for each, respective nation. He told Esav, whose patriarch was a murderer, that it states in the Torah “do not kill”, and to Moav, whose patriarch, Lot, was immoral, about the prohibition of acting immorally, and he told the descendants of Yishmael, whose patriarch was a thief, about the prohibition to steal. There is something problematic here. The Talmud teaches that included in the Seven Noachide Laws that all non-Jews are commanded are the prohibitions to not murder, to not engage in illicit sexual relations, and to not steal.2
Accordingly, if G-d was coming to tell the nations about additional mitzvot that are found in the Torah, why did He deliberately choose commandments that they already had to keep anyway?! And why did the nations refuse based on G-d’s answer, given that accepting the Torah would seem to not have made any discernible difference in how they lived their lives?3
Rabbi Dovid Cohen4, Rosh Yeshiva of Chevron, explains, based on a teaching of Rabbi Yitzchak Isaac Chaver5 that there is a fundamental difference in the Seven Noachide Laws and the 613 Mitzvot. The Seven Noachide Laws are purely practical commandments to enable a functioning society. It is necessary for non-Jews to engage in these laws (including setting up law courts) in order to prevent anarchy and destructive behavior. In contrast, the mitzvot of the Torah have a far more elevated purpose. They are there to elevate a person and enable him to perfect himself spiritually.
Based on this understanding, Rav Cohen answers why G-d told the nations mitzvot that are included in the Noachide Laws. He was communicating to them that it is insufficient to keep mitzvot such as do not kill and do not steal, on a basic minimal level in order to maintain a functioning society. Rather, if they accepted the Torah, they would have to approach these mitzvot on a far deeper level, not as just practical laws. This is also why they refused G-d’s offer – they may have been willing to keep the bare bones of the Seven Mitzvot6 but they didn’t want to observe them in such a way that would have a profound change on their essence. Hence, the nation of Esav answered G-d that they could not keep the Torah Mitzvo of ‘do not kill’ as that was part of their very essence, and the same applies for the nation of Moav with regards to immorality, and the nation of Yishmael pertaining to theft.
This idea has practical ramifications to the way Jews keep Mitzvot in contrast to Bnei Noach. It seems that since keeping these Mitzvot as part of the Torah the goal was that each person would profoundly change, then the actual details of the Mitzvot are far more refined and detailed than they would be if they were just part of the Seven Mitzvot. This is seen through the answer to another question that arises in the Parsha.
Right at the end of the Portion, after the momentous Ten Commandments, the Torah adds three seemingly random mitzvot: Not to make images of celestial beings, nor any graven images of silver and gold: Not to use a sword while forming the stones for the Altar: Not to have steps leading up to the Altar but instead to have a ramp.7 Why are these seemingly disparate mitzvot commanded as the conclusion to the Portion of the Giving of the Torah? The commentaries explain8, that these three mitzvot are extensions of the three of the Ten Commandments: The prohibition to make images is a development of the Command not to worship false gods: The prohibition of using a sword is because it represents violence, hence it is a development of the Command not to kill: And the prohibition of having steps is because it when one walks up steps, his robe is raised, and parts of one’s body can be seen, thus is it an aspect of modesty, and is an extension of the Command not to be involved in immorality.
With these mitzvot, G-d is conveying a profound message. In the words of Rabbi Immanuel Bernstein.9
“This is the background to the follow-up communication, where Moshe informs the people that part of being Jewish means that even these basic laws assume an infinitely higher level of observance and sensitivity. Not only are those sins themselves forbidden, they cannot exist even in trace form…. Not only is serving idols itself prohibited, even making images of celestial beings or other forms is also forbidden. Not only is murder prohibited, but even an implement associated with bloodshed is not allowed to be used in fashioning the Altar…”
Thus, the fact that the purpose of the 613 Mitzvot is far more elevated than the purpose of the Seven Noachide Laws has major practical ramifications. It means that when the Torah teaches a law, It does not just intend for a person to keep the basic letter of the law, rather he is supposed to develop a sensitivity to the Mitzvot that change him internally. Another example of this is the laws of lashon hara, the prohibition to speak badly about other people. As Rabbi Yitzchak Berkovits teaches, it does not suffice to simply refrain from saying negative things and yet simultaneously harbor negative thoughts about people. Rather, one must recognize that the the root idea behind the Mitzvo is that one must develop into the kind of person who views the world in a positive light.
The following story related by Rabbi Bernstein demonstrates how far one must apply the root of Mitzvot and indeed, all Jewish laws to one’s daily life. It is told that there was a very pious student in the famed Slabodka Yeshiva headed by the Alter of Slabodka, Rabbi Nosson Tzvi Finkel. However, this young man walked around with a dour countenance. At one point, the Alter called him over and said, “It is forbidden for you the be in the beit midrash (study hall) wearing an expression like that.” The student, who was very careful in the fulfillment of Mitzvot and halacha, asked where the Torah prohibits such a thing. The Alter replied, “The Torah forbids a person to dig a pit in the public thoroughfare, because a passerby can fall in and be injured. The beit midrash (study hall) is a public thoroughfare, and your face is a pit, since people who look at you scowling instantly feel worse? What difference does it make if you damage someone’s arm or leg or you damage his mood?”10
The Alter was conveying the message that the purpose of mitzvot needs to be understood and applied to every aspect of one’s lives, not just viewed in a narrow sense. May we all merit that the Torah infiltrates every aspect of our lives.
By Rabbi Yehonasan Gefen
- Sifri Vezot HaBracha, Piskah 343.
- Sanhedrin, 56a.
- One could answer simply that they were aware that the Divine punishments for keeping the Torah was more severe than keeping the Seven Mitzvot, but a deeper answer will be suggested here.
- Mizmor L’David, Chelek 3, Maamer 12, pp.310-313.
- Yad Mitzrayim, Piska Chacham Mah Hu Omer.
- Although it is conceivable that they didn’t want to even keep them on that level.
- Shemot, 20:20-22.
- Cited by Rabbi Immanuel Bernstein, Dimensions in Chumash, Volume 1, pp.409-411. This idea is also discussed in the aforementioned Mizmor L’David.
- Ibid. p.410.
- Ibid, p.412.
WEEKLY TORAH PORTION,
The Guiding Light
by Rabbi Yehonasan Gefen
© Copyright, all rights reserved. If you enjoyed this article, we encourage you to distribute it further.
Our blogs may contain text/quotes/references/links that include copyright material of Mechon-Mamre.org, Aish.com, Sefaria.org, Chabad.org, and/or AskNoah.org, which we use in accordance with their policies.
