לקחת מוסר 18:14
Gan Hatorah | January 29, 2024
Print This Article
View Original PDF

לקחת מוסר 18:14

Gan Hatorah | December 10, 2025

“וירא חתן משה את כל אשר הוא עשה לעם ויאמר מה הדבר הזה אשר אתה עושה לעם מדוע אתה יושב לבדך וכל העם נצב עליך מן בקר עד ערב ” – “The father-in-law of Moshe saw everything that he was doing to the people, and he said: What is this thing that you do to the people? Why do you sit all alone with all the people standing waiting for you from morning to 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”. Yisro was asking Moshe why he was sitting “alone” – why was he judging alone? The Gemara in Sanhedrin 5a says that an expert judge, can judge alone. This is what Moshe answered Yisro, “כי יבא אלי” for the people are coming “to me” – they are coming to me and are accepting me to be a singular judge, for I am an expert. That which Yisro asked him about the people standing from morning till evening waiting for judgment – Yisro was assuming he was judging all day, to this Moshe Rabbeinu answered, “והודעתי את חקי האלקים את תורתי” – that Yisro need not worry, and that he was learning Torah.

“וירא חתן משה את כל אשר הוא עשה לעם ויאמר מה הדבר הזה אשר אתה עושה לעם מדוע אתה יושב לבדך וכל העם נצב עליך מן בקר עד ערב ” – “The father-in-law of Moshe saw everything that he was doing to the people, and he said: What is this thing that you do to the people? Why do you sit all alone with all the people standing waiting for you from morning to 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”. Yisro was asking Moshe why he was sitting “alone” – why was he judging alone? The Gemara in Sanhedrin 5a says that an expert judge, can judge alone. This is what Moshe answered Yisro, “כי יבא אלי” for the people are coming “to me” – they are coming to me and are accepting me to be a singular judge, for I am an expert. That which Yisro asked him about the people standing from morning till evening waiting for judgment – Yisro was assuming he was judging all day, to this Moshe Rabbeinu answered, “והודעתי את חקי האלקים את תורתי” – that Yisro need not worry, and that he was learning Torah.

PDF Preview