Friday, February 5, 2010

This week's parsha

Shemot 18:13. Lifnei Haelokim. After slaughtering sacrifices, they feasted in front of Elokim. Where was this – there was no Mishkan yet? See Siporno who explains that the Mizbeiach constructed by Moshe after the decisive victory over Amalek was the Mizbeiach for these sacrifices and that was the location of the seuda with Yisro.

Shemot 18:13-25. It is hard to understand why Moshe would think that he should be the sole source of judging the Jewish people and answering their questions. While it is true that he was the conduit of Torah transmission and seemingly understood the concept of mesorah to be his specific conveyance, we know that Chazal tell us that Moshe would tell the Torah over to Aharon and he would convey it to the broader Jewish people as a miturgimun. Why would this intermediazation be OK for the conveyance of mesorah but not for the first judgements? Also was Yisros idea not something that Moshe thought of, but ruled out? Is it possible Moshe thought that in some way this was Tziyvuy Hashem?

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