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“What I like doing best is Nothing.”
“How do you do Nothing?” asked Pooh, after he had wondered for a long time.
“Well, it’s when people call out at you just as you’re going off to do it, “What are you going to do, Christopher Robin?” and you say, “Oh, nothing,” and then you go and do it.”
“Oh, I see,” said Pooh.
“This is a nothing sort of thing that we’re doing now.”
“Oh, I see,” said Pooh again.
“It means just going along, listening to all the things you can’t hear, and not bothering.”
-A.A. Milne
“What are you doing, Jason.”
“Nothing.” Jason said.
“Suppose you come over here to do it, then.” Father said.
-William Faulkner
Did Jethro actually believe that all the people standing in line from morning to evening were doing nothing?
Did he not hear Moshe’s full explanation, that they were coming to search for the Lord?
Why did he think that they were as busy as Christopher Robin doing nothing as they waited?
“God is greater than all other lords.” Yitro studied every religion. He rose through the ranks to become a high priest of numerous religions. He was qualified to say that God was the greatest Power. Yitro had been on a lifetime search, and he finds the answer and then…
He leaves. He finds that for which he spent a lifetime seeking only to walk away upon achieving his goal.
Yitro defined himself by his search. He was a seeker. He didn’t know what to do once he found that he sought. He could not understand Moshe’s words that the Jews were standing in line to seek God: they had God. They didn’t need to seek. They were standing in line doing nothing. He heard that they needed some legal decisions, but searching for the Lord? Naaah!
When Moshe described the people as searching for the Lord, he was not speaking of seeking for God and truth as did his great father in law. Moshe used the phrase “seeking the Lord” to describe people who, having found God, wanted to know what it meant for each person as an individual. Each wanted to know the purpose of his existence. Each was willing to stand in line from morning to evening and say that nothing I do matters until I have found the meaning of my life. Their “nothing” was, well, nothing like Christopher Robin’s, it was the clarity that “Hakol hevel,” “All is as naught,” until I can live with a sense of the Lord in every aspect of my life.”
Author Info:
Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone™ is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.
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God was ready and waiting. He was at Sinai ready to begin Revelation. People began to trickle toward the mountain, but there were no crowds gathering for the most momentous day in history. Where were the people? Why were they not waiting in lines for hours as they did for the iPad? They overslept. Moses had to run through the camp, much as the “Vekker,” or duly appointed ‘Waker’ did each morning in the Yeshiva dormitory; “Shtei uf! Shtei uf la’avoidas haBorei!” Wake up! Wake up for the service of the Creator!” It was bad enough to open my eyes and find my Rebbi standing over me an hour or two after morning prayers. I can’t even begin to imagine opening the door of my tent and finding Moses there pointing as his watch, “Nu! You’re late!” We try to repair those hours we kept God waiting by staying up all Shavuot night and studying Torah, but I’m still trying to figure out how could they all oversleep!
I usually do not sleep well the night before an important trip. My children have trouble falling asleep the night before a big test, especially their driving test to get a license. Few bar or bat mitzvah children sleep the night before their grand performance. I have even spent sleepless nights worried that I would not wake up in time for a flight only to doze off and then oversleep! My oversleeping did not indicate a lack of appreciation for the importance of the next morning.
I suspect that the reason everyone overslept on the morning of Revelation was that they were sleeping fitfully most of the night before: “What would it be like? Are we going to be standing outside all day in a huge crowd? Do I have to bring food for the kids? What if they misbehave? What shall I wear? How will my life change? I know I declared my intention to, “Na’aseh,” to do whatever God asks, but what will He ask? Moshe described how we will “Meet” God, what does that mean?”
A sleepless night is also an indication that the person understands that the next day will be different from anything he ever experienced. Did their oversleeping, especially after a sleepless night, not reflect their understanding of the importance of the next day? What was the big deal?
“And the entire people that was in the camp shuddered, Moses brought the people forth from the camp toward God.” Even after being unable to sleep the night before because of their nervous excitement, the people still did not wake up with a start and rush to find a cab to get to Sinai. They shuddered. They were scared, too scared to rush to Sinai. They had been nervously waiting for three days, but when the actual moment arrived they were too scared to go to Revelation. The issue was not that they overslept! The issue was those first moments after Moshe banged on their doors to wake them. The question was, “What do you do when you realize that you have overslept an important appointment? Do you rush like a mad man or do you hesitate?
They hesitated. A part of them did not want to be there, although God, of Whom they were so frightened, was showing His love for them by arriving early and waiting. In those first moments after they woke with a start, they thought only of fear of God, not of His love for them.
Author Info:
Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone™ is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.
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One of the most constant refrains I hear from people is, “I should…” or, “I should have…”
All those “shoulds” are heavy burdens. “I should be more patient.” “I should be more of a Tzaddik.” “I should daven better.” “I should be more careful with my speech.”
The “should haves” are even worse: “I should have said…” I should have controlled my anger.” “I should have done better.” Guess what, it’s too late. “Should haves” are meaningless but heavy burdens to shoulder.
I prefer the “I could,” or “I could have,” approach. I could implies “I can” change, improve, and grow. “I could have” implies that I have the capacity to better handle difficult situations.
Rashi in this week’s portion compares the travels from Rephidim to the arrival at Sinai: “They journeyed from Rephidim and arrived at the Wilderness of Sinai.” Rashi comments, “Just as they arrived at Sinai in Teshuva, so they journeyed from Rephidim in Teshuva.”
We learn that they left Rephidim in a state of Teshuva only from their arrival at Sinai. Why does the Torah wait until their arrival at Sinai to teach us that they did Teshuva when they left Rephidim?
Rephidim was looking back at a mistake. Sinai was looking forward. Rephidim was “We should have…” Sinai’s Teshuva was “I could have.” The former was regret. The latter was a Teshuva of expectation.
Rashi is telling us that their journey from Rephidim to Sinai was from “I should have,” to “I could have,” from regret to expectation.
It is only in a state of expectation, “I could,” that we could be ready for Revelation.
Author Info:
Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone™ is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.
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He appeared at the well as a penniless vagabond. Jacob had nothing with him. “My brothers, where are you from?” he asked. I wonder if they reacted to “My brothers” the way I react when a panhandler on the subway begins his pitch with, “Hey! Bro!”
They respond tersely. “Haran.” “We know.” Jacob doesn’t take the hint and he continues the conversation, “Is it well with him?” They see a way to pass him off to someone else, “See, his daughter Rachel is coming with the flock!”
Jacob has been interested in Laban, but he now changes into an itinerant preacher, “Look, the day is still long, it isn’t yet time to bring the livestock in. Water the flocks and go on grazing.”
Who is this guy? He sees the huge boulder on the well. (See Rock & Roll) He can figure out why we are waiting. He’s homeless. Let him be Laban’s problem. Now, he’s preaching!”
I would have brushed him off, but they respond. They are defensive about their practice.
“While he was still speaking with them, Rachel had arrived with her father’s flock.” “Jacob came forward and rolled the stone off the mouth of the well and watered the sheep of Laban his mother’s brother. Then Jacob kissed Rachel; and he raised his voice and wept.”
They were probably ready to beat up the homeless preacher when he single handedly rolls the stone it usually took a large group of men to move. It’s probably not such a good idea to beat him up. They were, after all, busy taking care of their flocks..
Plus, this homeless guy is close enough to Laban to water his flocks.
They are not looking too kindly at Jacob when he gives them a great excuse to ridicule him and his sermons: he grabs Rachel and he kisses her. “You can’t trust these religious fanatics!”
Jacob, ignoring them, begins to cry over the fact that Rachel and he will not be buried together. The shepherds are convinced that this homeless man is crazy.
Not what I would call a great first impression!
Did Jacob sense how others perceived him? Did he care? Did he do all this on purpose?
He takes the same approach with Laban. Jacob told him everything that happened to him. He told Laban that he stole Eisav’s blessings! Neither of my sons-in-law would have made it to a first date with that approach!
Laban has a wonderful opportunity to act as the righteous party. He demands that he pay Jacob for his work. Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">Rabbi Simcha Weinberg</a> from the <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies</a>. <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">The Foundation Stone™</a> is the ultimate resource for <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah</a>. For more information visit: http://www.thefoundationstone.org/ & http://blog.thefoundationstone.org/
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