THERE IS SOME disagreement regarding when Yisro left the Jewish camp for his home country, Midian. Some say it was prior to the giving of Torah and some say it was after, but no one says that he was around for the incident of the spies. And for all we know, that’s why he actually left, something Moshe Rabbeinu begged him not to do.
The Menorah is interesting for a number of reasons. In particular, the Menorah is a source of light, but we do not light it for the light:
THIS IS THE 3,338th Shavuos of history. The Jewish People first received Torah in 2448 (1313 BCE), and it is now 5786, so, that’s 3,338 years, a very large number and hard to relate to.
WE FINISHED OFF last week’s parsha with halachos of self-worth. In this week’s parsha we find out that self-worth comes from having none. I know, I know, it sounds like an oxymoron, or just a moron. But it isn’t. Making yourself like an ownerless desert that people trample all over is the secret to feeling great about yourself.
The Gemora (Kesuvos 110b) says that Dovid HaMelech complained to God that “they have driven me out this day that I should not adhere to the inheritance of God, saying: ‘Go, serve other gods’” (I Shmuel 26:19). The Gemora asks, “Who told Dovid: ‘Go, serve other gods’?” The Gemora answers its own question, saying, “This tells you that anyone who resides outside of Eretz Yisroel is considered as though they are performing idol worship.”
