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Chidushay Bang
When I saw his face now I'm a
Baal Teshuva
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Raining Mun, Hallelukah
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Saying Parshas haMun this week
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Bang the Rabbi, "Shabbangitout Shalom" Series, Presents:
Parshat
Yisro:
When I saw his Face, Now I'm a Baal Teshuva
by unemployed and
available correspondent, seth galena
When you think of the title to any movie,
usually it reflects the main focus of that movie. For instance, Driving
Mrs. Daisy is about the main character in the film, Mrs. Daisy. Harry
Potter is about Harry Potter. The Disney
animated movie, Mulan is about? You guessed it! Mulan.
The same goes for Parsha titles. As Rabbi Sholom Kamentsky of the
Philadelphia Yeshiva likes to point out, the title of a parsha is not just
a word chosen by Chazal from the first few verses of the portion, but is
the key to understanding the true theme of that section.
Surprisingly, when it comes to this week's Parsha title, Hollywood and
Chazal would disagree. Hollywood named this week's parsha by the main
thrust of the parsha, 'The Ten Commandments' Duh? Seems pretty evident
that this is the Parsha's main focus (le'sheetaso). Chazal, on the other
hand, chose the more peculiar title of, get this, Moses' father-in-law,
Yisro. A supporting actor?
However, Yisro was more than just a supporting actor, and his name itself
proves it. The word Yisro, meaning "additional", is said to refer to the
additional advice he gave to Moses on restructuring the current judicial
system. But it also may refer to the inspirational attitude that he added
to the minds of the Jewish People when he came to join them at Mount
Sinai.
After hearing about the Splitting of the Sea and the war won against
Amalek, Yisro as we like to say, "flipped out" and realized the religion
his son-in-law had taught him about, was the absolute truth. When he
arrives at Mount Sinai, greeted by Moses, the pasuk alludes to this new
found excitement when it uses the strange term, "Vayeechad Yisro," Yisro
rejoiced, which comes from the root meaning 'prickles', because his
enthusiasm and zeal was so high, it's like he was pricked with a wakeup
call that he finally didn't hit snooze again.
With this decision to become part of the Jewish people, he became the
first Jewish convert, who found Judaism on his own, joining the Jewish
people voluntarily through understanding, and not through birthright. His
attitude was inspirational because it made the Jewish people finally start
to appreciate the gift they had been given.
In the words of Paul Simon, "These are the days of miracles and wonders,
don't cry baby, don't cry." And with Yisro's 'baal teshuvah' appreciation
for Judiasm, the Jewish people, who just days before were in the city and
mindset of, Rephidim (Refu Yadayim Min Hatorah) complaining and
questioning their decision to be the chosen people, stopped crying and
were finally ready to receive the Torah.
Rabbi Don Blumberg of the West Side Kollel once explained that a reason
Torah is compared to water is because water is usually not the first
choice of beverage for people who want something to drink. However, for a
person who
runs a marathon and is dying of thirst, there is nothing more thirst
quenching then an ice-cold glass of water. You have to have the mindset
and desire to the gain the maishivas nefesh from torah, just like water.
This baal teshuvah mindset is what Yisro provided the Jews, and is the
reason why Chazal chose to name the Parsha after Yisro, the motivator, who
led by example.
Based on this idea, maybe we can venture a guess that movies like Rocky
should have been entitled, Adrian (or Mickey, although that might be a bit
tricky since Mickey dies in Rocky 3), or Forrest Gump should have been
entitled, Lieutenant Dan?
Ok I tried. Shabbat shalom.
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