How Open Minded Should Our Children Be?
Moses and Jethro Debate What is the Best Curriculum for Jewish Education
Yisro Class
- February 11, 2012
- |
- 18 Sh'vat 5772
Rabbi YY Jacobson
9502 views- Comment
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Dedicated by David and Eda Schottenstein In the loving memory of Alta Shula Swerdlov. And in merit of Yetta Alta Shula, "Aliyah" Schottenstein
Class Summary:
The family members of great figures in history are often eclipsed and live in the shadow of their legendary relative. However, many times they are fascinating and inspiring characters in their own right.
This class will compare and contrast the different philosophies of Yisro and Moshe, focusing on their views of the ideal and most meaningful Jewish education.
Yisro, Moshe’s father-in-law, was a spiritual seeker who had studied and experimented with every spiritual and religious discipline of his time, until finally recognizing and embracing the G-d of the Jews.
This class explores that strange midrashic story that Moses made an oath to his father in law that his first child he would dedicate to a life of idolatry. How can we make sense of this? Yet it is here that we discover the genesis of a major debate about Jewish education that persists to this very day.
Yisro Class
Rabbi YY Jacobson
- February 11, 2012
- |
- 18 Sh'vat 5772
- |
- 9502 views
Dedicated by David and Eda Schottenstein In the loving memory of Alta Shula Swerdlov. And in merit of Yetta Alta Shula, "Aliyah" Schottenstein
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Andy Snow -9 months ago
Jethro hmm was he tall...ey!
A statue of Micha? Was jhe worshipping a statue or idol of one of the proplets, sorry I wasn't rainsed traditonally and only remember the name Mike ah!...ey
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Anonymous -1 year ago
thank you rabbi yy
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Anonymous -2 years ago
Did he do Teshuva?
How does the Gemora that Yehonasan did Teshuvah and worked for Dovid Hamelech fir with the Possuk that says that he and his kids stayed witht the Pesel Micha until they were exiled from the land?
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שמעלקע -4 years ago
Perfect modern day נפקא מינא.
The Amish rumspringa has no place in Judaism and brings out beautifully the difference between our holy chinuch and their narishkaiten. Google it.
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Joseph Adar -8 years ago
Thank you very much R. Jacobson !!! Thank you for all your great job!!! Thank you for studying us
Concerning this Explanation, I still can not understand, why did Moshe agreed with Itro??
I understand Itro's goal, I understand that Moshe did not want to do it, as not every people is Itro to go through his way
But still if he did not want, why he agreed to do so ???? Because of Cipira ???
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Bob Honiker -8 years ago
"Open Minded" all too often means, abandon your principles, do it our way.
"Open Minded" is often used like "reasonable" and "common sense", just a lever to get you started down the slippery slope.
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Anonymous -11 years ago
Questions by Email
Comment on Rav Jacobson's essay
The essay was excellent... as usual. But it seems to me there remains 2 questions; 1) it still isn't clear why 2 tablets... G-d could have written two rows of commandments on ONE tableta. (Maybe say there were two so WE would have to put them together). 2)The part about how other religions separate command 1 from 6 is also done by Judaism re. Amalek where we must kill even chilren when Moshiach tells us to do so. Why is us killing Amelek different from them killing us (G-d forbid). I myself do not know how to explain this to an athiest.
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Devorah Leah -1 year ago
The reason why we have 2 sets of tablets is, the Rebbe explains it, first set of Luchos was HaShem’s work, which is connection from above and the second set of Luchos was when we repented for the sin of Golden Kalf. And that was our work, the connection coming from Bnei Yisroel, which is from down below to up. And thus creating full contract from below to down here & from down to up there. By doing this full connection we merited to also to have oral Torah as well as written Torah and Moshe Rabeinu’s face was shining.
We have a Mitzvah to kill Amalek and his women, children & animals, because Amalek lives with desire always to have a war against G-d and to kill everything and anything. Amalek means licking blood, it is always thirsty for blood. Amalek is not really a human it is half human half animal. It has no feelings and no compassion. It is a killing machine. So the duty of the Jew is to make this world a dwelling place for HaShem and a dwelling place for HaShem is only will be when Amalek is totally irradickated from the face of the earth and his name erased. And then HaShem’s throne will be fully fulfilled.
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Hinda Langer -11 years ago
I forgot to say THANK YOU
THANK YOU for another amazing essay and for bringing sanity to an insane world and Chassidus to the farflung Jewish public and to Frisco.
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Hinda Langer -11 years ago
How long has terrorism been around?
I don't know if I am a historian, but terrorism has been inflicted on the world wide community - starting with Eretz Yisroel/Jews being victimized - by Islamist declared Jihad for centuries. Chrstians are being decimated in the Middle East at present with no mention in the main media outlets. Press black out on the daily rockets, attacks on individual civilians by Arabs in Eretz Yisroel has existed since the British took over Eretz Yisroel, etc., etc.
Back in the days of the fax machine before the internet, I subscribed to receive news from Arutz Sheva. Our office had to stop receiving all the reports of violence by Arabs against Jews daily that used to be part of the Arutz Sheva reports because managing all the paper used up and shopping for more fax paper became an issue.
So I was surprised when you mentioned a decade of terrorism....did I misunderstand?
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Curriculum -11 years ago
Curriculum
Curriculum not opening?
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Anonymous -11 years ago
Re: Curriculum
Fixed.
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Ramsey -11 years ago
Commandments
Why break them up 5 by 5? I don't think that's specifically stated in Exodus. Perhaps the first 4 commandments were on one side of stone (commands refering to our relationship with God) and the remaining 6 on the other side (relationship with each other). Then a second double sided copy was made so that each party of the covenant had one. Kind of like a carbon copy of a contract.
Just a thought.
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ock -12 years ago
shvuel / menashe
why does the torah mention menashe as the ancestor of shvuel when he had at this stage done teshuva and have his true biological and idealogical grandfather moshe mentioned as his grandfather?
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goldman -12 years ago
moshe x yisro
עדיין לא מובן אחר שהסברת כ"כ יפה החילוק בין השקפה של יתרו והשקפה של משה למה משה הסכים שגרשם
יקבל חינוך כמו יתרו רצה ולא כמו משה רוצה? י
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Tzipi -13 years ago
Amazing
I just listened again to the class on Yitro. How powerful!!! I wish i could have been able to hear that 20 years ago- I didn't say I wish I could have heard it but wish I could have been able to hear it. if I would have heard it then , I would have dismissed it as not for me.But now it went right to my heart- and sechel. Plus the story of the Aleph is one of the most beautiful I have ever heard. Thank you.
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Nechama -13 years ago
The end is just the beginning!
Rabbi Jacobson,
Thank you! You ended with the most important question that every educator must ask himself every day..... How do I make my student or son proclaim "ze keili"?! For this, we must know our students well and seek out how to draw them out and bring out the best in them. There is much to say on this topic but suffice to say that this must become the most important topic for every educator.
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Kayo, Tokyo -13 years ago
No turning back because I know
Baruch HaShem
I was once a Christian. After I studied Yiddish Kait in Chabad, now I say "Ata Yadaeti!Ze Keiri! (now I know He is my G-d)". I heard that the best way to find counterfeit is to study what is real. I know what they teach in Churches, so I would never go back.
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chaim -13 years ago
five and five
Thank you for for excellent thought provoking articles
I always look forward to learning from your incisive words
I have learnt another explanation of the ten commandments divided into two tablets
The first five commandments on tablet one is the commandments to be adhered between Hashem and Man
The second five commandments is the commandments to be adhered between Man and Man
Thanking You
Yours Sincerely
Chaim Cohen
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tzipi glick -13 years ago
this web site
I could spend all day listening to the shiurim on this web site. Wish I had time to do that. Thsi is such a terrific web site. yashar Koach!!!!
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Admin -13 years ago
Answer to Levi
Levi asked:
"HASHEM SAID THE HALACHA IS LIKE RABBI ELIEZER? I must point our that in the Rambam perek Eched Layom (Laws of Parah Aduma, 1:1) of Sunday. The Rambam writes that the Halacha is exactly the opposite of this medrash."
Answer:
First of all, you are correct that the Rambam is following the opinion of the Rabbis who argue with R. Eliezer. R Eliezer said that the Parah is ok if over 2 years old, and the Rambam holds like the Chachomim that it must be at least three.
However, the Midrash never said that Hashem was paskening like Rabbi Eliezer, merely that Hashem was quoting the Halachachik opinion of R. Elizer in his name. Each opinion is equally part of Torah and both are brought in the 1st Mishna of Masechet Parah. Untimately the final halacha does follow the majority opinion, not R. Eliezer.
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Admin -13 years ago
To Shlomo
It was a mistake. We fixed it now. Thanks for pointing it out.
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BrerRabbi -13 years ago
Moral Justification for war
The commandment does not say do not kill it says do not MURDER.
Killing a murderer in Self defense is saving life.
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shlomo bekhor -13 years ago
shiur 5771 information
i don't uderstand why this shiur is dated 5771 since was given is 5769???
just live the original date so we know that this year 5771 there is no new shiur!!!
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Menachem -13 years ago
to Shaul
why bash rabbi jacobson with rabbi paltiel. each one is good for his crowed. rabbi jacobson is very good for the people he is gearing to, rabbi paltiel is not good for starters. please respect each rabbi for what he is good at.
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chava -13 years ago
mistake?
is it vices or devices?
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Levi -13 years ago
Hashem said the Halacha is lik Rabbi Eliezer?
I must point our that in the Rambam perek Eched Layom of Sunday. The Rambam writes that the Halacha is exactly the opposite of this medrash
מצות פרה אדומה שתהיה בת שלש שנים או בת ארב
http://www.chabad.org/daily...
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nicolas -13 years ago
thanks
this one was really good (they all are but I liked this one especially), thanks a lot Rabbi!
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michael elman -13 years ago
yasher koach,dear Rabbi,by the way Dostojevski wrote it in the "Crime and punishment"
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Joshua Zager -13 years ago
War
Thank you for a wonderful essay!
War cannot be justified. It is the unfortunate reality of the world we live in that forces us to protect human life by sometimes taking it. It is incumbent upon those who wage war to carry out this necessary evil in the most just way possible.
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Shaul -13 years ago
Maybe its my issue
The problem I have with this shir, is he uses words like Jethro and Moses as though e he is not taking to his Yeshiva boys, but then the class is like super hard to follow.
Hence I say Rabbi Yossi Paltiel is better.
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[email protected] -13 years ago
Help!
Picture but no sound!
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Janet -13 years ago
question
Yes, but the question remains, "How do we teach the world the that these two commandments are intertwined?"
And secondly, how does one handle the need to fight in self-defense in relation to these commandments?
Thank you for provoking much thought on this subject.
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SUZI -13 years ago
Moses and Jethro Debate What is the Best Curriculum for Jewish Education
This was so beautifully explained and interpreted. I love to listen to Rabbi YY, he brings everything he speaks of, to life. Just like the feeling he wants for us to discover "Our G-D," not just the G-D of our fathers,but to develop our own personal, authentic relationship, which is unique.
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Anonymous -13 years ago
The luchos were of sapphire.
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SMR -13 years ago
Granite?
There is a mistake: the Luchois were not made of granite. It was such a Preacious jem that Moish became rich from it
thanks. SMR
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binah bindell -13 years ago
the two great evils
Thank you, excellent, excellent essay. Can you elaborate on the correlation in the commandments; 2 & 7, 3 & 8, etc.
Again, thank you.
Binah Tirtzah
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Noah -15 years ago
The moral justice for war?
Then how can we justify war? Even if you were to say that its in self defense, I do not see the footnote in the 10 commandments that say its ok to kill for self defense.
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