Bad Advice vs Good Advice ---and Tablets of Stone

 

Fifteen Commandents:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I48hr8HhDv0

11.  לא תעבר

12. לא תצחק

13. לא תקנה

14. לא תלנו*

15. לא תשבר

 

Hebrew

Pronouns- CHANT!

Puzzle Quiz-- https://www.studystack.com/picmatch-3132102

 

Reading Quiz--  below

Soup of the Day! 

Broccoli Cheddar-- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QngOmvyvtm4

Hearty Garlic- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55FQi8JQC1E

Cream of Corn- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpoVnU2aBLs

  

PARSHA

Bad and Good Advice

Exodus 18:  Text

Commentators

Ten C quiz

Ten C in Art

Ten C text

Talmud Yerushalmi, Sheqalim 6:1, VIII,  (trans. Neusner)

How were the tablets laid out? R. Hananiah b. Gamaliel  says:  Five commandments were on one tablet, and five on the other tablet.” This is in line with that which is written, “And he declared to you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, that is, the ten commandments; and he wrote them upon two tables of stone” (Deut.4.13). Five on one side, five on the other.

 The Rabbis say, “Ten were on one tablet, and ten were on the other.” This is in line with that which is written, “And he declared to you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, that is, the ten commandments and he wrote them upon two tables of stone” (Deut.4.13). Ten on this tablet, ten on that one.

SHEMOT (Exodus) Chapter 18 : Before the big 10, Moses gets advice

 

1) Yitro (Jethro, “his Excellency”) the priest of Midian, Moses’ father-in-law, heard all that God had done for Moses and for Israel, God’s people, how Adonai had brought Israel out from Egypt.  So Yitro, Moses’ father-in-law, took Zipporah, Moses’ wife, after she had been sent home,  as well as her two sons--

-one of them was named Gershom, that is to say, “I have been a stranger in a foreign land”,  

-and the other was named Eliezer, meaning, “The God of my father’s [house] was my help, delivering me from the sword of Pharaoh.”  

 

2) Yitro, Moses’ father-in-law, brought Moses’ sons and wife to him in the wilderness, where he was encamped at the mountain of God.  He sent word to Moses, “I, your father-in-law Yitro, am coming to you, with your wife and her two sons.”  Moses went out to meet his father-in-law; he bowed low and kissed him; each asked after the other’s welfare, and they went into the tent.  Moses then recounted to his father-in-law everything that Adonai had done to Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel’s sake, all the hardships that had befallen them on the way, and how Adonai had delivered them.  

 

 

B) Now Yitro rejoiced over all the kindness that Adonai had shown Israel when delivering them from the Egyptians.  “Blessed be Adonai,” Yitro said, “who delivered you from the Egyptians and from Pharaoh, and who delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians.  Now I know that Adonai is greater than all gods, yes, by the result of their very schemes against [the people].”  And Yitro, Moses’ father-in-law, brought a burnt offering and sacrifices for God; and Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to partake of the meal before God with Moses’ father-in-law.  Next day, Moses sat as magistrate among the people, while the people stood about Moses from morning until evening. 

 

C) But when Moses’ father-in-law saw how much he had to do for the people, he said,  “What is this thing that you are doing to the people? Why do you act alone, while all the people stand about you from morning until evening?”  
Moses replied to his father-in-law, “It is because the people come to me to inquire of God.  When they have a dispute, it comes before me, and I decide between one party and another, and I make known the laws and teachings of God.”  But Moses’ father-in-law said to him, “Lo tov ha’davar asher atah oseh!/This is not a good thing you are doing! You will surely wear yourself out, and these people as well. For the task is too heavy for you; you cannot do it alone.      

                       

D)  “Now listen to me. I will give you counsel, and God be with you! You represent the people before God: you bring the disputes before God,  and enjoin upon them the laws and the teachings, and make known to them the way they are to go and the practices they are to follow.  You shall therefore seek out, from among all the people,

Anshe Chayil/People Of Valor,

Yirei Adonai/Who Revere God,

Anshe Emet/Trustworthy People,

Sonei Batzah/Haters Of Bribes.

 

Set these over them as chiefs of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens, and  let them judge the people at all times. Have them bring every major dispute to you, but let them decide every minor dispute themselves. Make it easier for yourself by letting them share the burden with you.  If you do this—and God so commands you—you will be able to bear up; and all these people too will go home unwearied.”                           

 

 

E) Moses heeded his father-in-law and did just as he had said.  Moses chose Anshe Chayil out of all Israel, and appointed them heads over the people—chiefs of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens;  and they judged the people at all times: the difficult matters they would bring to Moses, and all the minor matters they would decide themselves.  Then Moses bade his father-in-law farewell, and he went his way to his own land. 

 

QUESTIONS FOR ADVICE:  WHAT SHOULD I DO?

1.    I came back from Cozumel last week, and the  sunburn on my back is still bothering me.    What should I do?

 

2.    My sibling keeps arguing that each of the chicken Mc Nuggets’s different shapes taste different from each other.  Can I get her to stop?

 

3.    I still have the same song playing in my head over and over and over!  I keep thinking about it all day.

 

4.    My math teacher is a Vampire. No, seriously.  There are no mirrors in the room, she hates garlic, and the time Melvin Kaminsky got a paper cut in class, the teacher started drooling.    And she loves math.  Help!

 

5.    I hate having to make my bed but my dad is totally fixated on it. He grounded me because a pillow was off of the 90 degree angle required.  Help!

 

6.    This kid in my carpool is so obsessed with Taylor Swift that every day on the way to school,  she says her music is both better and more important than the Beatles.  I want to smack her. What do I do?

 

7.    My brother plays flute really badly and my parents keep making me go to his recitals.  If I have to go to one more, I think I may scream.  Help!

 

8.    My older cousin Jeff knows I take Tae Kwon Do, and keeps challenging me to a duel at every family event.  I’m afraid if I say yes,  I’ll land a  ha-tora-chagi kick and break his chest in half.   Help!

 

 

 

 

1.    What’s the Hebrew name for the Ten Commandments?

a.    Aseret Ha’pitot

b.    Aseret Ha’cheetot

c.     Aseret Ha’pflotzim

d.    Aseret Ha’Matzot

e.    Aseret Ha’Dibrot

 

 

2.   What color does some midrashim and mystical works suggest the two tablets  were?

a.    Grey

b.    Blue

c.     Plaid

d.    Yellow

e.    Red

 

3.    The stone from which the two tablets  is  suggested by many sources to be that color.  Which of the following  precious or semi-precious stones is not that color?

a.    Sapphire

b.    Aquamarine

c.     Turquoise

d.    Lapis Lazuli

e.    Onyx

 

4.   What is the first of the Ten?

a.    Don’t Steal

b.    Don’t Bear False witness in court

c.     Honor your mother and father

d.    I am Adonai Your God

e.    Don’t read this part out loud

 

5.   The fifth commandment is Lo Tirzach in Hebrew.  What does that really mean in English?

a.    Don’t wage war

b.    Don’t use weapons

c.     Don’t murder

d.    Don’t kill

e.    Don’t drink orange juice after you brush your teeth

 

6.   Which of the following kinds of creative work are prohibited on shabbat by the Ten Commandments?

a.    Making food

b.    Making clothing

c.     Building shelter

d.    Making tools

e.    Dude, It just says not to do creative work.

 

7.   Why do you think  the commandment to Honor your parents so important that it is one of the TC’s?

a.    Because your parents work so hard to raise you- you owe them.

b.    Because it’s the foundation of a just society- if you can’t respect your parents, who will you respect?

c.     Because God is a partner in your creation with your parents. To honor them is to honor God.

d.    Because it is very difficult as well as important, so God made it a commandment so we would not give up on honoring them.

e.    Because if you ever become a parent,  you know you will want your children to honor you.

 

8.    What happened with this set of two tablets?

a.    They went into the ark of the covenant

b.    They were smashed and then went into the ark.

c.     They were smashed and ground into dust which was sprinkled on every one.

d.    They were smashed and ground into dust, which was put into the drinking water of the Jewish people at Sinai.

e.    They were smashed and ground into dust, steamed, flavoured with sesame seeds, whipped into a fondue, simmered in Sauce Bordelaise, and garnished with citrus supremes and a raspberry gastrique.

 

9.   The Sages of our tradition said that “Don’t steal”  meant a specific kind of theft, which was not to steal

a.    People

b.    Houses

c.     Poor people’s garments

d.    From the Temple

e.    Stuff in your brother or sister’s room

 

10.                   The last of the ten is about NOT Coveting. What does it mean to Covet?

a.    to feel inordinate desire for what belongs to another

b.    to feel extreme pride in one’s self

c.     to go without bathing for long periods of time

d.    to ignore one’s spiritual life or religion

e.    to borrow or mooch stuff from one’ friends constantly

 

לְחֹתְנוֹ

Lachtanu

Le’chatnu

Le’chatno

Le’chotno

Le’northkorea

 

 

 

וְשָׁפַטְתִּי

Vesafat’ti

Veshafat’ti

Veshapat’ti

Veshafati

Ve’chappati

 

אִיעָצְךָ

Eeatzcha

Eeah’cha

Eetzacha

Etzatzcha

Ea’northkorea

 

 

 

 

יַעֲשׂוּן

Ya’asoon

Ya’ashoon

Ya’tzashoon

Ya’atz’shoon

Ya’ashoobiedu

 

 

אֶת־הַחֻקִּים

Et’hahukim

Et’hachikim

Et’hachakim

Et’hachukim

Et’hachimachi

 

 

שֹׂנְאֵי בָצַע

Shonei-Batzah

Sonei-Batzah

Sonei-Ba’atz

Sonei-Vatzah

Sonny’s Vespa

 

 

 

רָאשִׁים

Ra’ashim

Ra’asim

Rashim

Roshim

Ras-el-hanout

 

 

הָאֹהֱלָה

Ha’ahala

Ha’ahela

Ha’ohela

Ha’hela

Hahoheeha

 

 

 

וַיִּשְׁתַּחוּ

Vayishtachu

Vayisstachu

Vayishtatu

Vayishtacho

Vafishtaco

 

 

שִׁלּוּחֶיהָ

Seeluchacha

Sheeluchacha

Sheeluchacha

Sheelucheha

See Lou Chacha 

            SHEMOT (Exodus) Chapter 19 and 20: Take

Two Tablets and call me in the morning.

On the third new moon after B’nei Yisrael had gone forth from the land of Egypt, on that very day, they entered the wilderness of Sinai.  Having journeyed from Rephidim, they entered the wilderness of Sinai and encamped in the wilderness. Israel encamped there in front of the mountain,

and Moshe went up to God. Adonai called to him from the mountain, saying,

 

Say it this way to the house of Ya’akov and declare to the B’nei Yisrael: ‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Me. Now then, if you will obey Me faithfully and keep My covenant, you shall be My treasured possession among all the peoples. Indeed, all the earth is Mine,  but you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the children of Israel.”

 

Moshe came and summoned the elders of the people and put before them all that Adonai had commanded him.  All those assembled answered as one, saying, “All that Adonai has spoken we will do!”

………………………………………………

On the third day (at Sinai), as morning dawned, there was thunder, and lightning, and a dense cloud upon the mountain, and a very loud blast of the shofar; and all the people who were in the camp trembled.  Moshe led the people out of the camp toward God, and they took their places at the foot of the mountain.  

 

Now Mount Sinai was all in smoke, for Adonai had come down upon it in fire; the smoke rose like the smoke of a kiln, and the whole mountain trembled violently.

The blare of the shofar grew louder and louder. As Moshe spoke, God answered him in thunder.

Adonai came down upon Mount Sinai, on the top of the mountain, and Adonai called Moshe to the top of the mountain and Moshe went up.

 

God spoke all these words, saying:

I Adonai am your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, the house of slavery!

 

You shall have no other gods besides Me.

 

You shall not make for yourself a sculptured image, or any likeness of what is in the heavens above, or on the earth below, or in the waters under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them. For I your God Adonai am an impassioned God, visiting the guilt of the parents upon the children, upon the third and upon the fourth generations of those who reject Me.  but showing kindness to the thousandth generation of those who love Me and keep My commandments.

 

You shall not swear falsely by the name of your God Adonai; for Adonai will not clear one who swears falsely by God’s name.

 

Remember the sabbath day and keep it holy.  Six days you shall labor and do all your work,  but the seventh day is a sabbath of your God Adonai: you shall not do any work—you, your son or daughter, your male or female slave, or your cattle, or the stranger who is within your settlements.  For in six days Adonai made heaven and earth and sea—and all that is in them—and then rested on the seventh day; therefore Adonai blessed the sabbath day and hallowed it.

 

Honor your father and your mother, that you may long endure on the land that your God Adonai is assigning to you.

 

You shall not murder.

 

You shall not cheat on your spouse.  

 

You shall not steal.

 

You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

 

You shall not covet your neighbor’s house: you shall not covet your neighbor’s spouse, or male or female slave, or ox or donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s. 

 

What’s with all the coveting?

Chizkuni, Exodus 20:14:1

לא תחמוד אשת רעך, “Do not covet your fellow man’s wife!” Do not scheme to how bring about her divorce so that you can marry her.  

 

 

Rabbeinu Bahya, Shemot 20:14:1-8

לא תחמוד, “do not covet.” It is known that coveting something is a matter for the heart. The principal warning contained in this commandment is that one must train oneself to absolutely renounce all hope of ever acquiring things belonging (legally) to another person, be it real estate, livestock, inert objects, etc. One must not even think of these and wish for them in one’s heart. Were one to covet them one would ultimately commit murder in order to own them oneself!

 

 A classic case in point was Achan. When he confessed to having taken from the loot of the city of Jericho, this is how he worded his confession (Joshua 7,21): “I saw among the spoils a fine Shinar mantle, two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold weighing fifty shekels, and I coveted them and took them. They are buried in the ground in my tent, with the silver under it.” This act of coveting resulted in Achan being stoned to death.(ibid verse 29). Another example of the extremes to which allowing oneself to covet someone else’s property may lead was King Achav  of  Israel (Kings I 21, 1-24). His uncontrollable desire to own the vineyard of Navot [and letting his wife Ee’zevel frame Navot so he could be executed] ultimately resulted in Achav being slain.  Concerning this the Talmud (Bavli Sotah 9a)  comments that “if someone covets something that is not appropriate for him to have, he will wind up losing even what was appropriate for him to own.” He becomes cursed!

Still, there are occasions when coveting is a character trait which is permitted. Coveting the opportunity to perform certain commandments of the Torah is not only permissible but is praiseworthy. This is what our sages had in mind (Baba Batra 21) when they said קנאת סופרים תרבה חכמה, “the jealousy of scholars increases wisdom.” This means the envy displayed by Torah scholars of the knowledge of other scholars who are their superiors leads to an all-round increase in wisdom. This kind of jealousy and coveting such knowledge possessed by another is not only permissible but is rewarded by God.  Also included in this type of permissible desire is the desire for one’s friend’s (unmarried) daughter to be married to one’s  eligible son.

 

Rav Hirsch on Torah, Exodus 20:14:1

The Mechilta  distinguishes chamada/coveting from ta’avah/lusting.  While ta’avah/ strong desire this means the inner longing,  the means the lust that turns into action.   Hence also Rambam in Hilchot Gezeilah 1:9  explains: whoever covets his neighbor's acquirable goods and torments him by harassing friends or in some other way until he receives it from him, even if he gives him a lot of money for it,   the ban is violated: Lo Tachmod/Do not Covet!

 

TTCL

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQRjp_62uj0 

TNT'S M 2:02 and 2:21:50

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojobVFXzNAg&t=5199s