In this week’s Torah portion Yitro the children of Israel receive the Aseret Dibrot, the 10 utterances or commonly known as the Ten Commandments. The scene is awe inspiring, the Israelites are standing at the bottom of Mt. Sinai, there is thunder and smoke and the voice of God is heard, delivering His message to His people. We recreate this scene in our minds as we hear the words of God as we receive the 10 Commandments once again, as the Torah is chanted during this week’s Torah portion. It is the custom to stand as the 10 Commandments are chanted.

Why do we stand while this Torah portion is chanted? I have two theories. The first is that the children of Israel stood together as they all heard what God wanted of them .They huddled close giving each other strength. They were together facing their challenges. The second theory is that this is the pivotal moment for the Israelites, the time that they became a people doing God’s work. To show respect for that moment and to illustrate their understanding of the monumental responsibility the Jewish People have to bring Torah to the world we rise together. We will chant Yitro this Shabbat, come and be inspired by the words of our tradition.

This week’s Torah portion contains the famous section, the crossing of the Sea of Reeds by the Children of Israel. This portion is called Shirat Hayam, the Song of the Sea, it is called a song because we chant this portion with a special tune and it is written in the Torah like a poem. It is one of the two poems in the Torah. In this section of B’shallach the Israelites at long last are set free by Pharaoh because of the last plague, the death of the first born. They escape, heading towards the Sea of Reeds, when Pharaoh changes his mind and pursues his former slaves. The Israelites come to the shore of the sea and no one moves. There is a famous midrash, or story about the Torah, that says the Israelites are being chased by the Egyptians and they have to cross the Sea of Reeds but they are afraid because it is wide and deep. Someone has to be brave enough to be the first one. Tradition says that Nachshon believing that God would ultimately save the Jewish People jumps into the water and immediately the sea separates and the Israelites can cross to the other side escaping from their enemy, the Egyptians. The moral of the story is clear there has to be a first. There has to be someone who has the courage to take the first step. History is filled with people who were courageous to be the first to take action. Thank God for them.