Yithro 5762, Exodus 18:1-20:22

Shabbat Shalom-

This week's reading is well-known for the revelation of God's law from the center of a fiery storm (the Decalogue), but few consider other gems such as how to conduct oneself without underwear.  Exodus 20:22 gives the priests a law concerning the altar, "And you shall not ascend on steps on my slaughter-place that you do not reveal your nakedness upon it."  What this means, is that the priest was wearing a type of kilt such that if he were to take stairs to the top of the altar, about 20 feet or more on some altars, he would give the crowd below a bit of a show which might diminish from the focus on the ritual communion with God.

There are many things I'd like to comment on in this portion, particularly on the relevance of the Decalogue to other nations and American grade-school classrooms.  However, in light of currents events, our war on the 'evil-ones', those terrorists, I thought I'd discourse on what evil is.

Exodus 19:4-5 "You shall not prostrate to them [other gods] and you shall not service them for I, YHWH, your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the sons till the third or fourth [generation] to my enemies and doing lovingkindness to the thousandth [generation] of  my supporters and keepers of my commandments."

"The person who sins, he alone shall die. A child shall not share the burden of a parent’s guilt, nor shall a parent share the burden of a child’s guilt; the righteousness of the righteous shall be accounted to him alone, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be accounted to him alone. Moreover, if the wicked one repents of all the sins that he committed and keeps all My laws and does what is just and right, he shall live; he shall not die." Ezekiel 18:20-21

See the doc on evil.

Have a caring week!
Benjamin Fleischer 

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