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WELCOMING SHABBAT

Shabbat is more than a day of refraining from worldly activity.

When experienced to its spiritual fullest, its holiness enlightens all other days of the week.

We invite you to enhance your Shabbat with these words of Torah.

 

Beni Yisrael gathered bfore Har Sinai

PARASHAT YITRO: Two Narratives, One Calling

  • Two Narratives of Jewish History Jewish life unfolds along two parallel narratives. One is marked by suffering: slavery in Mitzrayim, the four exiles, and the long history of antisemitism that has stained Jewish history with pain. This reality is undeniable and has accompanied the Jewish people since the earliest moments of chosenness, from Yaakov and Esav onward. Matan Torah: A Story of Uplift Yet Parashat Yitro presents a strikingly different emphasis. As Moshe Rabbeinu prepares the people for receiving the Torah, Hashem does not recount their suffering. Instead, He speaks only of elevation: “I carried you on the wings of eagles and brought you to Me.” The Torah introduces itself not as compensation for pain, but as an invitation to closeness, dignity, and purpose. This moment is likened by Chazal to a marriage, reflected in the customs of the chuppah, symbolizing connection and sanctification. Identity Rooted in Purpose While
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PARASHAT YITRO: Two Narratives, One Calling

Hauer, Rabbi Moshe ZT’L
February 5, 2026
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Parashat Yitro reframes Jewish identity by shifting focus from suffering and exile to purpose, uplift, and divine connection. Rabbi Moshe Hauer ZT’L explores how Matan Torah defines the Jewish people not through persecution, but through chosenness, responsibility, and a living relationship with Hashem, offering a powerful lens for Jewish self-understanding across generations.

Two Narratives of Jewish History

Jewish life unfolds along two parallel narratives. One is marked by suffering: slavery in Mitzrayim, the four exiles, and the long history of antisemitism that has stained Jewish history with pain. This reality is undeniable and has accompanied the Jewish people since the earliest moments of chosenness, from Yaakov and Esav onward.

Matan Torah: A Story of Uplift

Yet Parashat Yitro presents a strikingly different emphasis. As Moshe Rabbeinu prepares the people for receiving the Torah, Hashem does not recount their suffering. Instead, He speaks only of elevation: “I carried you on the wings of eagles and brought you to Me.” The Torah introduces itself not as compensation for pain, but as an invitation to closeness, dignity, and purpose. This moment is likened by Chazal to a marriage, reflected in the customs of the chuppah, symbolizing connection and sanctification.

Identity Rooted in Purpose

While persecution is a recurring fact of Jewish existence, it is not the defining story. The primary narrative is our identity as Hashem’s chosen people, called to live uplifted lives through Torah, mitzvot, and responsibility. By embracing this positive identity, the Jewish people remain connected, elevated, and spiritually alive—receiving the Torah anew in every generation.

NOTE: The above is a summary based on the original teaching.