page_title: Yitro (parsha)
section_title: Exodus chapter 20
hierarchical_section_title: Yitro (parsha) / In classical rabbinic interpretation / Exodus chapter 20
caption_attribution_description: Русский: Иллюстрация из Еврейской энциклопедии Брокгауза и Ефрона (1906—1913). Алтарь Соломонова храма (из сочинения Chipiez et Perrot «Histoire de l’art dans l’antiquité», T. VI). English: Illustration from Brockhaus and Efron Jewish Encyclopedia (1906—1913)
context_page_description: Yitro, Yithro, Yisroi, Yisrau, or Yisro is the seventeenth weekly Torah portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading and the fifth in the Book of Exodus. The parashah tells of Jethro's organizational counsel to Moses and God's revelation of the Ten Commandments to the Israelites at Mount Sinai.
  The parashah constitutes Exodus 18:1–20:23. The parashah is the shortest of the weekly Torah portions in the Book of Exodus, and is made up of 4,022 Hebrew letters, 1,105 Hebrew words, and 75 verses.
  Jews read it the seventeenth Sabbath after Simchat Torah, generally in January or February. Jews also read part of the parashah, Exodus 19:1–20:23, as a Torah reading on the first day of the Jewish holiday of Shavuot, which commemorates the giving of the Ten Commandments.
context_section_description: In the Pirke De-Rabbi Eliezer, Rabbi Tarfon taught that God came from Mount Sinai (or others say Mount Seir) and was revealed to the children of Esau, as Deuteronomy 33:2 says, “The Lord came from Sinai, and rose from Seir to them,” and “Seir” means the children of Esau, as Genesis 36:8 says, “And Esau dwelt in Mount Seir.” God asked them whether they would accept the Torah, and they asked what was written in it. God answered that it included (in Exodus 20:12 (20:13 in NJPS) and Deuteronomy 5:16 (5:17 in NJPS)), “You shall do no murder.” The children of Esau replied that they were unable to abandon the blessing with which Isaac blessed Esau in Genesis 27:40, “By your sword shall you live.” From there, God turned and was revealed to the children of Ishmael, as Deuteronomy 33:2 says, “He shined forth from Mount Paran,” and “Paran” means the children of Ishmael, as Genesis 21:21 says of Ishmael, “And he dwelt in the wilderness of Paran.” God asked them whether they would accept the Torah, and they asked what was written in it. God answered that it included (in Exodus 20:12 (20:13 in NJPS) and Deuteronomy 5:16 (5:17 in NJPS)), “You shall not steal.” The children of Ishamel replied that they were unable to abandon their fathers' custom, as Joseph said in Genesis 40:15 (referring to the Ishamelites' transaction reported in Genesis 37:28), “For indeed I was stolen away out of the land of the Hebrews.” From there, God sent messengers to all the nations of the world asking them whether they would accept the Torah, and they asked what was written in it. God answered that it included (in Exodus 20:2 (20:3 in NJPS) and Deuteronomy 5:6 (5:7 in NJPS)), “You shall have no other gods before me.” They replied that they had no delight in the Torah, therefore let God give it to God's people, as Psalm 29:11 says, “The Lord will give strength [identified with the Torah] to His people; the Lord will bless His people with peace.” From there, God returned and was revealed to the children of Israel, as Deuteronomy 33:2 says, “And he came from the ten thousands of holy ones,” and the expression “ten thousands” means the children of Israel, as Numbers 10:36 says, “And when it rested, he said, ‘Return, O Lord, to the ten thousands of the thousands of Israel.’” With God were thousands of chariots and 20,000 angels, and God’s right hand held the Torah, as Deuteronomy 33:2 says, “At his right hand was a fiery law to them.”
  Reading Exodus 20:1, “And God spoke all these words, saying,” the Mekhilta of Rabbi Ishmael taught that God spoke the ten commandments in one utterance, in a manner of speech of which human beings are incapable.
  Rabbi Joshua ben Levi taught that with every single word that God spoke (as Exodus 20:1 reports), the Israelites' souls departed, as Song of Songs 5:6 says: "My soul went forth when He spoke." But if their souls departed at the first word, how could they receive the second word? God revived them with the dew with which God will resurrect the dead, as Psalm 68:10 says, "You, O God, did send a plentiful rain; You did confirm your inheritance, when it was weary." Rabbi Joshua ben Levi also taught that with every word that God spoke, the Israelites retreated a distance of 12 mils, but the ministering angels led them back, as Psalm 68:13 says, "The hosts of angels march, they march (יִדֹּדוּן יִדֹּדוּן, yiddodun yiddodun)." Instead of yiddodun ("they march"), Rabbi Joshua ben Levi read yedaddun ("they lead").
  Rabbi Abbahu said in the name of Rabbi Johanan that when God gave the Torah, no bird twittered, no fowl flew, no ox lowed, none of the Ophanim stirred a wing, the Seraphim did not say (in the words of Isaiah 6:3) “Holy, Holy,” the sea did not roar, the creatures did not speak, the whole world was hushed into breathless silence and the voice went forth in the words of Exodus 20:2 and Deuteronomy 5:6: “I am the Lord your God.”
  Rabbi Levi explained that God said the words of Exodus 20:2 and Deuteronomy 5:6, “I am the Lord your God,” to reassure Israel that just because they heard many voices at Sinai, they should not believe th
caption: The altar (illustration from Brockhaus and Efron Jewish Encyclopedia (1906–1913))
exif: {}