YISRO 1996

In the Torah portion Yisro we learn how G‑d gives the Ten Commandments to the Jewish people.  We learn how before G‑d gives the Ten Commandments to the Jewish people He warns them that they should not go up too high in the mountain, that they have to set limits, set boundaries.  G‑d warns Moshe not once but twice.  He says, "And you shall make boundaries for the people around saying.  'Be careful lest you will go up in the mountain and touch its edge and anybody who touches the edge of the mountain will surely die.'"  G‑d is not satisfied with just that, but G‑d also tells Moshe over again the same thing.  G‑d said to Moshe, "Go down and test the people lest they will break through to G‑d," and they use the word Yehersu, to see, "and many will fall from them".  And Moshe said to G‑d, "The people are not able to go up to Mount Sinai because You have already warned us saying, You should make boundaries for this mountain and you should sanctify it," but G‑d says a third time, "You go down and you bring up Aaron with you and the people they shall not break through which would cause them to be destroyed to go up to G‑d."  G‑d seems to be acting like an old woman here.  He seems to be nagging Moshe.  "Moshe," He is saying, "warn the people.  Are you sure you really did it, Moshe?  Make sure you really did it, Moshe."  It is like people who are always checking whether or not they have actually locked their front door before they go to bed.  They do it not once but twice, three times.  After all, G‑d knows everything.  G‑d knows whether Moshe told the Jewish people.  Why did G‑d have to continually warn Moshe Rabbeinu to tell the people not to break through and try to reach Him when He comes down on the mountain in order to give them the Ten Commandments.

I think that if we analyze this very carefully we will see something very important and that is that the basis of Judaism is to set limits, that unless we are willing to set limits we are going to have a difficult time.  We are going to cause destruction to come into the world.  In fact, the word the word Hai Sinai, itself, spells the word Harasanee, which means you will destroy me.  It gives the same word that G‑d is using when He says you will break forth and you will be destroyed is composed actually of the words Har Sinai.  The word Har Sinai means exactly the same thing, that in Judaism we have to be careful that we set limits to what we do.  Unless we set limits to what we do we are going to destroy ourselves.  We all know that in medicine.  We know that if a person eats to excess and become obese they will have a heart attack at a very early age and will not be able to enjoy life.  The heart attack may even kill them.  We also know that a person with diabetes is liable to have high blood pressure, that the very act of overeating is going to cause you to not be able to enjoy life properly, that anything carried too far, when you do not set limits upon yourself, you are going to end up by destroying yourself.  We know that, of course, with alcohol abuse.  We know that with drug abuse.  Even if originally they are taking drugs for medicinal purposes and then they overuse their drugs, they are going to, in effect, ruin their lives and they may even end up dead, so we know that when you do things to excess, when you do things without limits it is very destructive.

The whole basis of Judaism is to teach us that we should not do things to excess, that what we should do is learn how to live life with limits.  The limits are basically the Ten Commandments.  Therefore, if you look at the word Har Sinai and you take out one of the yuds you are left with Haras Sani, which means destroy me, and that is the word that G‑d is using here because that word, Haras, does not seem to fit in this particular connotation.  If you take one yud out of this word Har Sinai you will end up with destruction but if you put that yud in you will end up with Mount Sinai, which stands for G‑d's revelation, which tells how we get close to G‑d.  That yud is the Ten Commandments.  We must always do things morally and justly.  The great new discovery that Abraham made was not that there was one G‑d.  After all, people knew already that there was one G‑d.  There was a yeshiva of Shain and Aber, which we learn that Jacob studied at.  We know that people knew that there was only one G‑d.  The great new discovery that Abraham made was that you could not serve this one G‑d, you could not get close to this one G‑d unless you first were moral.  Unless you were first moral you could not get close to this one G‑d.  You had to set limits on your behavior.  You could not do anything you wanted to do and then feel that you could get close to G‑d.  Even in religion too much can be too much.  You cannot sacrifice so much that you are going to going to destroy yourself.  We all know that in the ancient religions they used to sacrifice their children.  This was not just a metaphor.  We have through archeology excavated homes and found in every one of these homes little bones where they sacrificed their own children.  We know that you cannot carry things to excess, that if things are not moral they cannot be religious.  That is why Judaism is opposed to the cults that we have today because some of these cults disregard morality.  They tell people to turn their backs on their parents, no longer to honor their father and mother.  They sometimes forget about many of the other commandments.  Sometimes they say it is all right to steal for the cult, to commit adultery for the cult, do other things for the cult.  We know that this is wrong.  You cannot get close to G‑d and find meaning in life by violating the Ten Commandments.  If you try to get close to G‑d and you take out the Ten Commandments you just have Harasanee.  You are trying to break through and you are going to be destroyed because of this type of behavior.

We know that in order to experience G‑d, in order to have a spiritual experience we have to do three things, and these are the three things that the Jewish people did in order to prepare to receive the Ten Commandments.  We know that it is not enough just to want to have a spiritual experience.  You have to prepare for it and one of the three things that they did the rabbis say that "they came from Refeeteem".  They explain that when the Jewish people came from Refeeteem they neglected those laws, they neglected that part of the Torah which had already been given to them.  Their hands became weak and they did not learn.  They did not prepare.  You cannot be moral naturally.  You have to study different situations to learn how to be moral in these situations.  Otherwise you will not be moral.  Man is not born naturally good.  He is not born naturally evil either.  Man will usually take the path of least resistance.  Therefore, we have to study.  We have to prepare ourselves.  We have to learn.  That is the first thing they had to do in order to receive a spiritual experience.

The second thing they had to do, "and they came to the desert of Sinai".  The rabbis ask, what does it mean they came to the desert of Sinai?  They answer that they made themselves into a desert, that they were humble.  Humble does not mean that you do not take credit for the things that you have done right.  If you have done things right then you should take credit for it.  It means that you do not deserve special honors because of it.  The difference between a vain person and a humble person is a vain person says, "I did these great things.  Now everybody should bow down to me and I do not have to do it anymore."  A humble person says, "Yes, I did these good things, but I could have done so much more.  There is so much more I could have done.  I have so much more potential."  The humble person is looking to the future.  He does not expect people to bow down to him because he did great things before.  He knows that he could have done so much more and compared to what he could have accomplished and what he has accomplished he knows that he has been found wanting.  That is what it means that the Jewish people made themselves a desert, that in order to have a spiritual experience you have to be humble.  You have to realize that you can still learn more, that you can act in a better and more refined manner, that you can still improve yourself.  So now we have to be able to learn but you also have to feel you can improve yourself in order to have a spiritual experience.

The third was it says, "And Israel camped there," and it uses the singular, which means that we have to feel connected to others.  We have to feel that we are one.  Unless we feel connected to others we cannot have a spiritual experience.  A person cannot live life all by himself.  In order to have spirituality you have to feel that you are connected to others, and this means that you have to act properly to others.  You have to be a moral person.  You have to be a good person, and you cannot receive the Ten Commandments and neglect them.  You must observe them.  If you want a spiritual experience with G‑d then you have to realize that you have to prepare for it.  You have to learn, you have to be humble, and you have to feel that you are connected to others.  Those people who feel that they can have a spiritual experience without being moral, without be just, these people are deluding themselves.  They are only going to destroy themselves.

I am reminded of the story they tell about a man who was known in the community for his great generosity but he was a terrible boss and he used to drive his workers to exhaustion.  One day he gave his worker Harry a big project to do and he was driving him mercilessly.  Unfortunately, Harry had a heart attack and died.  The only thing was Harry was the only one who knew where all the papers were for this very important project.  The boss did not know what to do.  He decided he had to contact Harry, so he went to a medium and said, "Please, conjure up Harry for me."  The medium conjured up Harry and he said, "Well, Harry, how are things going?" Harry said, "Well, a lot better than in the office."  The boss shrugged it off and said, "Listen, Harry, as you are looking down from heaven, would you please tell me where you put all my papers for this important project?" Harry listened and answered, "What make you think I am in heaven?" In this life in order for us to have a heavenly experience, in order for us to have a spiritual experience we must never neglect the Ten Commandments.  If we take the first yud out of Har Sinai, which stands for the Ten Commandments, all we are going to have instead of a spiritual experience is a destructive experience.  In order to have spirituality we have to prepare for it by learning, we have to have the right attitude by being humble, and we have to know that we are connected to others and have to treat everybody justly and correctly and with love and with mercy.  Let us all hope that we will do these things so the Mashiach will come quickly in our day.  Amen.