“ויעמוד העם על משה מן הבוקר עד הערב ויהי ממחרת וישב משה לשפט את העם,” – “And it was on the next day that Moshe sat to judge the people, and the people stood by Moshe from the morning until the evening.” In Meseches Shabbos 10a, it says that you should not think that Moshe Rabbeinu actually stood in judgment from the morning until the evening, for then when would he have learned Torah? Rather, the Torah is coming to teach us that any judge who renders completely true judgment, even for a short time, is considered by the Torah as if he engaged in Torah study the entire day, and it is as if he became a partner of Hakodosh Boruch Hu in the act of Creation, as the Posuk says, “ויהי ערב ויהי בוקר ”. If this is so, then why does it say in Posuk 14 “וכל העם נצב עליך מן בקר עד ערב” – why were all the people standing waiting for Moshe Rabbeinu from morning to evening, if he was only there for a short while? In truth, Moshe only sat in judgment for an hour, and he learned Torah the rest of the day. However, the people waited for him all day, for they were waiting until he would stop learning for a little bit, so that he could judge their cases. “מדוע אתה יושב לבדך” - Yisro was asking Moshe why he was sitting alone learning Torah, while the people were waiting for him.
More in this printout
- Introduction - 18:13An exploration of Moshe Rabbeinu's judgment of the people and how a judge who renders true judgment becomes a partner with God in the act of Creation.
- יצב אברהם 18:13An exploration of the merit of a judge who renders true judgment, explaining the concept of Emet L'amito and its connection to creation and Torah study.
- עוד יוסף חי 18:13An exploration of the letter Lamed and its connection to learning from a Rebbe, Chavrusa, and Talmid, based on the Gematria of the verse in Parshas Yisro.
- לקחת מוסר 18:14An analysis of Yisro's question to Moshe regarding his solitary judgment and the Gemara's insight on the spiritual value of rendering true judgment.
- עוד יוסף חי 19:3,4An exploration of the unique nature of Matan Torah, explaining why Hashem revealed Himself directly to all of Israel to establish an indisputable foundation of
- בן איש חי 19:2An exploration of the Ben Ish Chai on Parshas Yisro, discussing the kedusha of Klal Yisroel at Sinai and the profound significance of Torah study and judgment.