Yitro (parsha)

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Yitro, Yithro, or Yisro (יתרו – Hebrew for Jethro, the second word and first distinctive word in the parshah) is the seventeenth weekly parshah or portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading and the fifth in the book of Exodus. It constitutes Exodus 18:1–20:23. Jews in the Diaspora read it the seventeenth Sabbath after Simchat Torah, generally in late January or February.

view from Mount Sinai

1 Summary
- 1.1 Jethro reforms adjudication
- 1.2 The Ten Commandments
2 Commandments
3 Haftarah
4 Further reading
5 External links

[edit] Summary

[edit] Jethro reforms adjudication

Moses’ father-in-law Jethro heard all that God had done for the Israelites and brought Moses’ wife Zipporah and her two sons Gershom (“I have been a stranger here”) and Eliezer (“God was my help") to Moses in the wilderness at Mount Sinai. (Ex. 18:1–5.) Jethro rejoiced, blessed God, and offered sacrifices to God. (Ex. 18:9–12.) The people stood from morning until evening waiting for Moses to adjudicate their disputes. (Ex. 18:13.) Jethro counselled Moses to make known the law, and then choose capable, trustworthy, God-fearing men to serve as chiefs to judge the people, bringing only the most difficult matters to Moses. (Ex. 18:14–23.) Moses heeded Jethro’s advice. (Ex. 18:24.) Then Moses bade Jethro farewell, and Jethro went home. (Ex. 18:27.)

1768 Decalogue parchment by Jekuthiel Sofer

[edit] The Ten Commandments

Three months to the day after the Israelites left Egypt, they entered the wilderness at the foot of Mount Sinai. (Ex. 19:1–2.) Moses went up the mountain, and God told him to tell the Israelites that if they would obey God faithfully and keep God’s covenant, they would be God’s treasured possession, a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation. (Ex. 19:3–6.) When Moses told the elders, all the people answered: “All that the Lord has spoken we will do!” And Moses brought back the people’s words to God. (Ex. 19:7–8.) God instructed Moses to have the people stay pure, wash their clothes, and prepare for the third day, when God would come down in the sight of the people, on Mount Sinai. (Ex. 19:10–11.) God told Moses to set bounds round the mountain, threatening whoever touched the mountain with death, and Moses did so. (Ex. 19:12–15.)

At dawn of the third day, there was thunder, lightning, a dense cloud upon the mountain, and a very loud blast of the horn. (Ex. 19:16.) Moses led the people to the foot of the mountain. (Ex. 19:17.) Mount Sinai was all in smoke, the mountain trembled violently, the blare of the horn grew louder and louder, and God answered Moses in thunder. (Ex. 19:18–19.) God came down on the top of Mount Sinai, and called Moses up. (Ex. 19:20.) God again commanded Moses to warn the people not to break through. (Ex. 19:21.)

Exodus 20:1–5 in a manuscript from the British Library

God spoke the Ten Commandments:

“I the Lord am your God.” (Ex. 20:2.)
“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.” (Ex. 20:3–6.)
“You shall not swear falsely by the name of the Lord your God.” (Ex. 20:7.)
“Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy.” (Ex. 20:8-10.)
“Honor your father and your mother.” (Ex. 20:12.)
“You shall not murder.”
“You shall not commit adultery.”
“You shall not steal.”
“You shall not bear false witness.” (Ex. 20:13.)
“You shall not covet . . . anything that is your neighbor’s.” (Ex. 20:14.)

Seeing the thunder, lightning, and the mountain smoking, the people fell back and asked Moses to speak to them instead of God. (Ex. 20:15-16.) God told Moses to tell the people not make any gods of silver or gold, but an altar of earth for sacrifices. (Ex. 20:17-21.) God prohbited hewing the stones to make a stone altar. (Ex. 20:22.) And God prohibited ascending the altar by steps, so as not to exposed the priests’ nakedness. (Ex. 20:23.)