Yitro

Embark on a journey of Jewish learning and discovery, exploring the depth of our Yitro resources, where tagged items including audio, programs, and podcast episodes await your exploration.

Yitro: Yes and No

Rabbi Jay Kelman

Vayedaber Hashem el Moshe lei'mor is the most commonly occurring verse of the Bible. While it is usually translated as, “G-d spoke to Moshe, saying”, our rabbis saw additional meaning in the word lei'mor. If…
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Yitro: Honouring Parents, Teaching Children

Rabbi Jay Kelman

The command to respect our parents, kibud av v'eim, is one that needs little explanation. It is the most rational and logical of mitzvoth, one that we would observe even were we not commanded by the Torah to do so, and one that we expect all…
Article

Yitro: I Love My In-Laws

Rabbi Jay Kelman

“Moses went to greet his father-in-law, bowing down low and kissing him” (Shemot 18:7). Unfortunately, relations between children- and their in-laws are not always so rosy and are often marred by jealousy, power struggles and…
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Yitro: A Joint Project

Rabbi Jay Kelman

What kind of book is the Torah and who is it meant for? Rashi begins his commentary to the Torah, with the supposition that the Torah is primarily a legal book instructing the Jewish people how to lead their lives. This is the…
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What Happened at Sinai? Revelation and its Interpreters

Dr. Elliott Malamet

Join us for a fascinating analysis of the revelations of Sinai, just in time to prepare for Shavuot! Mincha at 7:45 pm, program to follow.
Program

Yitro: Hear Ye, Hear Ye

Rabbi Jay Kelman

"And Yitro, the priest of Midian, the father-in-law of Moshe, heard all that G-d did for Moshe and to Israel his people, that G-d had taken the Israel out of Egypt" (Shemot 18:1). Of course, Yitro was not the only one who heard all that G-…
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Yitro: Day of Rest

Rabbi Jay Kelman

The aseret hadibrot present two very different reasons why we are to keep Shabbat. In parshat Yitro, it is “because in six days, G-d made the heaven and the earth, the sea and all that is in it; and He rested on the seventh day” (Shemot…
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Yitro: Nine Commandments

Rabbi Jay Kelman

It is customary in most shuls to read the aseret hadibrot in what is known as ta'am elyon, the upper cantillation. Whereas the ta'am tachton (the lower cantillation used throughout the Torah) divides the aseret hadibrot into 13 verses, the ta'am…
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