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Todays Parsha #17: Yitro (Jethro)

STUDY QUESTIONS FROM THE PREVIOUS PORTION (Beshallach)
1) In addition to not being able to deal with the shame of the slaves leaving Egypt,
what other hint in the last part of chapter 13 is there to explain why Pharaoh
changes his mind?
(Exo 13:18) So Elohim led the people around by way of the wilderness of the
Sea of Reeds. And the children of Yisral went up armed from the land of
Mitsrayim.
3218

[ 3219] (Hebrew) (page 332) (Strong 2571).

adj.pl. in battle

array, alw. this form, Ex 13:18 (E), Jos 1:14, 4:12 (both D), Ju 7:11 + Nu 32:17 (JE), v.

.
So, even before the encounter in the Sea of Reeds, where Josephus tells us the
Israelites armed themselves from the corpses of drowned Egyptians, it is clear here
that the slaves were armed as they left. The text in another place tells us Thus they
STRIPPED the Egyptians, which may mean they got weapons from them or
somewhere along the way as they are gathering precious metals. It is clear the
Israelites did NOT have time to manufacture weapons on their own from scratch, so
they had to come from somewhere.
If this is the case, it is possible the Pharaoh feared the same thing that his ancestors
did: That the Israelites would join to Egypts enemies and take the Pharaoh and his
dynasty out of power. The Hyksos may have been gone by this point, but the
Israelite army could have easily sent a delegation down the Nile for example to
Nubia, who has consistently been a thorn in Egypts side, or simply marched past
Canaan and into Hittite territory, another rival who would like nothing better than
600,000 Hebrew soldiers to join with them and vanquish Pharaoh.
Therefore, Pharaoh may have reasoned that it was only while they were on the road
with their women and children in tow that Israel was vulnerable and that perhaps if
Pharaoh could somehow take a bunch of these people prisoner (if getting all of them
back failed) he might have leverage over Moshe or at least the other leadership that
will be constantly opposing Moshe.
But if Pharaoh hesitates, and waits for Israel to get settled and strike back from a
position of strength, or where they are well dug in defensively, his window of
opportunity will close quickly and not present itself again. They are already armed
Pharaoh knows he shouldnt make it worse by having his enemies armed AND aided
by his enemies AND settled in a position of strength.
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2) How is the Israelites choice of one of the first places they go to an insult on their
part to the Egyptians?
PI HACHIROT (14:2) = Pihahiroth, which in Hebrew may mean mouth of
freedom or Freedom Bay. The Talmud says this is probably near the city of
Tanis. The location would be tributary off of the delta, perhaps referenced in
Egyptian records as Per Chet Cher. Per Cheru also designates a temple dedicated
to the false god Horus. It was Horus, in turn, who was said to dwell in the body
of Pharaoh making that man a living god!
As a result, the Israelites camping right at Horuss temple may have been Abba
YHWHs way of showing the Egyptians that Horus in the nest, a title for
Pharaoh, proved the Egyptian gods were impotent and/or that this Pharaoh did
not have the blessing of their gods as his ancestors might have, that of course
being from the Egyptian point of view.
3) Where do we see evidence that the regular Egyptians understand things better
than Pharaoh does?
24

In the morning watch, Yahweh looked down on the army of the Egyptians
from the pillar of fire and cloud and threw the Egyptian army into confusion. 25
He so clogged their chariot wheels that they drove on only with difficulty, which
made the Egyptians say, 'Let us flee from Israel, for Yahweh is fighting on their
side against the Egyptians!' (Exodus 14:24-25 NJB)
Yesthe Hebrew text actually has the Egyptians proclaiming YAHWEH by NAME.
So whereas He had said that Pharaoh would know Him, now apparently the Egyptian
army does and recognizes the futility of fighting against Him.

4) How is a minor inconvenience in this portion revisited and made far worse later
on in another book?
23

When they reached Marah, they could not drink the Marah water
because it was bitter; this is why the place was named Marah. 24 The
people complained to Moses saying, 'What are we to drink?' 25 Moses
appealed to Yahweh for help, and Yahweh showed him a piece of wood.
When Moses threw it into the water, the water became sweet. There he
laid down a statute and law for them and there he put them to the test.
Then he said, 26 'If you listen carefully to the voice of Yahweh your God
and do what he regards as right, if you pay attention to his
commandments and keep all his laws, I shall never inflict on you any of
the diseases that I inflicted on the Egyptians, for I am Yahweh your
Healer.' (Exodus 15:23-26 NJB)

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10

The third angel blew his trumpet, and a huge star fell from the sky,
burning like a ball of fire, and it fell on a third of all rivers and on the
springs of water; 11 this was the star called Wormwood, and a third of all
water turned to wormwood, so that many people died; the water had
become so bitter. 12 The fourth angel blew his trumpet, and a third of the
sun and a third of the moon and a third of the stars were blasted, so that
the light went out of a third of them and the day lost a third of its
illumination, and likewise the night. 13 In my vision, I heard an eagle,
calling aloud as it flew high overhead, 'Disaster, disaster, disaster, on all
the people on earth at the sound of the other three trumpets which the
three angels have yet to blow!' (Revelation 8:10-13 NJB)
5) If you know the answer to #4 then tell me: How does a detail given just after the
Tanakh quote I gave in #4 also tie in to another part of the same later book?
Hint: If you have found the Tanakh quote asked for in #4, the extra detail is the
line just after that quote.
27

So they came to Elim where there were twelve springs and seventy
palm trees; and there they pitched camp beside the water. (Exodus 15:27
NJB)
Now notice the imagery of what happens to trees and waters here
(Rev 22:1) And he showed me a river of living water, transparent (as)
crystal, which proceeded from the throne of Elohim and the Lamb. (Rev
22:2) And in the middle of its broad avenue and near the river, on this
side and on that, (was) the tree of life; which bore twelve (sorts of) fruits
yielding one of its fruits each month: and the leaves of the tree (were) for
the healing of the nations. (AENT)
1) Meaning of this weeks Torah portion and summary of contents.
It is very significant that this parsha is named Jethro and not The Ten
Words or Commandments that it contains. In a sense the advice that Jethro
gives Moshe is just as important as the Ten Commandments because it shows
YHWHs plan.
First Moshe needs to keep himself from getting exhausted. Then he needs to set
the leaders of the nation of Israel on the right course, and encourage discussion
between them and the people. And finally, the people need to understand that
when YHWH says Dont go there or you will die that He means business!
Only then, with every one playing their appropriate part and in the right frame
of mind, can the Commandments be given.

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2) Parsha (English-Exodus 18:1-20:23; to verse 26 in Christian versions). This

week we will read the entire portion.
3) Play by Play commentary where appropriate.

Vayishma Yitro cohen Midyan choten Moshe et kol-asher asah

Elohim le-Moshe ule-Yisra'el amo ki-hotsi Yahweh et-Yisra'el
miMitsrayim.
Vayikach Yitro choten Moshe et-Tsiporah eshet Moshe achar
shilucheyha.
4) Point out key Hebrew words/terms. Color Commentary:
YITRO COHEN MIDYAN CHOTEN MOSHE (18:1) = Jethro, priest of Midian, father
in law of Moshe. Even though the words priest and father in law (cohen vs. chothen) are
not spelled the same their sound is similar and one may be a sonic word play on the
other, viz. the priest Moshes father in law is also a priest. Technically of course Moshe
is a Levite and not a cohen as his brother Aaron is, but on the other hand even as a socalled plain Levite, it is clear Moshe is in charge and has Abba YHWHs favor, not
Aaron. In fact, Aaron only gets his position, in adding to being Moshes brother, because
Moshe himself wanted to back off from his responsibilities (Exodus 4:10-16)!
VAYICKACH YITRO CHOTEN MOSHE ET-TZIPORA ESHET MOSHE ACHAR
SHILUCHEYCHA (18:2) = And Jethro, Moshes father in law, brought Tziporrah, the
wife of Moshe, who had left earlier. While Tziporrah had apparently decided she wanted
to go along (Exodus 4:20), many rabbis think the argument they had over circumcising
Moshes younger son (Exodus 4:24-26) resulted in her turning back after they had
reached the first (unknown) stop from Midian where they lodged for a short time. As a
result, Tzipporah by this account did NOT go up to Egypt initially with Moshe. She was
angry and returned home. But after Moshe got out of Egypt, Jethro brought her to Mount
Sinai to reunite with her husband. I am inclined at this time to believe this explanation is
probably accurate.
GERSHOM (18:3) = Stranger from there. The name of Moshes son is derived from two
Hebrew words: GER (stranger) and SHAM (from there) or literally, I am a stranger
from over there (where I am living now). Others deny the Hebrew word SHAM is there
and say it is Coptic SHEM for a strange land but this has not gained widespread
acceptance in the Jewish or Christian scholarly community and I personally disagree
with it. So for me the only place stranger in a strange land is validly referenced is in a
science fiction novel by Robert A. Heinlein.
HA-MIDBAR ASHER-HU CHONEH SHAM HAR HA-ELOHIM (18:5) = the
wilderness where Moshe was staying near the Mountain of Elohim. Once again Sinai
(aka Horeb and aka Mountain of Elohim) is in the wilderness. Not in Midian proper,
but in nomadic pasture lands outside of that country.
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TELEAH (18:8) = This rich word means hardship, frustration and weariness. I
believe all three meanings are intended simultaneously in this passage.
MITACHAT YAD-MITZRAYIM (18:10) = from under the hand of Egypt. YHWHs
Mighty Hand over powers the hand of Pharaoh who is also supposed to be a god but of
course is not. TACHAT is a word that is used to denote being subject to, under
authority of.
ATAH YADATI KI GADOL YAHWEH MI-KOL HA-ELOHIM (18:11) = Now I know
that YHWH is the greatest of all the deities. It seems that Jethro is a follower of Abba
YHWH up until now, but he has not necessarily been convicted of absolute monotheism.
He may have been simply a person who is dedicated to Abba YHWH but tolerated
others being dedicated to pagan deities around him and whereas before he might have
viewed all such worship as equally valid, now at least he knows that his worship is of the
true and Almighty Elohim. Or he may have viewed Abba YHWH as a kind of storm god
that only had power in Sinai and finding out that His power extended beyond those
borders perhaps convinced Jethro that Abba YHWH was both a Creator and a Universal
Deity.
This makes sense from the context of 18:1, that Jethro had heard of all the miracles
Abba YHWH did in Egypt and 18:10 where he composes a prayer to Abba YHWH
praising Him for that deliverance. If so, Jethro wont be the last person in Scripture to
believe initially in a limited jurisdiction for Abba YHWHthe prophet Jonah will make
a similar mistake about 600 years later.
HAAM LIDROSH ELOHIM (18:15) = the people come to seek Elohim. The word
DRASH/DROSH means to learn from and it means seek in the sense that learn
YHWHs will is to seek Him out.
KABED (18:17) = heavy. Jethros rebuke of Moshe seems to have a bit of a double
edged sword. The word KAVED here probably indicates the primary meaning is the
task is TOO MUCH or TOO HEAVY for you which goes well with Jethros concern
earlier in the line, You will wear yourself out. However, KAVED can also mean
honorable or glorious and in that sense Jethro might also mean This task is too
glorious for you, which would be a very ironic rebuke considering how humble Moshe
is. If this is what Jethro intends also, it may be that Moshes humility has in a sense
gotten him in trouble in the sense that his need to serve outweighed his better judgment
that Israel will not do well with him if he is exhausted.
ETAH SHEMA BQOLI AYATZAKAH (18:19) = Now listen to my voice and I will
give you counsel. In yet another possible indication of the dual nature of Jethros
message to Moshe, the word for counsel here is YAATZ and it can mean either to
exhort/encourage or to admonish. I believe it is quite possible Jethros intentions are to
do both at the same time.
DABAR (18:19) = Literally word but here used to indicate disputes which can be of
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several varieties such as GADOL (major/great, 18:22), QATON (small/minor, 18:22), or

QASHEH (hard/severe, 18:26).
ANASH CHAYIL (18:21) = competent men. However, the literal Hebrew reads
powerful men. I found this interesting when used with another word SAR, or leader
over groups as small as 50 and large as 1,000.
The same words are used with respect to the Hyksos Pharaoh (Khyan) who commands
Joseph to recruit powerful men and SAR to rule over his livestock. However, read in
a different light it seems it could also mean set up princes, which might have meant
that Joseph gave his father Jacob a princely rankand it is possible there is
archaeological proof to back this up. Want to know more? Then sign up for the
EXODUS REVEALED CONERENCE today!
BACHODESH HA-SHLISHI LETSET BENEY-YISRAEL MEERETZ MITZRAYIM
BAYOM HAZEH (19:1) = on the new moon (first day) of the third month from when
the sons of Israel left the land of Egypt, on that very day. This would be 1 Sivan, or
Tuesday, May 7th, 1447 BCE (Gregorian time). Please also note, from last week, that the
Israelites got water out of the Rock of Horeb and this is BEFORE they got here, to the
base of Mount Sinai. What this tells me, IMHO of course, is that Mount Sinai is
sometimes also called Mount Horeb or the Mountain of Elohim, but sometimes a
separate place called the Rock of Horeb is also mentioned and it is outside this area.
UMOSHE ALAH AL HA ELOHIM VAYIKRA ELAV YAHWEH MIN HAHAR
(19:3) = Moshe went up to Elohim and (Elohim) called to him from the mountain. While
it says Moshe went up to Elohim Abba YHWH is still calling DOWN to him FROM
the mountain. Some rabbis like Abarbanel suggest this is because Moshe went up to
Elohim through spiritual means, such as deep prayer or meditation.
KOH TOMAR LE-VEYT YAAKOV VE-TAGEYD LIVNEY YISRAEL (19:3) = This
is what you must say to the family of Jacob and to the sons of Israel. I think, because a
mixed racial multitude came out of Egypt (Exodus 12:40), there was some form of
hierarchy set up where the Hebrew leaders taught the foreigners. 19:7 seems to indicate
that family of Jacob and the elders are referring to one and the same group.
SEGULAH MIKOL HAAMIM (19:5) = My special treasure among the nations. This
is not just because Israel is treasured by Abba YHWH for their specific role in
teaching the nations Torah, but it also means that Israel herself is supposed to totally
belong to Abba YHWH in return. Jeremiah 31:31-34 will compare this relationship to
that which exists between husband and wife.
MAMELECHET KOHANIM VEGOY KADOSH (19:6) = a kingdom of priests and a
Set-Apart nation. Compare this to the next stage of the process that after they were
supposed to show Torah to the Gentiles that the Gentiles themselves would do Torah and
become part of that kingdom of priests (Isaiah 66:21, 1 Peter 2:9, Revelation 1:6).
VAYOMER YAHWEH EL MOSHE LECH HA-AM VA-KIDASHTAM HA-YOM
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UMACHAR VE-CHIBESU SIMLOTAM (19:10) = And said Yahweh to Moshe: Go to

the people and sanctify them today and tomorrow and let them mikveh their clothing.
The Hebrew here technically says wash and not mikveh or immerse. However, the
rabbis believe and I agree with them that when it comes to legal procedures and
washingwhich this iswashing literally means to mikveh or to immerse.
VEHAYU NECHONIM LAYOM HASHLISHI KI BAYOM HASHLISHI YERED
YAHWEH LEEYNEY CHO-HAAM AL HAR SINAY (19:11) = They will then be
ready for the third day, for on the third day, Yahweh will descend on to Mount Sinai in
the sight of all the people. The Torah was actually given exactly on Shavuot or 6th of
Sivan, or Sunday, May 12th, 1447 BCE.
I believe that the Ten Commandments absolutely HAD to be given on a Sunday, because
a bunch of other rules were also given that day as well (Exodus 21:1-24:15), and then
the next verse 24:16 says that the cloud covered the mountain for 6 days but on the 7th
Abba YHWH called Moshe to meet him in the cloud, and I take this to be the 7th day of
the week. It makes sense this would be on Shabbat, and 6 days earlier was Sunday.
Furthermore, it is certain the 3rd day of the 3rd month was also an incredibly important
moment in Israels history. This is when Israel first gets to see Abba YHWH in His
high place. In 7 BCE, the first of three conjunctions of Jupiter and Saturn in the
constellation of Pisces also takes place on May 29th when the Magi would have seen it in
the evening skyand May 29th was also the 3rd of Sivan. Therefore, we have a
symmetry that on this date Abba YHWH reveals His heart of Israel, first His Torah and
second His Son.
BIMSHOCH HAYOVEL (19:13) = the sounding of the Yovel, yovel meaning rams
horn, shofar in this verse. However it is also the word for Jubilee, the once every half
century when debts are forgiven and land reverts to its original owner. In a sense, the
year of the Exodus was MEANT to be a Jubilee in that Israel was supposed to take
possession of Canaan. It was only after worshipping the Golden Calf and the bad
incident of sending out the spies in Numbers that a 40 year wandering sentence was
imposed on them, thus delaying the Jubilee that was supposed to happen now until much
later. Every time land changes ownerseven this first cycle that counts from 0 to 50is
in a sense a 50th year as well as the 0 year.
SHOFAR (19:18) = Rams horn. The same horn referenced in 19:13 as a YOVEL is
here clarified to be an actual shofar. This may be because the first blasts of the horn were
meant to proclaim a kind of Jubilee referenced above but, once proclaimed, the next
series of blasts was more meant as a cry to gather Israel to witness the wonders of Abba
YHWH.
KIBSHAN (19:18) = furnace/lime kiln. The smoke of Mount Sinai was literally like the
hottest thing the Israelites could have safely experienced, which is to say the heat and
smoke from a lime kiln. Ironically the same image and word is used in Genesis 19:18 to
describe the destructive smoke that engulfed Sodom and Gomorrah. It is a very
interesting parallel that in the first lime kiln there is eternal destruction and in the
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second lime kiln there is the giving of the Torah whose observance leads to eternal
life!
VAYOMER YAHWEH EL-MOSHE RED HA-ED BA-AM (19:21) = And Yahweh
said to Moshe: Go and warn the people. Although this is the intended meaning, the
Hebrew literally says here Go and bear witness to the people rather than warn. It
raises an interesting possibility. With a warn meaning one can argue this is a proactive
command issued to avoid a problem, and so it probably is. However, the literal reading
could also suggest bear witness is a BACKWARDS statement to not repeat a mistake,
perhaps because someone already trespassed and was killed. However, the next several
following lines make warn the better reading.
The Ten Commandments with Hebrew/English Commentary:
20:1: VAYEDABER ELOHIM ET-KOL HA-DEVARIM HA-ELEH LEMOR
And spoke Elohim [towards] all the Words [these], saying
This sentence seems very formally structured like we would expect from an address
from a King to His subjects. It is also interesting how the Hebrew grammatical-literal
reading here highlights that Elohim spoke TOWARDS all the words, suggesting an
image of His breath or force going TOWARDS the words as if to create them for the
first time.
20:2: ANOCHI YAHWEH ELOHEYCHA ASHER HOTSEITICHA MEERETZ
MITZRAYIM MIBEYT AVADIM
I am Yahweh your Elohim Who brought you out from Egypt from the house of slavery.
Note: ANOCHI is an expanded form of I am. A normal I am would be ANI
whereas ANOCHI was understood as a more formal address. In later times, ANOCHI
would only be applied to YHWH. In the Aramaic NT, the Aramaic cognate of
ANOCHI, a formalized I am exclusive to Abba YHWH, is ENA NA. When Yshua
used ENA-NA (rather than the expected ENA), often the result entailed folks picking up
stones to kill him.
20:3: LO YIHYEH LECHA ELOHIM ACHERIM AL PANAY
Do not have other gods before My Face
In other words, do not put a pagan false-god face on the Set-Apart Face of the one true
Elohim. This is a total ban to depict Abba YHWHs essence in physical form through
which one venerates Him in worship. This is the most personal or intimate form of
language that Abba YHWH uses in phrasing the Ten Commandments and it goes a long
way to explaining His rage at the Golden Calf, even after Aaron tried to make it right
by proclaiming a festival to Abba YHWH on the day of the pagan rituals with the
Egyptian Apis bull.
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Actually, to be technically correct, the Apis Bull was only a symptom, not the disease.
The real problem was worshipping the goddess Hathor, who was said to give birth to a
Golden Calf (Apis) every morning. I think this is one of the clues about where Mount
Sinai isat or near a place of Hathor worship.
20:4: LO TAASEH LECH FESEL VECHOL TEMUNAH ASHER BASHAMAYIM
MIMAAL VAASHER BAERETZ MITACHAT VAASHER BAMAYIM
Do not represent such gods in any carved statue or picture of anything in the heaven
above, on the earth below, or in the water below the land.
20:5: LO-TISHTACHAVEH LAHEM VELO TAOVDEM KI ANOCHI YAHWEH
ELOHEYCHA EL KANA POKED AVON AVOT AL-BANIM AL-SHILESHIM
VEAL-REBIIM LESONAY.
Do not bow down to such gods or worship then. I am your Elohim, an El Who demands
exclusive worship. Where My enemies are concerned, I keep in mind the sin of the
father for their descendants, to the third and fourth generation.
20:6: VEOSEH CHESED LAALAFIM LEOHAVAY ULESHOMREY
MITZVOTAY.
But for those who love me and keep My Mitzvot, to show love to the thousandth
generation.
20:7: LO TISA ET-SHEM-YAHWEH ELOHEYCHA LASHAV KI LO YENAKEH
YAHWEH ET-ASHER-YISA ET-SHMO LASHAV.
You shall not lift up the Name of Yahweh your Elohim in desolate substitution, for
Yahweh will not allow the one who substitutes His Name to go unpunished.
Note: the word SHAV is usually translated as VAIN, however the root means
desolation, emptiness. The only way that YHWHs name can be empty is if it is not
used or substituted. In Exodus 23:1 uses the word SHAV to mean a false report which
in itself is a DESOLATE SUBSTITUTE for the TRUE report that should have been
given.
20:8: ZACHOR ET YOM HASHABAT LEKADSHO.
Remember the Shabbat, to keep it Set Apart.
Note: Here the command is to REMEMBER the Shabbat, whereas in Deuteronomy the
command is to OBSERVE the Shabbat. Remembering is considered a positive command
and observing a negative one. The remembering is keyed to YHWHs resting on that
day, which strongly implies the Shabbat was understood as Set-Apart and therefore
required for all the righteous people before Moshe. Although the manna incident
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strongly suggests that the Israelites upon gaining their freedom needed a bit of
retraining in resting on the seventh day, that doesnt mean they didnt know it from
before. Rather, their lives as slaves, toiling every day, made them forget. YHWH
though helped them remember though by freeing them on the Shabbat, Friday night, on
March 22-23, 1447 BCE.
20:9: SHESHET YAMIN TAAVOD VEASITA CHO MELECHTECHA
You can work during the other six days and do all your tasks.
20:10: VEYOM HASHVII SHABBAT LYAHWEH ELOHEYCHA LO TAASEH
CHOL MELACHAH ATAH UVINCHA-UVITECHA AVDECHA VAAMATCHA
UVEHEMTECHA VEGERCHA ASHER BISHAREYCHA.
But the seventh day is the Shabbat to Yahweh your Elohim. Do not do any work,
including your son, your daughter, your slave, your maid, your animal and the foreigner
in your gates.
20:11: KI-SHESHET-YAMIM ASAH YAHWEH ET-HASHAMAYIM VEET HAERETZ ET-HAYAM VEET KOL ASHER-BAM VAYANACH BAYOM HASHVII
AL KEN BERACH YAHWEH ET-YOM HASHABBAT VAYEKADESHEHU.
For in six days Yahweh made the heavens and the earth and the sea and all that is in
them, but He rested (or ceased) on the seventh day. Yahweh therefore blessed the
Shabbat day and made it Set-Apart.
20:12: KAVED ET-AVICHA VEET IMECHA LEMAAN YAARICHUM
YAMEYCHA AL HAADAMAH ASHER YAHWEH ELOHEYCHA NOTEN LACH.
Honor (or give weight, give/pay attention to greatly) your father and your mother that
you may live long in the land that Yahweh your Elohim is giving to you.
20:13: LO TIRTSACH. LO TINAF. LO TIGNOV. LO TAANEH VEREACHA ED
SHAKER.
Do not commit murder. Do not steal. Do not testify falsely against your neighbor.
20:14: LO TACHMOD BEYT REECHA. LO TACHMOD ESHET REECHA
VEAVDO VEAMATO, VESHORO, VACHOMORO VECHOL ASHER
LEREECHA.
Do not covet anything of your neighbors house. Do not covet your neighbors wife, his
slave, his maid, his ox, his donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.
VECHOL HAAM ROIM ET-HAKALOT (20:15) = and all the people SAW the
sounds. This seems to be another miracle but one seldom spoken of, that the Israelites
could actually SEE sounds without the intervention of artificial chemical stimuli. It has
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often been said that certain drugs, like LSD, scramble signals in the brain by amping up
certain chemicals, like dopamine. In this case of course, the Israelites have this happen
to them by YHWHs own design and without such drugs.
VAYOMER YAHWEH EL-MOSHE LEMOR KOH TO-MAR BENEY YISRAEL ATTEM REI-TEM MIN KI HASH-SHA-MAYIM DIB-BAR-TI IM-MA-CHEM (20:19)
= And said Yahweh to Moshe: Thus you will say to the children of Israel. You have seen
that I have spoken to you from heaven. Because Abba YHWH spoke directly to Israel
and had no intermediary, this is understood as one reason why we are not to seek
talismans and other symbols of the divine, a fact which the next sentence confirms by
restating the ban on worshipping graven images.
The appearance of Abba YHWH and His Voice here in effect lays down halacha on the
general ban and to only shape things He has directly commanded for His purposes, such
as the cherubim above the mercy seat of the Ark of the Covenant. Basically, when
Elohim wishes to show His presence, He will do so through blessings or revelations, but
not through anything made by human hands.
Torah Question of the Week:
What part of this Torah portion goes directly against the Rabbinic ban on the
Name of YHWH OTHER than the giving of the 3rd commandment itself?

END PART 1

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PART 2: THE HAFTORAH

Torah Question of the Week:
What part of this Torah portion goes directly against the Rabbinic ban on the
Name of YHWH OTHER than the giving of the 3rd commandment itself?

BECHOL HAMAKOM ASHER AZKIR ET-SHMI (20:21) = In EVERY

PLACE I allow My Name to be remembered. The Rabbis argue that this
only relates to the exception of saying the Name of YHWH in the Temple.
But the Hebrew says BECHOL HA MAKOM (in all the places), proving
that YHWH is to be known throughout the whole earth, because the whole
earth remembers His Mighty deeds, at least if they have the Scripture
around them they do.
5) Haftorah portions (English-Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 6:1-7:14; 9:5-6), and discuss
common themes with Torah portion. Read entire portion first.

Bishnat-mot hamelech Uziyahu va'er'eh et-Yahweh yoshev alkise ram venisa veshulav mele'im et-hahechal.
Srafim omdim mima'al lo shesh kenafayim shesh kenafayim
le'echad bishtayim yechaseh fanav uvishtayim yechaseh raglav
uvishtayim ye'ofef.
Vekara zeh el-zeh ve'amar kadosh kadosh kadosh Yahweh
Tseva'ot melo chol-ha'arets kevodo.
6) Our linguistic commentary
Special Note: Isaiah 6:1 is one of the 134 places where YHWH was swapped out
for ADONAI. Here is that full list:
Ge 18:3,27,30,31,32; 19:18; 20:4; Ex 4:10,13; 5:22; 15:17; 34:9,9;Nu 14:17; Jos
7:8; Jg 6:15; 13:8; 1 Ki 3:10,15; 22:6; 2 Ki 7:6; 19:23;Ezr 10:3; Ne 1:11; 4:14;
Job 28:28; Ps 2:4; 16:2; 22:30; 30:8; 35:17,22,23; 37:13; 38:9,15.22; 39:7; 40:17;
44:23; 51:15; 54:4; 55:9; 57:9; 59:11; 62:12; 66:18; 68:11,17,19,22,26,32; 73:20;
77:2,7; 78:65; 79:12; 86:3,4,5,8,9,12,15; 89:49,50; 90:1,17; 110:5; 130:2,3,6; Isa
3:17,18; 4:4; 6:1,8,11; 7:14,20; 8:7; 9:8,17; 10:12; 11:11; 21:6,8,16; 28:2; 29:13;
30:20; 37:24; 38:14,16; 49:14; La 1:14,15,15; 2:1,2,5,7,18,19,20; 3:31,36,37,58;

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Eze 18:25,29; 21:9; 33:17,20;Da 1:2; 9:3,4,7,9,15,16,17,19,19,19; Am 5:16;

7:7,8; 9;1; Mic 1:2; Zec 9:4; Mal 1:12,14.
VAERA ET-YAHWEH (Adonay put here later) YOSHEV AL-KISE RAM (6:1) =
I saw YHWH sitting upon a high and exalted throne. Whats interesting about the
substitution here with ADONAY is that opens up the passage to having a possible
reference to Yshua here!
SRAPHIM (6:2) = seraphs. From a root that means to burn, be on fire, either
physically or emotionally, these are special angels that minister to YHWH.
Unfortunately that same burning root can apply to demons, and rabbis teach the
demons are referenced as seraphim through serpent imagery, referring to the
burning of the venom of the snake.
KI-ET HAMELECH YAHWEH TZAVAOT RAU EYNAY (6:5) = for to the
King, Yahweh of Hosts, I have seen with my eyes. Depending on how we interpret
several passages of Scripture, either nobody has seen YHWH face to face or
perhaps a select few like Jacob and Moshe have had this honor. Yshua clarifies
and says that no one has seen the true nature of the Father, in pure Unseen Form,
except for the Son who came down from highest heaven as the Word made flesh.
Clearly then Isaiah may have THOUGHT he saw this form of YHWH but was
merely given the image of YHWH he could handle, or else he would have been
killed. Same thing applied also to Moshe seeing Him from the back and Jacob
wrestling with an angel that was YHWH. They did not see Him per se in true
deadly form, but to them what of Him they did see was His face, which is why
Moshe could be said to have known YHWH intimately (panim al panim-face to
face) as a friend.
VEOD BAH ASIRYAH BESHAVAH VEHAYETAH LEVAER KAELAH
VECHAALON ASHER BESHALECHET MATZEVET BAM ZERA KODESH
MTZAVTAH (6:13) = and if one tenth remain in it, it will be destroyed again; but
it will be like a terebinth or an oak, whose stump remains when it is felled, so the
Set-Apart seed will be its stump. This seems very appropriate also given that
TuBShevat, or the New Year for trees, happened this week. The tree of life that is
Torah leads to a Set-Apart seed that is Mashiyach! We will talk more about these
connections in the Torah Thought for the Week, along with the linkage with Isaiah
9:5-6.

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7) Renewed Covenant portion: (English).1 Timothy 3:1-14 (all the way through with
applicable footnotes.)
Highlight common themes in Aramaic (terms in footnotes which I will
read):
MAHAYMNA HI MELTHA (3:1) = it is a faithful sayingliterally
faithful speech (mahaymna = emuna)
DEN ANASH RAEG QASHISHOTA AIVEDEH TAVEH RAEG (3:1)
= that he who desires ELDERSHIP desires a good work. eldership
versus leadershipbig difference.
BAALAH DEKHADA ANTATHA (3:2) = husband of ONE wife! means
what it says and says what it means. No plural marriage is allowed among
elders or the main population either; its just that at the time pagans who
kept multiple wives sometimes converted to the faith and tried to become
leaders later.
1 Timothy 3:5
6) Leadership starts in the home; it is the fruits of marriage and family life at home that
demonstrate the ability, quality and character of every elder or leader. Yet, religious
people willfully negate Scriptural qualifications of leadership in order to be entertained
or inspired by a popular dynamic leader or speaker. It is a modern and fashionable thing
to compromise on leadership qualifications for someone who has attained wealth or a
degree of fame, because everybody wants to be successful like them. It is because of
the wholesale compromise of Scriptural qualifications of leadership that there is
unprecedented spiritual abuse, wickedness and divisions within the Body of Mashiyach.
There is no greater ego trip for the carnal man than to become a religious leader and get
paid to speak over the spiritual lives of others. Religious leadership is haSatans most
effective tool to keep people from entering into the Kingdom of Heaven, and the job
pays extremely well for what a religious leader has to do. There is a world of conartists, thieves and frauds who know how to get religious and talk the talk so as to
be accepted into the beloved and stand before the congregation as a spiritual
authority. On local, regional, national and international levels false spiritual leaders
consolidate their power and authority and create wicked confederacies against the Unity
of the Body for personal gain and fame. The remedy of false religion is to turn to
YHWH, implement Torah, walk in humility, live in Set Apart simplicity and come out
of all false religion. Please see footnotes on Mat_7:16, Joh_10:16, Heb_13:7, and
2Th_3:10.
SAHADUTHA SHAPIRATA (3:7) = good testimony is sahdutha
shapiratasahdutha being the same word in Genesis 31:47 for
witnessthe only Aramaic line in the Hebrew Torah! Shapirata, is
actually beautiful in Aramaic. Rav Shaul uses it frequently to describe
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pure and moral behavior. But its not just good testimony but gorgeous
morality that is being extolled here.
1 Timothy 3:16
7) Note the brilliant poetry here: (1) And truly great (w'sherirayt rab) (2) Is this divine
mystery of righteousness (haw arza hela d'kanota); (3) It is revealed in the flesh (d'atgli
b'besra), (4) being Righteous in the Spirit (w'atzaddaq b'rokh), (5) Seen by messengers
(w'atkhazi l'malaka), (6) Preached to the Gentiles (w'atkeraz beyt ammah), (7)
Believed on in the world (w'athaymin b'almah), (8) And received up into glory
(w'astalaq b'shubkha). Note the bold italicized words in 1, 2, 4 and 5. To begin with,
two words for "righteousness" are used; one in the last word of line 2 (kanota) and the
other in the first word of line 4 (atzaddaq). However, kanota is clearly reminiscent of
kahna (priest), even though their roots are slightly different (kan and kahn,
respectively). Furthermore, the last word of line 1 is rab (great/high), and so the way the
text lines up when broken out by phrases is rab kanota/kahna (high priest)! The other
word, atzaddaq, is also deliberately placed in the same manner since right below it is the
word malaka. Now, in this case malaka means "messenger" (angel). However, it is
almost identical to malak (king). Reverse the words and we get: Malak + atzaddaq =
Melchisedec.
Here are deep poetic patterns contrasting the rab kahna (high priests) of the Levites with
that of Melchisedec, the priestly line that Mashiyach represents! In line 3, Atgli b'besra
(revealed in the flesh), contains some terrific parallels as well. Not only does the word
gali mean "reveal", but it is also a homonym for Galeela where Mashiyach was
"revealed in the flesh"!
Italicized words in lines 5, 6, 7 and 8, carry rhymes which are not by accident or
coincidence. First, there are four lines in a row that end in "ah": w'atkhazi l'malaka
w'atkeraz beyt amah w'athaymin b'almah w'astalaq b'shubkha. Other word matches
are equally striking: Atkhazi (seen)/Atkeraz (preached); Beyt ammah (house of
Gentiles/peoples)/B'almah (in the earth/land). The last word pair is also noteworthy
because of this prophetic passage: "I am going to take the Israelite people (ammah) from
among the nations (Goyim/Gentiles) they have gone to and gather them from every
quarter and bring them back to their own land (almah). I will make them a single nation
(goy) in the land (almah)" (Eze_37:21-22). Granted, there are some dialectical
differences between the Tanakh and the Aramaic Peshitta (ammah = am; almah = eretz),
but for all intents and purposes, the exact same words and concepts. And finally, the last
four lines also flow together in an almost melodic fashion, as even a rudimentary attempt
to sound them out reveals: w'atkhazi l'malaka w'atkeraz beyt amah w'athaymin b'almah
w'astalaq b'shubkha. In the end, we are left with an amazing composition in two parts.
The first half of this line shows us that Paul is very capable of packing a great deal of
Jewish symbolism and hidden meanings in a handful of words. Once this significant
feat is accomplished, he moves onto delivering a Masterpiece of rhyme, diction and
meter for the remainder of the verse.

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8) Apply these themes/issues to modern issues in the Netzari faith. (The underlying
responsibility for both leaders and followers is the same: Put your authority on the
Word and not only the teachers or rabbis! All approved teachers in the faith will act as
Rav Shaul did in Acts 17, and subject themselves to inquiries based in Scripture. That is
why it is called ELDERSHIP rather than leadershipmaturity is required!)
9) Relate to all or part of an Appendix portion of AENT or footnotes from a portion (How
Much Torah Do Christians Keep?, p. 845-864).
STUDY QUESTIONS TO BE ANSWERED NEXT WEEK
1) Where is the pattern of Jethros advice repeated in the NT?
2) If you know the answer to #1, how is the leadership aspect of Jethros advice
mirrored in the NT?
3) What do the most ancient translations of part of this Haftorah portion tell us that later
Rabbinic versions deny?
4) If you know the answer to #3, what is one example from Genesis that disproves the
Rabbinic theory?
5) Using the Renewed Covenant portion as a guide, name one religious leader who fits
most closely as much criteria on how NOT to lead as possible. There are MANY
possible right answers, but the key is to line up the instructions with a real life
example.
Torah Thought for the Week:
Jethro: A Quiet Kind of Humility
The Torah clearly says that Moshe was the most humble man in the world. However, he
is not the only man of surpassing grace and humility who is indispensable in the Exodus
drama. Behind the scenes, there is another, a man so wise and thoughtful that his efforts
to transform the way Israel deals with Torah at a root infrastructure level are accepted
without question.
I am speaking of course about Jethro, Moshes father in law. Here we are at the central
part of the greatest redemptive drama save Yshuas resurrection, and yet, without Jethro
and the small quiet role he plays, the Big Show might not have happened at all, or if it
did it could have met with disaster or not had long lasting benefit.
Many of you know that the Rabbis have basically named each Torah portion after a
word or phrase that appears in its first sentence, so the phrase in the beginning
becomes the name for Bereshit and so on. But I have also found it intriguing that in
this critical portion we should find it named after Jethro, rather than re-arranging the
readings so that the giving of the Ten Words or Commandments takes center stage as the
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start of the parsha. Instead, its at the END of this parsha.

I think the Rabbis did this in part to acknowledge Jethros important but quiet role, and
that first Jethro must help Moshe before Moshe can help all of Israel. This is because, for
all the grand majestic ideals and high drama we are about to see with the Ten
Commandments, everything starts with one man telling another not to drop dead from
exhaustion
13

On the following day, Moses took his seat to administer justice for the people,
and the people were standing round him from morning till evening. 14 Seeing all
he did for the people, Moses' father-in-law said to him, 'Why do you do this for
the people, why sit here alone with the people standing round you from morning
till evening?' 15 Moses replied to his father-in-law, 'Because the people come to
me to consult God. 16 When they have a problem they come to me, and I give a
ruling between the one and the other and make God's statutes and laws known to
them.'
17

Moses' father-in-law then said to him, 'What you are doing is not right. 18 You
will only tire yourself out, and the people with you too, for the work is too heavy
for you. You cannot do it all yourself. 19 Now listen to the advice I am going to
give you, and God be with you! Your task is to represent the people to God, to
lay their cases before God, 20 and to teach them the statutes and laws, and show
them the way they ought to follow and how they ought to behave.
21

At the same time, from the people at large choose capable and God-fearing
men, men who are trustworthy and incorruptible, and put them in charge of them
as heads of thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens, 22 and make them the people's
permanent judges. They will refer all important matters to you, but all minor
matters they will decide themselves, so making things easier for you by sharing
the burden with you. 23 If you do this -- and may God so command you -- you
will be able to stand the strain, and all these people will go home satisfied.'
(Exodus 18:13-23 NJB)
Jethro understands the unique role Moshe has been given. He is fine with not being the
star of the show as it were, but then again so would Moshe be, as he turned down
YHWHs job about half a dozen times. But Jethro also knows that without Moshe, Abba
YHWH would have to spend more time to pick someone else to accomplish his will and,
at this point, not even the noble Joshua is ready for that task yet.
So for the entire point of the Exodus to be accomplished in Abba YHWHs timing,
Moshe cannot be allowed to bear a burden that could over time weaken or kill him. A
lesser man might have asked Moshe to simply hand over power to himself so he
wouldnt have to worry about it, but he doesnt.
Or if Jethro was deceitfully ambitious he might have hand-picked the judges for
Moshe after gaining his trust. He doesnt do that eitherinstead as we just read he begs
Moshe to pick the men on his own. And Jethros instructions are clear, simple and brief,
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so there is no way to exploit these either for Jethros own benefit.

On the other hand, you might say, sure, Jethro is already rich and powerful. He has
everything a man could ever want as it isso of course he doesnt need to be greedy
here too. And in that you would be right of course, but it also strengthens my point and
admiration for Jethro, because, as we just saw, Jethro doesnt NEED to leave his tents at
all! Or he could have simply returned to them with Tzipporah and his grandsons.
Why then bother making the trip to see Moshe directly in the first place? And the
answer must be, because Jethro is only thinking about what is best for his son-in-law and
perhaps also for Moshes people by extension. It might even be, as priest of Mount
Sinai, He wants to honor the will of the Elohim he serves, but theres more than one way
to do that too. It would have been customary, for example, to just send a bunch of gifts
and gold Moshes way to ensure goodwill.
But instead, and fortunately for Moshe and the rest of us now, Jethro gave him
something much more precious: The clarity of common sense that eluded Moshe,
ironically because of HIS OWN HUMILITY and desire to be a servant. But that desire
should not extend to working oneself to death, and because Jethro saw that and acted as
compassionately as he did, he is just as much a key factor to bringing the Ten
Commandments into the world as Moshe was. Todah rabba Jethro! And finally, lets
close with a small pop culture reference1 I call
Jethros Rules
1) Your wife, your lead, so I brought her back to you.
2) When the jobs done ruling on Torah cases, walk away and go home.
3) Theres no such thing as a coincidence, especially when Abba YHWH warns you
its coming in advance.
4) When a task is too heavy for you to do alone, learn to delegate it to your team.
Im Andrew Gabriel Roth and thats your Torah thought for the Week!
Next week we will be exploring Mishpatim, or Exodus 21:1-24:18. Our Haftorah portion
will be Yiremeyahu (Jeremiah) 34:8-22 and our Renewed Covenant portion will be
Hebrews 9:15-22. Stay tuned!

For those who may be wondering though I will not speak this on camera, this is a reference to the
television show NCIS and the lead character, Leroy Jethro Gibbs, who always has rules for proper
behavior of all his agents. It just so happens that the characters first name, Leroy means the king in
French, but no one dares call him that to his face.

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