EXOD62 See [[EXOD19]] Exodus 1:17 fearing LEHRMAN 153

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EXOD64 When the concept of Jewish modesty is mentioned, most people immediately assume that this is a reference to some sort of dress. They believe that Jewish modesty entails skirts that are usually much longer than the current styles dictate, and the image usually comes to mind of a woman who is dressed with most of her body totally covered. This modern stereotype of Jewish modesty is certainly not what true Jewish modesty stands for, and the reference to clothing depicts only a very small portion of the spectrum of the general concept of modesty in Judaism. The proof that the idea of Jewish modesty cannot possibly be merely a function of clothing is derived from the Talmud (Eruvin 100b), which says that had the Torah not taught the Jewish people modesty, this Jewish concept would have been learned from the cat. Nearly all cats in the world walk around at all times stark naked, devoid of any clothing whatsoever! Therefore, the true meaning of modesty in Judaism could not possibly be related to dress. In addition, there are only two references in the entire Bible to the Hebrew word for modesty, tzinut. One reference (Proverbs 11:1-2) speaks of modesty as a form of wisdom and intelligence, the other, more famous verse, (Micah 6:8), speaks of the way a person should walk with God-modestly. Neither biblical reference has anything remotely to do with clothing. Clearly, then, Jewish modesty is a general concept that affects all parts of a person's life and is not exclusively clothing– related. What, then, it is the Jewish concept of modesty? How can we identify a modest person-in the Jewish sense? And which other concept in Judaism is modesty related to? If we assume that the Hebrew term tzniut and the general idea of modesty are, in some way, connected to the idea of covering up and hiddenness, then the Torah connects the concept of modesty to the concept of holiness. When Moses, as a shepherd, first encounters God by the Burning Bush on Mount Sinai, God informs Moses that the place he is standing upon is holy ground. Moses' first reaction to this statement is that he hides his face. Thus, hiddenness and privacy seems to be the reaction to holiness. This relationship seems to be consistent with many references to Jewish holiness.

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EXOD63 … God, as understood in the Jewish tradition, is in part known and in part hidden. God is made known to human beings through revelation and through divine acts in history, but no human being, even Moses, can comprehend God's essence [this verse, 33:20 – 23] Furthermore, the Mishnah declares that one who probes God's essence beyond what God has chosen to reveal to human beings should not have been born, for, as the Jerusalem Talmud explains, to know more about God than the Holy One chooses to reveal is an affront to His dignity. M. Hagigah 2:1 and J. Hagigah 2:1 (8b). If God is to be a model for us, then, we, like God, must take steps to preserve our own privacy. We, then, out of respect for God's commands as articulated in the biblical passages just cited, [to emulate God's ways; Leviticus 19:2 and Deuteronomy 11:22, 13:5] must also respect the privacy of others. Thus these demands are deeply rooted not only in morality but in Jewish theology.

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EXOD65 Love of God is rooted in the belief that God is a personal God (not an impersonal force in the universe) and that, like a parent, He knows and cares for each of us. Thus the Book of Exodus records God's reaction to the Jewish sufferings in Egypt [this verse]. It is the sense that God knows us, the perception that we each have a personal and unique connection to God* that is an important source of human love for God. * Epitomized in the Jewish joke about the prayer of a struggling businessman: "O God, you help complete strangers, so why don't you help me!"

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EXOD66 According to the Mussar masters, compassion can come in two forms. There is "compassion in the form of compassion," when our feeling along with the other leads us to act kindly, softly, and gently. The second type of compassion comes as "compassion in the form of judgment." In this case, our shared feelings with the other call for action that is firm, hard, or possibly even harsh. The classic example of compassion in the form of compassion is the redemption of the Jews from slavery in Egypt. It has been argued that the Jews in Egypt did not deserve to be redeemed from slavery. There are traditions that say that while in Egypt, the people of Israel assimilated, did not keep what they knew of tradition (which was incomplete, in any case, because the Torah had not yet been received), and, worst of all, became idolaters. The prophet Ezekiel reveals, "I also said to them, 'Cast away, everyone of you, the detestable things that you are drawn to, and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt--I am the Lord your God.' But they defied to Me and refused to listen to Me." Ezekiel 20:7–8. Why, then, did God redeem the Israelites and free them from the oppression of slavery? That was solely because of God's compassion [this verse]. The way the prophet Isaiah puts it fits well with our view that compassion is based on the experience of non-separateness:" In all their affliction He was afflicted." Isaiah 63:9 It was based on this identification that HaShem acted compassionately and "brought forth Your people Israel out of the land of Egypt with signs, and with wonders, and with a strong hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with great terror." Jeremiah 32:21

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EXOD67 See [[DEUT1493]] Deuteronomy 27:3 milk and honey TAMARI 28-9

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EXOD68 [God's] first revelation to his people at Sinai, as to his lawgiver Moses [this verse] at the Thorne-Bush (Sneh), was prompted by the suffering and loneliness which, as a just and versatile Father, He could no longer tolerate.

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EXOD69 The idea that a leader's highest virtue is humility must have seemed absurd, almost self-contradictory, in the ancient world. Leaders were proud, magnificent, distinguished by their dress, appearance, and regal manner. They built temples in their own honor. They had triumphant inscriptions engraved for posterity. Their role was not to serve but to be served. Everyone else was expected to be humble, not they. Humility and majesty could not coexist. In Judaism, this entire configuration was overturned. Leaders were to serve, not to be served. Moses' highest accolade was to be called eved Hashem, God's servant. Only one other person, Joshua, his successor, earns this title in Tanakh. The architectural symbolism of the two great empires of the ancient world, the Mesopotamian ziggurat (Tower of Babel) and the pyramids of Egypt, visually represented a hierarchical society, broad at the base, narrow at the top. The Jewish symbol, the menora, was the opposite, broad at the top, narrow at the base, as if to say that in Judaism the leader serves the people, not vice versa. Moses' first response to God's call at the burning bush was one of humility: "Who am I to lead?" [this verse]. It was precisely this humility that qualified him to lead.

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EXOD70 See [[EXOD926]] Exodus 24:12 commandment SPERO 29

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EXOD71 Moses received the Torah at Sinai and handed it down to Joshua... Pirkei Avot, Perek I mIshnah 1. The literal text reads, "Moses received the Torah from Sinai." For if the Mishnah meant "at Sinai," which is the way we usually translate it, the Hebrew form should have been b'Sinai, not miSinai. In its present construction, however, the Mishnah lends itself to the interpretation that Torah in its original Divine form at Sinai was infinite and inexhaustible. Moses received the Torah from Sinai only insofar as his finite humanity permitted him to do so. The word "from" connotes a limitation: could not take all that was there. There is, however, a sense in which Moses was assisted in his historic task by Sinai the mountain! During his first visitation at the burning bush, the Lord told Moses, "And this shall be the sign for you that I have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain." [this verse]. Now, it is difficult to understand how an event which is to happen in the future can serve as a sign to Moses in his present perplexity. However, what was causing Moses to hesitate was his profound humility. His modest nature shrank from the prospect of receiving a Law, admonishing and leading a people. He felt himself to be unworthy. And so the Lord discloses to Moses that "you will serve God on this mountain": the Torah is destined to be given on Sinai, which is not distinguished for its height. Carmel is more majestic, yet the Lord prefers the lowly and modest. From the Lord's choice of Sinai, Moses learned that only those who are humble in their own eyes are fit vehicles for the Divine word. Because of Sinai Moses received the Torah!

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