Rabbi Reisman - Parshas Yisro 5774
1. This week I would like to focus on a few Divrei Torah that have to do with the very beginning of the Parsha. The beginning of the Parsha of course is Yisro presenting Moshe with this idea of setting up a system of as it says in 18:21 (שָׂרֵי אֲלָפִים שָׂרֵי מֵאוֹת, שָׂרֵי חֲמִשִּׁים, וְשָׂרֵי עֲשָׂרֹת) Sarei Alafim, Sarei Maios, Sarei Chamishim, and Sarei Asaros. Anybody who reads it is astounded at the great number of individuals that are seemingly needed for the court system, for people that were traveling in the Midbar and not really involved in a great deal of business.
I have a Metzia for you, something that is not well known and it comes from the Vilna Gaon, from the GRA, but it is in an unlikely source and therefore, apparently has been missed by many. In the Sefer Haksav V'hakabala on Parshas Devarim 1:15 (second volume page # 334 - 335), he quotes the Vilna Gaon to explain the idea of the (שָׂרֵי אֲלָפִים שָׂרֵי מֵאוֹת, שָׂרֵי חֲמִשִּׁים, וְשָׂרֵי עֲשָׂרֹת) in this Parsha. He explains that the four groups had different jobs. It wasn't just a court system with perhaps an appeals process and then a hierarchy in court which is I think the way most of us understand it. But the GRA says no, there were four groups of Sarim and each had a specific job. The Sarei Alafim were those that led Klal Yisrael in battle as you know and those who led Klal Yisrael in battle were themselves great people. They were people of stature and Talmidei Chachamim. That was the idea of Sarei Alafim, those that were the commanders when Klal Yisrael went to Milchama. The Sarei Maios he says are those that are literally the judges (Shoftai Ha'am Mamush in the Lashon of the GRA). Those who judged were Sarei Maios, 1 to 100. The Sarei Chamishim those who had 50 individuals to take care of were the Melamdim, to teach Torah to Klal Yisrael and they the GRA says are always called the Zekainim, the Ziknei Ha'am. Those are the Sarei Chamishim. The GRA says Chashiv Mai'kulam, the most Chashuv of all these groups were the Sarei Chamishim. Those who were trusted with the teaching of Torah to Klal Yisrael. So they had groups of 50 to whom they taught.
The Sarei Asoros were the ones who actually ran things sort of like the federal employees of the Dar Hamidbar, L'kayeim Psak Din. They ran the things that took place for the Tzibbur that Moshe Rabbeinu had to have instituted, they enforced the law and took care of recording different laws on different rules and regulations etc. Those were the Sarei Asoros, the Gabayim of Klal Yisrael. So that these four groups have some structure to them.
He explains that when Yisro requests form Moshe Rabbeinu that he find individuals who are (אַנְשֵׁי-חַיִל יִרְאֵי אֱלֹקִּים, אַנְשֵׁי אֱמֶת--שֹׂנְאֵי בָצַע) those four descriptions are not four descriptions of one person but four descriptions that fit the four categories. (אַנְשֵׁי-חַיִל) were the (שָׂרֵי אֲלָפִים) - people capable of doing battle. (יִרְאֵי אֱלֹקִּים) - were the judges, those who were Mekayeim the command of as it says in Devarim 1:17 (לֹא תָגוּרוּ מִפְּנֵי-אִישׁ) the commandment to fear G-d and not fear man. That is a requirement of a judge. (אַנְשֵׁי אֱמֶת) - Emes is Torah. Those who teach Torah are (אַנְשֵׁי אֱמֶת). (שֹׂנְאֵי בָצַע) were the ones who were the ones who so to speak are the federal employees those who had to take care of the law and as you know the government can't function if those who are on the bottom line, those who are making it happen are people who take bribes. And so, beautifully he says that there are four groups, the (שָׂרֵי אֲלָפִים שָׂרֵי מֵאוֹת, שָׂרֵי חֲמִשִּׁים, וְשָׂרֵי עֲשָׂרֹת) and each has its function in the Midbar.
With this says the Kesav V'hakabala we can answer Tosafos, the Ran, and other Rishonim's Kasha in Maseches Sanherdin 18a (top of the Amud). If there were (שָׂרֵי אֲלָפִים שָׂרֵי מֵאוֹת, שָׂרֵי חֲמִשִּׁים, וְשָׂרֵי עֲשָׂרֹת) it means that there were about 70,000 people that were Sarim. If that is the case, you don't need that many (שָׂרֵי עֲשָׂרֹת). We say there were 60,000 (שָׂרֵי עֲשָׂרֹת), that is not true. They weren't serving 600,000 people. There were the Sarei Alafim, Sarei Maios, and Sarei Chamishim which have to be deducted from that total. Similarly the Sarei Alafim, one per 1,000. If you understand without the GRA and you understand simply that even the Sarei Asoros were judges, then the Sarei Alafim are not servicing that many people. The group that they were servicing should have been 530,000 people. That is the Kasha of Tosafos and the Ran. The GRA says no, each group was providing a different service to Klal Yisrael. So that, for example, the Sarei Chamishim taught Torah to everyone including the Sarei Alafim, and the Sarei Maios. Therefore, all were included. The GRA explains further that is why we find when Klal Yisrael goes to battle in the Milchemes Midyan that the Posuk refers to Sarei Alafim and Sarei Maios. As it says in Bamidbar 31:14 (וַיִּקְצֹף מֹשֶׁה, עַל פְּקוּדֵי הֶחָיִל, שָׂרֵי הָאֲלָפִים וְשָׂרֵי הַמֵּאוֹת, הַבָּאִים מִצְּבָא הַמִּלְחָמָה). This refers to the officers who go to battle as Sarei Alafim and Sarei Maios not Sarei Chamishim. What happened to them? Similarly in Bamidbar 31:48 (וַיִּקְרְבוּ, אֶל-מֹשֶׁה, הַפְּקֻדִים, אֲשֶׁר לְאַלְפֵי הַצָּבָא--שָׂרֵי הָאֲלָפִים, וְשָׂרֵי הַמֵּאוֹת) so the GRA says that the Sarei Alafim certainly, even the Sarei Ma'os led the people in battle, but it stopped there. The Sarei Chamishim were the Melamdei Torah and the Melamdei Torah did not go out to do battle, they had to be there in the classroom. This is all a little known GRA that explains the different levels of Sarim a Pshat Vort, I guess for a change.
2. Let me move over to a second Vort on this part of the Parsha, something that is more B'derech Hadrush. Yisro arrives and he proclaims to Moshe Rabbeinu as it says in 18:11 (עַתָּה יָדַעְתִּי, כִּי-גָדוֹל יְרוָר מִכָּל-הָאֱלֹקִּים) now I know that G-d is Gadol. The question is what he learned now that he did not know before? What did Yisro find out regarding the Ribbono Shel Olam that he didn't know? Rashi tells us already in Shemos that Yisro tried all the Avoda Zoras, all the different religions of the world and rejected them all in the favor of Judaism and the Ribbono Shel Olam and his Torah. (עַתָּה יָדַעְתִּי) Now I know (כִּי-גָדוֹל יְרוָר) that Gadol Hashem. What exactly is that referring to?
When I was in Eretz Yisrael I heard a beautiful Vort and I looked it up in the Kodshei Yechezkal from the son of the Ustrutzer Rav. The Kodshei Yechezkal writes a distinction in a Drush of Shabbos Hagadol. A distinction between a description of G-d as Gadol and as Rom. We describe Hashem as Rom Hu Al Kol Hagoyim. We describe Hashem as high and as Gadol which literally means big. He says there is a fundamental difference between Ram and Gadol. The Yesod that something is high, it might be an airplane. It might be a bird, a bird flies high. It is not necessarily connected to the earth. It is something which is up. The clouds are high in the sky, the moon is high on the horizon. Gadol refers to something which is connected to the earth and still high. A big building or a tall tree. Gadol is something which reaches the heavens but is connected to the earth. Ram is something which reaches the heavens but is not connected to the earth. In fact, many non Jews, certainly most non Jews that existed in the world from creation until today, the overwhelming majority 90 - 95% believed in a creator, believe in a G-d of some sort. It was illogical to human beings until fairly recently that the world could come about on its own. Tehillim 113:4 (רָם עַל-כָּל-גּוֹיִם יְרוָר). We say that G-d is high, above the nations. Tehillim 99:2 (וְרָם הוּא, עַל-כָּל-הָעַמִּים). The nations recognize a creator but fail to recognize that the creator is not just high but that he is connected to the earth. Rom is a cloud, a bird, a star, it is high but it is disconnected from our life here on earth. The Goyim who recognize a G-d see him as Rom. Klal Yisrael says that HKB"H is Gadol in Tehillim 99:2 (יְרוָר, בְּצִיּוֹן גָּדוֹל) G-d in Tzion is big. He is high but he is connected to the earth. What we do here on earth matters and HKB"H is connected to our behavior and that is the difference between Gadoland Rom. Our Emuna is in Gadlus Hashem. Yisro came and he said (עַתָּה יָדַעְתִּי, כִּי-גָדוֹל יְרוָר) now that HKB"H has done this for Klal Yisrael I realize that HKB"H is Gadol. HKB"H in involved with human beings. A beautiful Vort. The truth is, although our faith is that Hashem is Gadol, when it comes to the day to day behavior it slips and we forget that HKB"H is actually the creator and has an active presence in the things that we do.
3. A third thought goes back to an old Vort which I probably mentioned in a previous year (Ed Note: Parshas Bo 5772) but it has a new application. Somebody asked me the following question. Why in Birchas Hamazon do we say in the second Beracha (נוֹדֶה לְּךָ ד אֱלֹרינוּ עַל שֶׁהִנְחַלְתָּ לַאֲבוֹתֵינוּ אֶרֶץ חֶמְדָּה טוֹבָה וּרְחָבָה, וְעַל שֶׁהוֹצֵאתָנוּ ד אֱלֹרֵינוּ מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם). We say that HKB"H did both. HKB"H took us to Eretz Yisrael and he took us out of Egypt. The order is bad. First Hashem took us out of Egypt and then he took us into Eretz Yisrael. We say in (נוֹדֶה לְּך) first (עַל שֶׁהִנְחַלְתָּ לַאֲבוֹתֵינוּ אֶרֶץ חֶמְדָּה טוֹבָה וּרְחָבָה) and then we say (וְעַל שֶׁהוֹצֵאתָנוּ ד אֱלֹרֵינוּ מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם). It seems to be out of order.
To answer that I recall a Vort from Rav Moshe. Rav Moshe (in Darash Moshe Cheilek Aleph pg # 54) asks in the beginning of this week's Parsha that Moshe Rabbeinu named his children Gershom and Eliezer. Gershom a Ger because I was a stranger in a strange land as it says in 2:22 (גֵּרְשֹׁם: כִּי אָמַר--גֵּר הָיִיתִי, בְּאֶרֶץ נָכְרִיָּה). Eliezer as it says in 18:4 (וְשֵׁם הָאֶחָד, אֱלִיעֶזֶר--כִּי-אֱלֹרי אָבִי בְּעֶזְרִי, וַיַּצִּלֵנִי מֵחֶרֶב פַּרְעֹה) because G-d saved me from Paroh's sword. The question is asked that this too is not chronological. First Moshe Rabbeinu was saved from Paroh's sword and only later was he a stranger in a strange land. To this Rav Moshe replied when Moshe Rabbeinu was saved from Paroh's sword we still don't know how wonderful that may be. It depends on what Moshe Rabbeinu does with his life. Later when he went to a foreign land he remained a stranger there. He didn't assimilate with the other people. Moshe Rabbeinu said first let me thank G-d that Ger Shom that I remained a stranger in a foreign land and now I give praise (וַיַּצִּלֵנִי מֵחֶרֶב פַּרְעֹה). The purpose has to be accomplished. And so, here too HKB"H took us out of Mitzrayim and the purpose was to get to Eretz Yisrael. Therefore, we thank HKB"H for the purpose and once it is clear that the purpose was accomplished, we made it to Eretz Yisrael, then we thank HKB"H for Yetzias Mitzrayim. Opportunities are wonderful if we make something of them. Yetzias Mitzrayim is wonderful only because we made something of it, we came to Eretz Yisrael. Good Shabbos to one and all.
