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The Theophany at Sinai | Rabbi Neil Winkler May 29th 2025
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is taken from the Greek word theo means
uh not god but the religious theophony
divine let's
say the theophony was a divine
experience let's say uh at harsai so
called theophony and like I said it's
primarily so that people could be
um confused about what that is and open
up and listen hear what he
Um
Mhami, it is after all just a few days
before Shauvo. It is fitting that in the
um and the the holiday on which we mark
the anniversary of the giving or of the
asser or the pronouncement of the
asser that we should um get into a
little more details about the jiro which
is what my plan is
here. Oh, this is even better. And as I
often tell you, the whole point of um
all of
these sorry of all of these lectures is
to open up ideas and thoughts that we
didn't know before that we thought we
knew and that the text
sometimes says it a little differently
than what we thought it was. And um here
it
is. I need it to be higher. Excuse
me. And
therefore, come on. There's another one.
Oh, that's why. I'm sorry. I'm
sorry. I was going to do that
next. Oh, pleasure
there. And for that reason
um this uh class this sh is going to
address exactly that. What do we know
about the
ass and what do we think we knew about
the assro? Hopefully certain ideas will
come to
um realization
uh and maybe we'll learn a little
something a little different than we had
known before. All right.
Um first of all I am going to announce
that which was mentioned in the other
classes. Um the sum this day today were
sponsored by Estelle Harris. Um I don't
um a member of her husband um Richard
Mark Harris that's a fellow mayor Ben
Hirs
um a loving father and grandfather I
don't know how many people today could
say more than that but I knew these book
I know um very well as as
um Estelle and I knew her husband
uh in the beginning of my
um rabinet I after our first year in
uh in Cincinnati
1972. So in 1973 I moved to uh Trenton,
New Jersey and there one of the people
there actually um uh Estelle's father
was a uh head of the board was of the
SH and um Phillips and SHs and I do
therefore knew Estelle and her husband
and so I feel honored to be able to say
something and to at least tell her that
uh that we are uh basically
um getting the the honor of being able
to fill a a Shia now uh in memory of
the of the uh Estelle's husband uh
Rafael mayor Ben Sih who as I said I did
know I'm not going to begin by reading
to you the asser had brought because uh
you're somewhat uh knowledgeable of them
the ten commandments we call them and uh
it's very well known to both both um Jew
and non-Jew those who know the Bible at
all as they call it and um I'm going to
begin by simply understanding the ABC of
this the ten commandments
So let's understand it.
Um first I'm going to address the fact
that the de are found not once but twice
in the Torah. It's found in parro which
is what we're going to be reading.
please God on Shàuote on Monday and um
also
in found also inan
um and uh
the a part of the history of Israel's
journey through the midbar until they
and um there's a difference between the
two of them and um we would eventually
get through those differences sometimes
they're very very minor. Um if it says
uh for example in the U
inro it
says or and
and it
says not big big differences.
um uh
shamat also differences but when it
comes to for example why we observe
Shabbat there were tremendous
differences between the two why and why
there are differences is something we
will get to I don't think we're going to
do it completely but I think just as an
over uh you know looking over the whole
thing an overview if I say of too. The
difference is you should be under you
should know
that these two these two versions of
the boat are not two ten commandments.
Sometimes we see before shim trying to
well why did he change that? Well what
did it really say and so on and so
forth. Um the
um idea that devarim in which we find a
second version of
the was after all uh a a a retelling of
the Torah of what had gone happen and
um therefore we get into trouble if he
if it's merely retelling why does it
retell it differently? Um, but that's a
misconception. That's simply not what
Dvar is about. And quickly I'm going to
go through this because it ties into
understanding the brought and why
there's two of them. That is just the
first part of what I want to say. Uh,
and and that is to understand what is
not a Mishnet Torah, which means a
repetition of the Torah. That's not what
it means.
Um, it's not a repetition of the Torah
because the Torah has five books. It has
a book of Beresit. What part of Beresit
in the story of Abra and Yakov and
Yoseph and what's how much of that is
repeated in? And you're right.
None. None. Or we can go into
um Okay, good. There you have the ser
the slavery of Egypt, the enslavement of
the Israel, uh the birth of Moshe, what
happened to Moshe, Moshe in uh in with
Yitro when he had to run away, what he
did, all of the 10 plagues, uh the
splitting of the sea, and guess what?
None of them is found in
Sephar. So as a book that was supposedly
a retelling of the Torah, that's not
true. All of Gray is not there. A good
bulk, the majority of Shimote is not
there. Yes, it does recall the mentions
at least the sin of the which we still
we uh studied last week and it does
include the the broad but the story of
Yeo is not even mentioned here though in
Peragal it's it's sort of hinted to
although we don't know
which which uh story whether it is the
establishment of the elders or or of the
judges which is the time of it uh but
it's not mentioned not his name at all
of the whole last part except for the um
parad Duma, the last part of Schmote,
which is all about the building of the
Mishkan, all of the tales about it and
everything of
in Truman Tit and parts of Kitisa in all
of Pakud is not found
in. So, so far Besid is missing almost
all of except the two stories is
missing. Ah so vayukra undoubtedly will
you know be put in this this repetition
of the Torah and all the laws. Now the
stories of tuma and tahara the whole
concept of um purity and defilement
um all the sacrifice rituals what has to
be cleansed where they are uh where
where it has to be slaughtered and where
their blood has to be all of that stuff
is in vikra it's not
invar don't find that invarim
um the story of yale that we just read
uh last week in uh in uh this in
Bahar that that is the jubilee
year not mentioned not mentioned
inim and
even the concept of theatical year is
not mentioned in invarim it's mentioned
as where where and for the first time
and only time where all debts are also
um during the seventh year but the idea
of not work in the field which we always
speak about when it comes to schmita is
not found in okay so now we got nothing
that's embraced there's very little
that's in um the story is
in almost nothing that is but in that's
that is inra so finally comes to bidbar
great so we'll talk about that good so
midbar begins and you'll find all the
census all of the countings of the of
the people of and of of le that's a
whole safer uh I'm sorry para of midbar
then nasau comes tells us what the had
to do what they did in the mishkan and
that come that uh that's not there at
all either uh comes to bahala the entire
uh para ofk is not mentioned
in mid doesn't mention at all the sins
that we go through there and so on so
forth first time we have anything about
safe that we learn in and we read in
safe midbar is the story of the spies
and we'll get to that too another time.
So that is mentioned in Dvarim. Um and
um
so okay then we go to the story of Korak
not
there the story of of Balac
um not
there the the the ina all of the
additional sacrifices the musaf not
there. So this whole concept that oh
Misha Torah yeah they're reviewing the
Torah that's not
true. Hardly anything about the Torah is
reviewed. The idea of the concept of
Mishnet
Torah was
uh
Moshe teaching some new or some actually
repeated laws that were taught. And
sometimes there were laws that were
taught over the 40 years. But here in
the 40th year, Moshe writes it down and
reminds them. We think it's the first
time we're reading it. Not true. Moshe
had been teaching it the whole time. It
wasn't written down in this part, but he
he makes sure to write it down in so
therefore it's o it's going over the
laws before what? Before they enter
Israel and who's not going to be
there. And who wasn't there when they
got the to the Torah? And that's wrote
the bulk of the people. They all died
out. This is the 40th year. When you
understand that historical thing that
the bulk of the population that was
there were not around, not only in the
debt, but in Egypt. They didn't know
about all of the they heard about them.
You know, papa told me about this, but
they weren't there. So it's
understandable that what Mosha was going
to do is remind them of the things that
did happen but not the details that we
already had but those things that are
going to impact the mitzvah that they
have to review and have to follow.
Okay. Understanding this you understand
now also that
the we had that we said oh it's the
second version. It's not the second
version. Mosher Raenu wasn't planning to
tell you this is what was said. Not
true.
Um because it was never meant to be an
exact duplication of what was written in
para. In fact, whereas in it says that
Moshe
spoke God spoke these words. He spoke
these
words. But
inan it says and God
[Applause]
spoke something like these notes. It
wasn't meant to be exactly the same
thing and it wasn't. So just like the
stories in were not meant to be
duplicates of the ones in the earlier
books and most of them are not even
included.
The only reason that
there's is not because to repeat them
but to as I just said remind the people
who are never there. This is what God
said. I know your parents told you I was
there said Moshe. I'll tell you exactly
what he said. I was up in the mountain.
I heard God's
voice. And most crucially and most
people don't understand this. It's so
important.
Mosher
Raenu was telling them the mitzvot.
That's what Dvar was
about. And that is precisely the purpose
of safer
duvarim. Moshe reviewing the mitzvah
that he had already been teaching there
years. And one would
imagine that some
of among the 2 million people, 3 million
people and Jews have a habit of having
maybe one or two who may speak out when
they shouldn't. I know I've taught for
50 years, believe
me. Who is going to say if not openly
imagine to himself
So if God taught us all of these
mitzvah, Moshe, why are you telling
us? Moshe, why are you telling us? Why
doesn't God and why didn't he at Hari
get up there and say, "Okay, number 345
mitzvah is this 610. This is the
mitzvah." Why is it that he get 10
pronouncements, right? And nothing else.
Why?
not to speak. Excellent. Very good. And
where do we find that? that we find that
inb but we find that in this story the
story that's told
here
in I should
there is not told in detail
in because here we see in the
inan exactly what was said and that is
um don't have
He
said the people came to him after they
had they heard the sound of God. They
were very fright. Was that after the
first
two first two dibro as uh Kazal saying
or as the text seems to do it all 10
either way when they heard that they
were frightened and they trembled and
they said we don't want to hear this.
They said he said why should we have to
die by sitting there and by standing
here and listening to God's voice.
Please Moshe, you go up to God and you
listen to
him whatever God tells us tells
you and you can then tell us what God
has taught you everything he
said and we'll listen to whatever you
say and we'll do it. That's
easy. That was the point and that's
exactly what why Moshe has anything
about the brought in
in it wasn't because he wanted to tell
this is one this is two but because at
hari at
that you didn't want to hear God's love
God's plan was to give you the mitzvah
there certainly all 10 of them uh but
probably all of
You didn't you you could not stand in
that in not in a negative way but rather
in a real way you could not be able to
listen to
God and you said please and what did you
say Moshe you teach
us so that's why before he starts
teaching them the mitzvah in all
of he now explains to them in are going
to say, "Hey, what happened to God? How
come you're taking over?" He's saying,
"I" he would have, but you you asked me.
It was your request of for me and of God
that he not that he not speak and that I
listen to him and I would speak to you
and teach you. So, the reason that I'm
teaching you these mitzvot and God
doesn't come and do so, is not because
of me. It's because of you. you wanted
that. So now he said that he now can go
on and you'll see goes on to start tell
what the mitzvah are. But that was an
introduction to and now you understand
far better. The whole thing wasn't to
retell stories. He wanted to explain to
them why it is that he now had to give
mitzvah. He had to review them those he
had been teaching them. And in case they
say, "How come God didn't teach us?
Maybe you're just making it up." He
said, "Because you didn't want to hear
and you asked me to do it." It's a
phenomenally important thing in
understanding all
of but also
in
realizing that Israel whether
consciously or not started the concept
of teacher and
student of having to pass down down what
we would call the msora from one
generation to the other. You speak to
one and they you speak to the next and
that's how hello we're still here 3,000
years later studying the same brought
because our generations like Moshe to
the people taught down and down and that
is all right so it's a good introduction
even though it was about the it was
about really all of and now let's find
if we can clarify a few things about
So let's now question number one. Why do
we think there are 10 dB? Why are there
10? Why why aren't there 11 or 12 or
maybe eight or nine? Well, why 10? It's
an even number. Even number it could
have been like eggs could have had dozen
of them. Yeah.
Fingers. Oh, 10 fingers. That's why if
ah it could have 20 cuz he could have
taken they're wearing sandals. They
could have cut they could have counted
on dead toes too right and then the term
of
um
debro
commandments if we accept that there are
10 and we'll show you why we have to
accept
that which are the
10 if I would have you read through the
text and I think I gave you the brute
that whole sheet of the ten commandments
And if I would ask
you, how many commandments do you find
in there? I think you'd be
um surprised. Okay, we say ten
commandments. Let's see. And I have
where it says the yro version. It's not
in English, but we begin with, for
example, well, I'll I'll take that
aside. We'll do that in a second. And
again debro as I
said are debro commandments. No what
what are what? Okay. Utterances. Well
exactly. What would you say if you say
ten commandments? You say I say it what?
Utterances spoken. No. No. How would you
say it if it was
commandments? What's command? Well, it's
a directive in in Hebrew. What is a
commandment? A devot de. No, you're
doing
dropped. How do you say I want you to do
this
close? I want you to do this.
It would
be
correct. That's not what it says. It is
called and you correctly pointed out
that it source is from the
dair. So it doesn't mean ten
commandments. It means 10
pronouncements. You are correct. Um, dra
whatever you want to say it. So I I sort
of solve that reason why I say dra. But
let's why do I think why do I do we
think it's ten commandments? I'll show
you that there are a lot more than that
and that and this thing. So why do we
say ten commandments? It means we had no
choice because the Torah calls it that.
refined it in um I'm trying to see if I
have it here in my source sheets. I
don't have it here. I should have it
here in the source sheets where you see
it. Um
please please please two or three could
fit into one category.
But but it's but it's more than one
command.
But it's still one fit into one
category. Then there's Well, fine.
That's true, by the way. But still. All
right. Good. I didn't have it here. I
didn't do a very good job when I wanted
to. Okay. Anyway, you have, for example,
we find that it says not once, not
twice, but three times in the Torah, we
have it
says Moshe stayed
with God and it says he didn't eat and
drink. All
right? wrote at the Rahab and he wrote
down the the words of the covenant that
God made
them
10. So there it's 10 not 14. So it says
10 and then it
says shown again that Moshe wrote down
as were in the first
tablets the 10 things pronouncements
we'll call them right and then we have
it at even a third time um where it says
uh that God spoke to them again this is
inanim you heard God's voice but you
didn't see God and God told you then
about the the bre that you are uh tied
tied to that he told you
from the 10 things. So three times in
the Torah we see that this what we call
the wrote had to beer because it says
that's how we know it's 10. So that's we
took over that question. Now
um I could go through and I may have to
if you look quickly at how many mitzvah
we have in the jiro and we see clearly
it's not ten commandments. Let's stop.
Well, I'm I'm going to put that aside
unless do you see here on that first
part of the
um that you see on the right side of the
page of the
itro. Count how many what we say breaks
there are as a Torah would write it. See
how many spaces there are.
count. There's one
after two
after three
after then
four before
low. Number five before
low. Number six before low. Number seven
before
low eight n before nine after that mode
again. And then 10 at the end.
But the very breakage breaking po pauses
found and written in the Torah also
indicate that there are 10. God saw it
as 10 10 which is interesting. It's not
only um it's not it's not something for
sure because for sure we know because it
says in the Torah but it's even written
that way. But what I wanted to look for
is mitzvot. When you talk about the we
always
mistakenly say the ten commandments.
It's not we say it's not commandments.
It's a dro pronouncements. And it's not
really uh and it's 10 because it says
so. But it's not ten commandments. I'm
going to start with the first one. Okay.
Um let's go to I would say the other
side but I don't have it inside the last
part of the I brought things you
shouldn't do or all what we call lavin
all things thou shalt not you know the
old story that
um when
Moshe when Moshe shattered the at um
Hari the joke goes that when it broke in
half. Um the
um people of the world came running
around. They grabbed they grabbed the
broken
pieces
and the Jews also did. The Jews ended up
getting all of the low low low and
everybody else
said everything
uh it's a joke but it is something that
it says at the end there you have
obviously um one two three four five we
have five basically so it's it says
uh
loaf and low mode which Isn't those
five? So, those are five mitzvo. No
problem. But look at the first
five there. It's more of a positive
thing. Although it has some ex very
interesting.
Um are there any low what you cannot do
in the first five? Look at the first
five you see in lines one through uh
22. Let's say it's really to 20 24. But
any how many times do you see any low
you shall not do something?
Huh?
Why didn't you? I can't hear. What? No,
there's one. One. Really? Let's go.
one is two, right?
Um
three four um
next five, right?
Shabbat. So it says
there
right six lows are found here in the
first part. So I have six over there. So
so right away I have six more lavin six
negative mitzvot beyond the five that
are negative in the end. That's 11 and I
haven't started the positive ones yet.
So already we are more than than um 10.
So let's see
um what's the first what is the first
command that we have
uh here again it's not in English but
what is
that the first words it
says I am the Lord your
God took you out of
the the land of Egypt
uh from the uh let's from enslavement in
the house of
slaves. That's the first mitzvah,
right?
Good. What's the command to acknowledge?
Hello. Acknowledge. Oh, so it says,
"Thou shalt acknowledge that I am Hashem
their God." Right? Oh, makes sense. Very
good.
That is exactly what Rashi says. That
other traditionalists say that and it's
certainly logical. It's only one
problem. It doesn't say that.
Why doesn't
say thou shalt know that I am your God?
Doesn't say
that. Thou shalt believe and know that I
am God. Doesn't
say can you. Is this a mitzvah or not?
There is a command someone to
acknowledge that choice. Can you can you
command you to love
God? That's a command.
Huh? Good. There is a there's a
difference. There is an argument between
commentators whatever as to whether
that's a mitzvah or not. Theel says it's
not. Which one? The first. The first
because there's no Every other one has
some sort of command. You shall and you
shall not. This doesn't say nothing. But
what about free choice? How could free
choice? That has nothing to do with Is
this a command? That's all I'm saying
you. You're saying it's not. I'm not
saying that. It's the nothing before.
It's not a completely agreed. Isn't it a
commandment to acknowledge and therefore
accept? How about this? Okay, there are
those exactly what you say. That's what
Rashi says. How about think of it this
way? The people have left
Egypt. They had seen 10
plagues. They had seen the Egyptians
destroyed. They seen the Red Sea split.
And now they also saw a victory at Amal
right against the the Amalachites. Moshe
showed his hands up, right? They saw
man, the mana being coming down. Man in
the morning, morning in the evening, man
at supper time. There's man every single
time, you know, twice a day. They had
man every single day. Every morning they
came there and came down from God cuz
they complained they wanted. They even
had some meat that God sent with the
slav and now they
come and God says I know you haven't
seen me but you know all of those uh
miracles I know I'm the one who took you
out of I'm the one who did all these
miracles for you. So be aware of that.
If I'm about to give you mitzvah that
that you have to follow, you have to
know it's me who's telling you that. You
have to know that I'm the one who has
done this for you. And as a result of
that, you are obligated to listen to
what I've said by knowledge. No, I asked
you is that is if that's a command
and the point is there's no word of
command. You know what this is and it
makes so much sense. It's an
introduction. Hi, I'm God. You know, I
do all these good things to you. Now,
listen to me. Don't do this. Don't do
that. Don't do that. That first thing is
not many many believe. Not a mitzvah at
all. It's merely an introduction to the
mitzvah. And you know what's interesting
about that? Again, if you look at the
text, do you find that there's any break
between the first two lines where it
says, is there a break to start
is there? No. And yet at the beginning
of every other
uh um I'm sorry command there is a break
there is none there. So is that possibly
a hint? Now this is not a command merely
as an introduction to that first
command. So that's very interesting and
that's something that we wouldn't
ordinarily know. But I want you to
whether it's Rashi who says it's
commanded as most people think you
correctly said you must believe that I
am and that's why it is an unspoken
command or as others say there's no
command here at all because it doesn't
say anything about him to do that but
rather it's an introduction to let them
know that this booming voice that's
suddenly coming out of the heavens is
not somebody with a good PA system. It
is God who has just done all of these
for you uh these miracles for you and
saved your life and therefore that's why
you should be listening
to low don't do this but do that and so
on and so forth. Very interesting. Good.
Um, so
now we are going to go through the the
like I said
the the six loaves that I went through
in the first slide and and there are
five but one of them is is
is but two are found in the last one. So
there are six lows in the last habitat.
There's a separation. It's interesting.
What are the first six different? How
are they different from the other
six? Well, primarily when the first six
refer to the relationship of whom? To
whom?
Imagine between us and God. Very
good. Between us and
God. The second six
Do not murder, right? Do not commit
adultery. Do not steal or kidnap if you
wish. Do not uh send a false witness
against another. And do not combat
another's uh wife or uh any
any possessions that he has. So that's
the the six there. Of course, there's
one that's problematic. Which one do you
think that we're saying the first part
is all
between man and God and less always
between man and man? Uh person and
person, right? Which one you think
doesn't really fit comfortably into that
seduction?
Huh? Right. Say it out loud. You're
right.
Thou shalt respect your
parents. Would that not be properly in
this section that says between one and
another, not against God, but rather one
and another. That makes sense, right?
And yet it's not. It's not. It's there
at the at the last of the between God
and man, between man and
God. It's a curious thing.
Why is that? Why? I wonder why. The
foundation of respecting God is
respecting your parents. So you don't
teach your child to respect your parent
their parents, they certainly won't
respect you. I think that's a very very
good answer. I would put it the
different way around and that would be
if you're not
prepared. It's as if you are not showing
respect to God. that there is a
connection between your relationship to
your parents. It's as
sancted sanctified as your relationship
to God
himself. Kazal said over and over again
um that within a relationship there are
not two partners but
three you know there is man, woman and
God.
uh the famous thing I think is Rabbi
Mayor who said that
um
that is and issa what's the difference
in Hebrew between is and isa the yud and
the hey which is the name of god god is
in that and what does he say if there's
no god no y and hey in the in the
relationship ship all you're left with
is
what is what
sheer
or fire if you God is not found in a
relationship of I is all you're going to
have is fire is con is consumed the
relationship will be consumed will be
burned out magnificent way because I'll
see it and they're pretty smart they
come up with this fantastic things and
it's so true. So that's why maybe that's
why it's in the last one. The the fact
that we have six and six here is also
very interesting and I listen I heard
this from
um Yoel
Benu who said what things in the Torah
that we know are divided but six and
six. Certain things might be hard for
you to know other things you might know.
I'm fitness. That's 12. What's
12? Anything that loaves the excellence.
Excellent. Terrific. The loaves the
That's correct. And the uh tribes, he
said, right? Well, that's the other one.
12 tribes. Very good. That's what it
says. It
says, it's in at the end there. It says
that uh you have to take the soul and
you have to prepare the 12 of the the um
right
12ishna. No. Um so huh.
Very good. Is correct. And how they
divide it up?
Well, they had 12. They had 12, but not
12 in a
pile. They had
six and six. Okay. Very good. When when
the tribes had to stand at Har Greim and
Haral 12 tribes, how were they divided
up? Six and six. Six at Harriim. Six at
Haral. Correct. The other thing is when
you talk about the
breastplate of
the you
have no six or one or six it says um
yeah six of the tribes names are found
on one of the stones and the other
stones
are the other six. So we see there the
six and six is not simply oh I'm gonna
have something different you know
um the de also have a six and six it's a
little more subtle than what we read
about splitting up the the
um and the um tribes at Harrisim and
Haral
um it's never really commend commended
commanded in
never said Moshe when he had to inscribe
it himself. He said he doesn't tell him
okay Moshe put six on this side and six
on the other right he doesn't command
that at all so it's a little more subtle
but clearly it
is divided that way which is interesting
um one societal laws societal mores
right and those are more like religious
ordinances
Um
now what's also interesting and looking
at this is just things that when you
read don't just read give a look at what
is you'll notice that the first five
have almost all five of them
have differences that have
explanations why for example or or what
might happen the last five. So they say
don't do this, don't do that, don't do
this, don't do that, don't do that. But
the first five, the first four or five,
if you want to stop with
the as
do why should you not have another
god? Because I am a ve I am a I can say
vengeful vengeful but I am a I think
jeal z je z je z je z je z je z je z je
z je z je z jealous is a much better
word meaning not easily forgiving
um and so that's one course I will
punish you
then it says don't take god's name in
vain there too there's a reason it
says god is not going to forgive
those who take his name in. Then we
have it says about the Shabbat, right?
Why do we have to have Shabbat? What
does it say there in
um
not? What reason does it say in why do
we have to have Shabbat?
because God is the creator and therefore
he stopped the creation process on
Shabbat so shall you. And then
even
at even though we seem to be know so to
say seesawing between
uh man and God and man and man, the
reasoning is is certainly has God in
here because if you
do show um respect to your parents, it
says
so that you will have a longer life. Who
can guarantee and ensure a longer life?
Just God. So you see how he's involved
there. So it's very simply um and in
fact how do they refer to uh God right?
It says
um
right and then it
says then it
says and it says
because each time and each of these five
times it says Hashem
el God your God. It's fascinating. It
doesn't say that, however, on the sec on
the second five where it just says don't
do this, don't do that, don't do that.
Why not? This God doesn't have to repeat
himself. Ah, come on. That's not a good
reason. It's more obvious.
Obvious.
What is the first five all about? Your
relationship with God. God. So it
follows the second five is about your
relationship with man. That's right. You
don't need a god to tell you you
shouldn't kill somebody. There are some
basic laws. They're societal laws. Only
crazy people go and kidnap and they
murder and they steal.
No society could survive that way.
Although many of the countries today
think it's a great idea that way. Yeah.
Right. We can't get political here.
Yeah. Right. America, it's such an
obvious obvious thing that God doesn't
see say or else cuz I'm God. No, because
you're a
mench. You're a human being. You don't
do that. It's it's so so obvious. And
you point it out. I think it's so
obvious. And in society, these are laws
you have to follow cuz how would you
even think not to, you know? And they
say, but Hashem designed the society.
I mean the the generation of the flesh
Hashem um Hashem also was there when
Hammurabi made his uh his code and he
has the same same thing not to murder
not that who's Hami
Hamarabi it said it's written in in he's
found in Noah but oh uh no it's I'm
sorry it's one of the it's one of the
one of the kings who fought against
and but anyway. Huh? Amabi. Am Rafael.
Am Rafael is found. Amra Rafael is one
of those four kings who you know Rafael
was Hammurabi. But he made a code. He
made a code. It's a very well-known code
that was
before. Um, and it's interesting
sometimes just to
uh see how the what what's what's common
and what's not common. One of the things
we learned tremendously uh I found this
fascinating when I learned about this
where the co code of kamarabi of the
code of hammarabi states for example
that if one um um kills another's
child right so his child is
killed and why do I say it's fascinating
because we have in the Torah aut that
says uh that one who kills another it
says uh and it says there that uh
however it says oh come on man it says
um that you kill the person and not the
child the
opposite as well why of course not
killed the person in effect one can say
it as a response to what seemed to have
been a common thing in the ancient world
that that's what they did God says no no
no we don't do
So anyway, that's the code of Hammarabi
and I get into that, but I'm just merely
saying that um so the second part, the
second need no here. This is something
you have to know as a moral person.
That's part of societal norms that any
proper society. No, you cannot live in a
society where you're just going to kill
people and then steal from death. How
how do you you can't live together and
if you can't live together what what
good is it? So that's also very very
very interesting.
Um and let's see what else may have
other things about
it. What I'm going to do, I'll skip a
little bit and if you'd like and again
you'll have this
um brought see if you find the
differences. I think the most wellknown
is the one that we sing
in
right
the
inro starts the the story of the the
mitzvah of Shabbat
with whereas in when quoting it
in it says shabor
So Kazal talked about theata the idea
that there was a miracle that they could
hear both sham and
zah one of those gody things that nobody
else could do and they heard both things
and they were pronounced at the same
time that's what it
says should say but
since alab had written that poem of he
has start so he
sham both of these
said they was at the same time and
that's one approach.
Um but you can say even at the same time
as a zur and more are not two different
things we have constantly in the Torah.
It
says you
have right and then it
says it means but it makes it the next
time it says it it says sham because
often sham and are synonymous. Okay, I
look my my time is up unfortunately few
other things but I think I gave some
ideas about the dra little different
than what we ordinarily would have seen
also delineating the table.