• AS

  Andy Snow -1 year ago

  Jethro hmm was he tall...ey!

  A statue of Micha? Was jhe worshipping a statue or idol of one of the proplets, sorry I wasn't rainsed traditonally and only remember the name Mike ah!...ey

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• Anonymous -2 years ago

  thank you rabbi yy

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• Anonymous -3 years ago

  Did he do Teshuva?

  How does the Gemora that Yehonasan did Teshuvah and worked for Dovid Hamelech fir with the Possuk that says that he and his kids stayed witht the Pesel Micha until they were exiled from the land? 

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• ש

  שמעלקע -5 years ago

  Perfect modern day נפקא מינא.

  The Amish rumspringa has no place in Judaism and brings out beautifully the difference between our holy chinuch and their narishkaiten. Google it. 

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• JA

  Joseph Adar -9 years ago

  Thank you very much R. Jacobson !!! Thank you for all your great job!!! Thank you for studying us

  Concerning this Explanation, I still can not understand, why did Moshe agreed with Itro??

  I understand Itro's goal, I understand that Moshe did not want to do it, as not every people is Itro to go through his way

  But still if he did not want, why he agreed to do so ???? Because of Cipira ???

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• BH

  Bob Honiker -9 years ago

  "Open Minded" all too often means, abandon your principles, do it our way.
  "Open Minded" is often used like "reasonable" and "common sense", just a lever to get you started down the slippery slope.

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• A

  Anonymous -12 years ago

  Questions by Email
  Comment on Rav Jacobson's essay
  
  The essay was excellent... as usual. But it seems to me there remains 2 questions; 1) it still isn't clear why 2 tablets... G-d could have written two rows of commandments on ONE tableta. (Maybe say there were two so WE would have to put them together). 2)The part about how other religions separate command 1 from 6 is also done by Judaism re. Amalek where we must kill even chilren when Moshiach tells us to do so. Why is us killing Amelek different from them killing us (G-d forbid). I myself do not know how to explain this to an athiest.
  
   

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  • DL

    Devorah Leah -2 years ago

    The reason why we have 2 sets of tablets is, the Rebbe explains it, first set of Luchos was HaShem’s work, which is connection from above and the second set of Luchos was when we repented for the sin of Golden Kalf. And that was our work, the connection coming from Bnei Yisroel, which is from down below to up. And thus creating full contract from below to down here & from down to up there. By doing this full connection we merited to also to have oral Torah as well as written Torah and Moshe Rabeinu’s face was shining. 

    We have a Mitzvah to kill Amalek and his women, children & animals, because Amalek lives with desire always  to have a war against G-d and to kill everything and anything. Amalek means licking blood, it is always thirsty for blood. Amalek is not really a human  it is half human half animal. It has no feelings and no compassion. It is a killing machine. So the duty of the Jew is to make this world a dwelling place for HaShem  and a dwelling place for HaShem is only will be when Amalek is totally irradickated from the face of the earth and his name erased. And then HaShem’s throne will be fully fulfilled. 

     

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• HL

  Hinda Langer -12 years ago

  I forgot to say THANK YOU
  THANK YOU for another amazing essay and for bringing sanity to an insane world and Chassidus to the farflung Jewish public and to Frisco.

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• HL

  Hinda Langer -12 years ago

  How long has terrorism been around?
  I don't know if I am a historian, but terrorism has been inflicted on the world wide community - starting with Eretz Yisroel/Jews being victimized - by Islamist declared Jihad for centuries.  Chrstians are being decimated in the Middle East at present with no mention in the main media outlets. Press black out on the daily rockets, attacks on individual civilians by Arabs in Eretz Yisroel has existed since the British took over Eretz Yisroel, etc., etc.
  
  Back in the days of the fax machine before the internet, I subscribed to receive news from Arutz Sheva.  Our office had to stop receiving all the reports of violence by Arabs against Jews daily that used to be part of the Arutz Sheva reports because managing all the paper used up and shopping for more fax  paper became an issue.
  
  So I was surprised when you mentioned a decade of terrorism....did I misunderstand? 

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• C

  Curriculum -12 years ago

  Curriculum
  Curriculum  not opening?
  

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  • A

    Anonymous -12 years ago

    Re: Curriculum
    Fixed.

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• R

  Ramsey -12 years ago

  Commandments
  Why break them up 5 by 5? I don't think that's specifically stated in Exodus. Perhaps the first 4 commandments were on one side of stone (commands refering to our relationship with God) and the remaining 6 on the other side (relationship with each other). Then a second double sided copy was made so that each party of the covenant had one. Kind of like a carbon copy of a contract.
  
  
  
  Just a thought.

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• O

  ock -13 years ago

  shvuel / menashe
  why does the torah mention menashe as the ancestor of shvuel when he had at this stage done teshuva and have his true biological and idealogical grandfather moshe mentioned as his grandfather?

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• G

  goldman -13 years ago

  moshe x yisro
  עדיין לא מובן אחר שהסברת כ"כ יפה החילוק בין השקפה של יתרו והשקפה של משה למה משה הסכים שגרשם
  
  יקבל חינוך כמו יתרו רצה ולא כמו משה רוצה? י

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• T

  Tzipi -14 years ago

  Amazing
  I just listened again to the class on Yitro. How powerful!!! I wish i could have been able to hear that 20 years ago- I didn't say I wish I could have heard it but wish I could have been able to hear it. if I would have heard it then , I would have dismissed it as not for me.But now it went right to my heart- and sechel. Plus the story of the Aleph is one of the most beautiful I have ever heard. Thank you.

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• N

  Nechama -14 years ago

  The end is just the beginning!
  Rabbi Jacobson,
  Thank you! You ended with the most important question that every educator must ask himself every day..... How do I make my student or son proclaim "ze keili"?! For this, we must know our students well and seek out how to draw them out and bring out the best in them. There is much to say on this topic but suffice to say that this must become the most important topic for every educator.

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• KT

  Kayo, Tokyo -14 years ago

  No turning back because I know
  Baruch HaShem
  
  I was once a Christian. After I studied Yiddish Kait in Chabad, now I say "Ata Yadaeti!Ze Keiri! (now I know He is my G-d)". I heard that the best way to find counterfeit is to study what is real. I know what they teach in Churches, so I would never go back.

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• C

  chaim -14 years ago

  five and five
  Thank you for for excellent thought provoking articles
  I always look forward to learning from your incisive words
  I have learnt another explanation of the ten commandments divided into two tablets
  The first five commandments on tablet one is the commandments to be adhered between Hashem and Man
  The second five commandments is the commandments to be adhered between Man and Man
  Thanking You
  Yours Sincerely
  Chaim Cohen

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• TG

  tzipi glick -14 years ago

  this web site
  I could spend all day listening to the shiurim on this web site. Wish I had time to do that. Thsi is such a terrific web site. yashar Koach!!!!

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• A

  Admin -14 years ago

  Answer to Levi
  Levi asked:
  "HASHEM SAID THE HALACHA IS LIKE RABBI ELIEZER? I must point our that in the Rambam perek Eched Layom (Laws of Parah Aduma, 1:1) of Sunday. The Rambam writes that the Halacha is exactly the opposite of this medrash."
  
  Answer:
  
  First of all, you are correct that the Rambam is following the opinion of the Rabbis who argue with R. Eliezer. R Eliezer said that the Parah is ok if over 2 years old, and the Rambam holds like the Chachomim that it must be at least three.
  
  However, the Midrash never said that Hashem was paskening like Rabbi Eliezer, merely that Hashem was quoting the Halachachik opinion of R. Elizer in his name. Each opinion is equally part of Torah and both are brought in the 1st Mishna of Masechet Parah. Untimately the final halacha does follow the majority opinion, not R. Eliezer.

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• A

  Admin -14 years ago

  To Shlomo
  It was a mistake. We fixed it now. Thanks for pointing it out.

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• B

  BrerRabbi -14 years ago

  Moral Justification for war
  The commandment does not say do not kill it says do not MURDER.
  
  Killing a murderer in Self defense is saving life.

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• SB

  shlomo bekhor -14 years ago

  shiur 5771 information
  i don't uderstand why this shiur is dated 5771 since was given is 5769???
  just live the original date so we know that this year 5771 there is no new shiur!!!

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• M

  Menachem -14 years ago

  to Shaul
  why bash rabbi jacobson with rabbi paltiel. each one is good for his crowed. rabbi jacobson is very good for the people he is gearing to, rabbi paltiel is not good for starters. please respect each rabbi for what he is good at.

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• C

  chava -14 years ago

  mistake?
  is it vices or devices?

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• L

  Levi -14 years ago

  Hashem said the Halacha is lik Rabbi Eliezer?
  I must point our that in the Rambam perek Eched Layom of Sunday. The Rambam writes that the Halacha is exactly the opposite of this medrash
  
  
  מצות פרה אדומה שתהיה בת שלש שנים או בת ארב
  
  http://www.chabad.org/daily...

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• N

  nicolas -14 years ago

  thanks
  this one was really good (they all are but I liked this one especially), thanks a lot Rabbi!

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• ME

  michael elman -14 years ago

  yasher koach,dear Rabbi,by the way Dostojevski wrote it in the "Crime and punishment"

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• JZ

  Joshua Zager -14 years ago

  War
  Thank you for a wonderful essay!
  
  War cannot be justified. It is the unfortunate reality of the world we live in that forces us to protect human life by sometimes taking it. It is incumbent upon those who wage war to carry out this necessary evil in the most just way possible.

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• S

  Shaul -14 years ago

  Maybe its my issue
  The problem I have with this shir, is he uses words like Jethro and Moses as though e he is not taking to his Yeshiva boys, but then the class is like super hard to follow.
  
  Hence I say Rabbi Yossi Paltiel is better.

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• B

  [email protected] -14 years ago

  Help!
  Picture but no sound!

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• J

  Janet -14 years ago

  question
  Yes, but the question remains, "How do we teach the world the that these two commandments are intertwined?"
  
  And secondly, how does one handle the need to fight in self-defense in relation to these commandments?
  
  Thank you for provoking much thought on this subject.

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• S

  SUZI -14 years ago

  Moses and Jethro Debate What is the Best Curriculum for Jewish Education
  This was so beautifully explained and interpreted. I love to listen to Rabbi YY, he brings everything he speaks of, to life. Just like the feeling he wants for us to discover "Our G-D," not just the G-D of our fathers,but to develop our own personal, authentic relationship, which is unique.

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• A

  Anonymous -14 years ago

  The luchos were of sapphire.

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• S

  SMR -14 years ago

  Granite?
  There is a mistake: the Luchois were not made of granite. It was such a Preacious jem that Moish became rich from it
  thanks. SMR

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• BB

  binah bindell -14 years ago

  the two great evils
  Thank you, excellent, excellent essay. Can you elaborate on the correlation in the commandments; 2 & 7, 3 & 8, etc.
  Again, thank you.
  Binah Tirtzah

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• N

  Noah -15 years ago

  The moral justice for war?
  Then how can we justify war? Even if you were to say that its in self defense, I do not see the footnote in the 10 commandments that say its ok to kill for self defense.

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Yisro/Chukas Class

Rabbi YY Jacobson

• February 11, 2012
• |
• 18 Sh'vat 5772
• |
• 9826 views

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