32 January 24 • 2019
jn
jews d
in
the
section
Rabbi Noam
Gross
We Have What It Takes
T
his week’
s portion describes
the most significant event in
human history: The Jewish
people stood at Sinai and accepted
the Torah.
While the Torah certainly had
an enormous impact on the Jewish
nation, its imprint on
the rest of the world can-
not be understated. Both
Christianity and Islam accept
the Jewish covenant at Sinai
to be historical fact and the
basis for their own religions.
It is truly a Divine and theo-
logical masterpiece worthy of
careful study.
At the core of the Torah
(and this week’
s parshah)
are the 10 Commandments.
While most of the command-
ments are straightforward,
“Don’
t kill; Don’
t steal, etc.,”
the last one is remarkably
different. It says “You shall
not covet … anything that belongs to
your fellow.”
It is one thing to command a
person not to take something that
belongs to someone else, but telling
people not to even want something is
entirely different. How can you com-
mand people not to feel an emotion?
The great medieval scholar Rabbi
Avraham Ibn Ezra answers this with
a very powerful insight. He says the
answer to the last commandment
lies in the first commandment, “I
am HaShem your God.” Once one
understands that there is a God, it
follows that He chose to create the
universe with a plan in mind. And
as Rabbi Elimelech Goldberg of Kids
Kicking Cancer always likes to say,
“God made an imperfect world per-
fectly.”
We are put in a world that con-
stantly provokes us to give in to our
basest animal instincts, whether
they are raw emotional responses
like anger or a voracious appetite for
all things physical even when they
are harmful for us. We are meant to
overcome those urges and choose
good and disciplined behavior over
evil, thereby perfecting our character.
God, therefore, put us in an
environment best suited for
us to achieve that greatness.
We are given a very distinct
personality, put in a particu-
lar family and culture, with a
unique set of challenges that
we are meant to overcome.
He gave us a Torah, which is
meant to serve as a guiding
light, helping us navigate the
daily challenges with its time-
less wisdom for living.
Once we come to the stark
realization that God put us
into a tailor-made environ-
ment, giving us everything we
need to overcome those chal-
lenges, our perspective undergoes a
transformation. It no longer matters
what other people have because we
have a very different purpose and
mission, to rise above our own per-
sonal struggles and become better,
happier people. Suddenly, it’
s not so
hard to be happy with what we have.
This attitude is critical, as there will
always be people who have things or
abilities that we do not: a better car,
house, job or family.
This attitude raises us toward an
even greater achievement. Not only
will we no longer be jealous of the
success of others, but we will be
genuinely happy for them and what
they have. And who wouldn’
t want to
live in a community where everyone
genuinely celebrates in one another’
s
good fortune? ■
Rabbi Noam Gross works as an educator for
the Young Professional Division of Partners
Detroit.
Parshat Yitro:
Exodus
18:1-20:23;
Isaiah
6:1-7:6,
33:25-26.
spirit
torah portion
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