,In Memory of Mr. Max Glass -.$% ('/ "0&1 !

( %#230 &'$01 +*&

0n Memory of Mr. Jack Gindi !"#" $"%&' !( $"%&' ()*% +*&

Likutei Ohr
Volume II : Issue XV
!di"r-in-Chief: #riel Amse$em 15 %enior Edi"r: !itan Meisels 15 &ichael Somekh 15 &anaging Edi"rs: Jack Levkowitz 17 !itan Tennenbaum 17 'ayout Edi"r: (air Fax 14 &arke)ng: (osef Hier 16 #sher Naghi 14 *is+ibu"rs: &itche$ Silberberg 14 &ichael Lazovsky 14 Jordan Lustman 15 %ta, Advisor: -abbi Arye Su.i/

The Pamphlet of Light

Parshat Yitro

A publication of YULA Boys High School!

3$' %4$)%&
Rabbi Dov Rosenbluth

Soaring Without Wings

The Flame of Our Ancestors

It is forbidden to pity anyone who has no understanding - Brachot 33a

1e2$ah Gems
(osef Petlak 17

In Parshat Yitro the Torah describes Bnei Yisroels experience at Maamad Har Sinai where every member of Bnei Yisroel reached a level of prophecy and heard the first two of the Aseret HaDibrot directly from Hashem. The Aseret HaDibrot contains subtle references to all 613 Mitzvot, but, in actuality, the handful of Mitzvot that are plainly enumerated have been designated as the "constitution" of the Jewish people, and much has been written explaining why these ten Mitzvot are so critical to the continued existence of Klal Yisroel. The first of the Aseret HaDibrot is I am Hashem your G-d, which states the fundamental requirement of belief in Hashem. The next eight laws inform Bnei Yisroel of the actions that we must do and actions that we cannot do. These include Mitzvot like Shmirat Shabbat and Issurim like Avoda Zara. The last of the Aseret HaDibrot is the most unusual of all because it does not deal with an action that we are required to do or with an action that we are forbidden from doing. Instead, it deals with an emotion, a feeling. This last commandment admonishes against coveting the belongings of our fellow Jew. In explaining this last commandment, the Ibin Ezra poses a very evident question: how is it possible for Bnei Yisroel to have a prohibition against having a mere desire? Is it not built into the normal human psyche that when an individual sees something he perceives to be beautiful or beneficial that he would want and even long for it? It seems that the Torah is requesting us to not have natural human emotions! When a person looks at an eagle soaring high in the sky, he may wonder what it is like to fly, and he may even take up skydiving; yet, he will not long for wings to grow from his body. That is something that he inherently understands will not happen. Flight was bestowed upon birds not humans. The Ibin Ezra explains that human nature is such that we will only long for that which is attainable. Something that is so distant from us and is clearly out of our reach will not arouse our desires or cause feelings of jealousy. The Ribono Shel Olam created and runs the world. He is involved in even the minutest details of every persons life. Hashem determines what a person has or does not have. For reasons that are beyond our comprehension and understanding, He decides what we need, and what situation is ultimately best for each individual. When viewed through this lens, we can understand the last of the Aseret HaDibrot. How can one be jealous and desire something his friend or neighbor possesses? One can only long for something that he feels is attainable and within his reach. Knowing that Hashem has determined that what I have is for me and that what He has is for him will force me to realize that what another person has is out of my realm of possibility. Just as winged flight is clearly not for me, my friends possessions are equally not for me. In this tenth commandment of the Aseret HaDibrot, we are instructed to appreciate the reality of Hashems involvement in our lives. This clarity will undermine any feelings of jealousy. Realizing that Hashem Himself looks after us will allow us to be happy with our lot. We no longer will feel pangs of jealousy with what others have and will truly be satisfied with the goodness that is bestowed upon us.

In!Pirkei Avot 3:2,!Rabbi!Chanina says, Pray for the welfare of!the government, for if people did not fear it, one would swallow up the other alive. The commentaries explain that this Mishnah means that we should even pray for a secular, non-Jewish government. A source for this concept can be seen from David HaMelech!who went as far as to Daven!for his enemies. A practice that emanates from this tenet is the prayer for the government, which has traditionally been made during the!Shabbat!morning service. The Kotzker Rebbe offered his own interpretation of the true message of this Mishnah. The Kotzker maintained that the!Mishnah!is saying that Jews need to pray when their host nation is at peace. He reasoned that when a nation is at peace and not preoccupied with wars and other problems, they end up making more hardship for their Jewish inhabitants. At a time when nations have their hands full!with pressing concerns and problems, they are generally less dangerous to their Jewish residents. However, others like the Meiri and the Rabbeinu Yonah say that this Mishnah conveys the importance of Davening for world peace. Today, the necessity to achieve a complete peace amongst all nations is evident like never before.!From all the things we pray for, perhaps the hope for a universal peace is ultimately the most important.

Laudable Listening
Eli Friedman 16
As Parshat Yitro commences, we meet Yitro, the father-in-law of Moshe who decides to convert to Judaism. One may wonder what accomplishment or impact he had to be the namesake of this Parsha. The other Parshiot named after individuals, such as Noach, Korach, and Balak, are mainly about the stories and events that resulted from the actions of each of these people. However, this Parsha does not seem to be about Yitro at all, but rather it concentrates on Matan Torah. One reason for this eponymous Parshas name is to draw attention to one of Yitros greatest accomplishments, the creation of the Israelite judicial system. Yitro approached Moshe after seeing that there was no formal legal procedure in place and proposed a tiered system of arbitrators. This new system provided greater efficiency within the justice system and allowed Moshe to focus on other leadership commitments. With such a large contribution to the Jewish people, combined with his status as a renowned convert to Judaism, Yitro was deemed great enough to have an entire Parsha named after him. Rabbi Yissocher Frand provides another understanding of Yitro. The Alshich HaKadosh explains that Yitros greatness and his willingness to convert after he was a high Midyanite priest came from the very first word that describes him in this Parsha: VaYishma and he heard. His most important quality was that he was willing to listen and learn new ideas. However, everyone else had heard the same things, the splitting of the Red Sea and the war with Amalek. What was so unique about Yitro that made him convert when no one else had the same compulsion? Rabbi Eliyahu Lopian explains that the difference between Yitro and the millions of other people who did not convert was that he heard. He was a listener, someone who sought the truth, to the extent that he tried one thousand different forms of idol worship in an effort to find it. His willingness and eagerness to learn and listen are what made him great enough to have an entire Parsha in the Torah named after him. Yitros listening abilities have vast applications to our daily lives. Whether it be from our televisions, the internet, or our cell phones, the effluence information consistently penetrates the portals of our minds. Sometimes the sights and sounds coming into our brains are useful and inspirational, but at other times all that we can hear are lies and unimportant trivialities. Hopefully, we can learn from Yitros greatest quality, the ability to discern the honest from the specious, and find our way to living the correct, Jewish life.

Halachic Illuminations
From Rabbi Nachum Sauer
If a person has a whole loaf of bread and a sliced loaf of bread that are baked from the same grain, he should make the Bracha on the whole loaf. This rule even applies in a case where the whole loaf was baked from impure flour and is small in size while the cut loaf is baked from pure flour and large. However, if the whole loaf is made of barley, and the cut loaf is made of wheat, then one should make the Bracha on the cut loaf even if it is smaller. If there are two whole loaves of the same species of grain, and one is larger than the other, then he should make the Bracha on the larger one. If two loaves are stuck together because they were baked that way, and a piece is cut off of one and not the other, then the two loaves should be separated even though the whole loaf would appear larger if it remained connected to the other loaf. If a person has two loaves in front of him, and both are made from pure flower, then he should make the Bracha over the whiter one. If a person has two loaves in front of him, and one is baked with impure flour from a Jew while the other is made of pure flower but baked by a gentile, then, if the consumer eats bread baked by non-Jews, he can make the Bracha on either one. If he does not eat bread baked by Goyim, he should remove the non-Jew-baked bread from the table until after he has said the blessing over the Jewish-baked bread.
Compiled By Jesse Hyman 16

The Power of Preparation

Michael Szabo 17

The receiving of the Torah in Parashat Yitro needed many preparations. One example is that of the Simcha that Klal Yisroel needed. Rebbe Nachman explains to us that Moshe was incredibly overjoyed when he came down form Har Sinai. But why did Am Yisroel need to prepare so much for Matan Torah? After all, if it was the reason the Bnei Yisroel were brought out of Mitzrayim, then why was the Torah not given to them immediately? The Midrash answers that when Bnei Yisroel had left Mitzrayim, they were not worthy enough, for they were physically broken from slavery; they needed a recovery period from the onerous hardships they had endured in Egypt. The 49-day pause gave them the needed time to regain their health in order to be ready to receive the Torah. There are many different Midrashim that give us lists of different sufferings that the Bnei Yisroel sustained in Egypt. One says that the Mitzryim had abused Klal Yisroel so much that some had become crippled and lost limbs. Yet, when the day of Matan Torah came Am Yisroel were in perfect shape. Although many will disagree, happiness and health are complementary to each other. Rebbe Nachman teaches, If there is any declining in Simcha, then sickness will undoubtedly appear. He goes on to say that in the dynasty of Mashiach there will so much Simcha that sickness will never occur. Such happiness will result from desiring Hashems Torah and Mitzvot. Imagine how happy we should be when we receive the Torah, the upmost gift from Hashem. The Torah is the difference between the backbreaking slavery in Mitzrayim and our beautiful servitude of HaKadosh Baruch Hu. When we contrast these states of bondage, we realize that the latter must be done with the upmost Simcha, for it is so much better than the option of working for Egypt. One should not be irritated when he must do a Mitzvah, but rather he should convert it into an act of Kedusha and feel like he desires to do the Mitzvah. Every day Matan Torah is taking place all over the world. To be prepared, we should remember the words of the Baal Shem Tov: it is impossible to do all of the Mitzvot constantly, but one can do some of the Mitzvot some of the time. We should be overjoyed that we have been chosen to receive the Torah and abide by the Mitzvot. We should always choose to rejoice and take advantage of the situation that arises like in the times of Mashiach.

(ULA Boys High School Nagel Family Campus 9760 W. Pico Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90035 Tel: 310.203.3180