EXOD923 When our ancestors were thrilled into a ready acceptance of the Torah, their instantaneous reaction was "We shall do and we shall understand" [this verse]. This truer translation is apt to be misunderstood. What they intended to imply was this: "We promise to make our religion one of belief and action". To translate that promise into deed, the Sidra of Yitro [Exodus xviii-xx], containing the Decalogue, is immediately followed by Mishpatim, [Exodus xxi-xxiv], with its summary of some of the most essential laws of the Mosaic legislation.

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EXOD924 See [[EXOD332]] Exodus 19:6 nation OXFORD 38

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EXOD925 When Moses asked for elders to help him rule Numbers 11:14, Rashi commentary on Numbers 11:16 asks where were the original elders from Egypt. He explains that they had sinned by partying irreverently at Mount Sinai and should have died then. But God waited until a plague was brought to kill other sinners Numbers 11:1 and the elders then died as well, so that they would not be needlessly embarrassed publicly. ... One commentary Meiri commentary to Berachot 19b calls the quality of human dignity the most endearing and beloved quality in all of Judaism. Of all the blessings to choose, one Torah sage blessed another Mo'ed Katan 9b by saying, "May you never cause anyone else embarrassment and may you never be caused any embarrassment yourself." May all Jews follow this dictum.

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EXOD926 What is remarkable, then, about the contents of the Decalogue is that more than half of the rules are moral in nature and refer to human relations. If the Decalogue constitutes "the words of the covenant" and expresses what it is that the Lord requires of Israel, then we have here the Torah's own view of the essence of Judaism, the founding principles of the covenant in the community. [Rashi, this verse]. Where are all the sacrifices? Why no mention of the Passover or of circumcision? The testimony of the Decalogue seems overwhelming: Moral rules regulating relations between human beings are primary. Morality is the essence of Judaism. According to David Tzevi Hoffmann, the later prophetic writings show a keen awareness of the startling nature of the theophany at Sinai in that it did not call for, nor was it accompanied by, votive sacrifices. (See his Commentary on Leviticus (Hebrew trans., Shefer and Liberman), vol. 2, pp. קסו-קסז. Hoffman points out that Moses, who has been told to expect a "service" at the mountain as the culmination and climax of the Exodus, was looking forward to a service that would include elaborate and unusual sacrifices (Exodus 3:12). This is evident from his reply to Pharaoh: "Thou must also give unto our hand sacrifices and burnt offerings that we shall sacrifice unto the Lord, for we know not with what we must serve the Lord until we come hither." (Exodus 10:25-26). But much to their surprise, the God of Israel did not include in the Sinai covenant any request for sacrifices. This important disclosure as to what is really the essence of the divine command is alluded to in the well-known declaration of Jeremiah: "For I spoke not unto your fathers, nor commanded them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt concerning burnt-offerings or sacrifices; but this thing I commanded them, saying, 'Hearken unto to my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be My people.'" (Jeremiah 7:22)

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EXOD927 {Abridged Excerpt from the Rambam's Introduction to Mishneh Torah). All of the mitzvos given to Moshe at Sinai were given with their explanations, as it is written [this verse]: "And I will give you the tablets of stone, the Torah, and the mitzvah." "Torah" refers to the written Law, and " mitzvah" to its explanation (Berachos 5a). And he commanded us to observe the Torah by means of the mitzvah, namely, the Oral Law. Moshe wrote the entire Torah in his own hand before his death and gave a scroll to each tribe. One scroll he placed in the Ark as a testimony (Devarim Rabbah 9:9), as it is written (Devarim 31:26). ... The "mitzvah," which is the explanation of the Torah, he did not write, but he commanded it to the elders and to Yehoshua and all the rest of the Jews, as it is written (ibid.13:1): "Everything that I command you, that you shall observe to do, do not add to it and do not detract from it." Because of this it is called the Oral Law.

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EXOD928 In Judaism, we will see that not only must a person withhold information that was specifically told in confidence, but even information that was not told "confidentially" must also not be revealed. Why, in the Talmud Yoma 4b after calling Moses, does God use the expression "saying" followed by the phrase "Speak to the children of Israel"? Leviticus 1:1-2 It is obvious that if God calls Moses to speak to him and uses the phrase leimor, "saying," that this is intended for the people. Why then add the extra words, "Speak to the people"? The answer is that without that last phrase telling Moses to tell it over to the people, Moses would be prohibited from telling the Jewish people what God had said. Only when there is specific permission to tell information, may it then be repeated to another. Without that permission, even if not spoken in confidence, it would be forbidden to tell the facts of the conversation. Thus, in Judaism, all information is, in its essence, considered confidential. One need not say "Keep this confidential" to indicate secrecy. This concept is also discussed in detail by the Or Hachaim Commentary Exodus 25:1-2 on the first occasion (of the hundreds of occasions) where this double phraseology of "saying" and "Tell the People of Israel" is mentioned in the Torah [this verse]. Rashi commentary on Yoma 4b then reinterprets the word leimor, "saying," to mean two other Hebrew words, lo amar, you shall not reveal. Therefore, this word tells us that no information may be revealed to another unless explicit consent to do so is granted.

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EXOD929 The concept of generous and spontaneous giving from the heart appears in the Torah in the section where the Israelites undertake to build a sanctuary so that God might dwell among them. Rabbi Meir Leibush [known as the Malbim (1809-1879)] commented that [this] verse actually means that God would dwell not literally in the sanctuary building but among the people. He concludes that each person is to build a tabernacle in his or her own heart for God to dwell in. The Torah wants us to see that the way we do this inner construction work is by perfecting spontaneous generosity. Because we live in a money-centric culture, we tend to think of generosity only as a question of reaching into our wallets. But as with all soul-traits, generosity is a quality of the soul and so it can find expression in many ways. You can be generous with money and also with your time, your energy, and your possessions. The one who gives terumah gives because his or her heart is so inflamed with magnanimity that it would be painful not to give, and the heart finds a way to respond spontaneously, whether with money, time, materials, or in any other way.

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EXOD930 The construction of the Sanctuary was fundamentally important because it gave the Israelites the chance to give back to God. Later decisors of Jewish law recognized that giving is an integral part of human dignity when they made the remarkable ruling that even a poor person completely dependent on charity is still obliged to give charity (Rambam, Mishneh Torah, Kilkhot Shekalim 1:1; Hilkhot Matnot Aniyim 7:5). To be in a situation where you can only receive, but not give, is to lack human dignity. The Mishkan became the home of the Divine Presence because God specified that it be built only out of voluntary contributions. Giving creates a gracious society by enabling each of us to make our contribution to the public good. That is why the building of the Sanctuary was the cure for the sin of the Golden Calf. The people that only received but could not give was trapped in dependency and lack of self-respect. God allowed people to come close to Him, and He to them, by giving them the chance to give. That is why a society based on rights, not responsibilities, based on what we claim from -- not what we give to-- others, will always eventually go wrong. It is why the most important gift a parent can give a child is a chance to give back. The etymology of the word teruma hints at this. It means, not simply a contribution, but literally something "raised up." When we give, it is not just our contribution but we who are raised up. We survive by what we are given, but we achieve dignity by what we give

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EXOD931 The Jewish tradition distinguishes between two types of generosity. The first is the giving that comes because your heart is so moved that without even the flicker of a thought your hand rushes to dig into your pocket to give. In the Torah, this generosity is called t'rumah, which means "gift." Generosity of this sort comes neither from obligation nor rational thought nor guilt but out of an irresistible feeling that stirs deep within. It's a movement of the soul and it generates an open-handed response. The other kind of generosity, called tzedakah, is obligated giving, such as tithing, whether or not the heart is moved to act in that way. The overall goal of Mussar to help us fulfill our potential to really live as the holy souls we are, and it is impossible to imagine that we will shine forth in holiness if we act only from a sense of obligation. The passion and the flowering of the heart must be so much more. To move toward holiness, you must yearn for it. You must be propelled by a spiritual willingness--nedivut ha'lev--a generosity of the heart. .... these two forms of generosity are not so distinct as we might suppose.

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EXOD932 "He that is gracious unto the poor, lendeth unto the Lord", sang the Psalmist [Ps. 19:17]. Social Ethics echo this refrain by teaching us how to become "God's bankers". When a Roman governor inquired of Rabbi Akiba: "Why does your God, for whom you claim such loving concern for His creatures, not Himself provide for the poor?" The reply was: "Charity makes wealth a means of salvation. God wishes us to help one another and thus to convert this earthly life into a period of character-molding." Our blessings must be regarded as opportunities for serving God and helping man. Why, asks one teacher, do the words "that they take for Me an offering "[this verse] follow so closely on the words: "And they said: 'All that the Lord hath spoken we will do, and obey'"? [Exodus 24:7] To show Israel that the best way to obey the Torah is to give offerings of all we have, as well as to emphasize that our affirmations must be backed by our readiness to give.

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