32 January 24 • 2019
jn

jews d
in 
the
section

Rabbi Noam 
Gross

We Have What It Takes
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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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