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Shabbat Shalom!.

Shabbat Shalom!.

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Shabbat Shalom!.

Yisro

Torah Reading for Week of Jan 31-Feb 6,2010

Shvat 16-22 5770 (Exodus 18:1 - 20:23)

"Vayishma Yithro" - And Yitro heard."

"And Yisro, the Priest of Midyan, the father-in-law of Moshe heard all that G-d did to Moshe and to Israel, His people -- that Hashem took Israel out of Egypt." [Shmos 18:1]

Yisro was a non-Jew, Priest of Midian, consultant to Pharoh who had tried every kind of idol worship known to man at that time. This being said, how is it that Yitro , was granted the greatest of all honors - having the parsha in which G-d gave us the Torah, named after him?

It is interesting that Yisro, didn't hear anything different from what the rest of humanity heard, Everyone heard about the splitting of the sea. "Nations heard and trembled..." [15:14] Everyone heard about the battle with Amalek, as well. So, why wasn't everyone converting to Judaism? The answer is to be found in the opening words of the parsha.

"Vayishma Yithro" - And Yitro heard."

Yitro listened, while everyone else ignored the call, he really heard the message. Yisro was a listener, but more importantly he was a learner. He was a seeker of Truth, and so he took to heart what he heard. The midrash says “there are those that hear and lose, and those that hear and profit.”

Not only did Yisro hear what happened to the Jewish people, he went and took immediate action, he dropped everything to go into the desert to join the Nation of Israel. He took the lesson to heart and went to make an immediate change in his life. He takes his daughter Zipporah (Moshes wife), and their two sons, Gershom and Eliezer to join the Israelites in the desert. Moshe greets them and after explaining to Yisro all that had transpired, (the splitting of the sea, the war against Amelek), Yisro blesses this one true G-d, knowing that he has found Truth at last. This is what is unique about Yisro, he was a person who relentlessly searched for absolute truth and was not satisfied until he found it. His, was not an easy path, it involved making meaningful changes in his life. Yiro is so convinced by what he has heard that he returns back to his home, according to Rashi “to convert the members of his family.” Once having accepted this G-d he understood that there were responsibilities that he could no longer avoid, and he did this prior to G-d giving the Jewish nation the torah on Mt. Sinai. He was not witness to the “matan torah” (giving of the torah) and still he was convinced by what he had heard.

If one is truly a listener then he has the ability to become a “Yisro” We all have this capacity for pure faith, emuna. We can make a decision to commit ourselves to the Torah and Hashem. This is why the parsha bears the name Yisro, we collectively as a nation as well as individuals need to search for and pursue truth, and we need to make the necessary changes in our own life and accept the responsibilities that come with this change.

Perhaps we need to be willing to go out into the "desert," to listen to what is truth even over the "noise" and distractions of todays world .We need to listen, absorb and internalize what the words of our Torah "Shema Yisrael - Hear Oh Israel," we should open our hearts and unclog our ears and listen to the message of Yisro.

Shabbat Shalom,

Miriam

“Mount Sinai was all in smoke because of the Presence that had come down on it. G-d was in the fire, and its smoke went up like the smoke of a lime kiln. The entire mountain trembled violently. There was the sound of a ram's horn, increasing in volume to a great degree. Moses spoke, and G-d replied with a Voice” (Exodus 19:16-19).

“All the people saw the sounds – they saw what is ordinarily heard, and they heard what is ordinarily seen” (20:15)

This was a multi-sensory experience. All the senses were engaged at Sinai. So to with this dessert!

Rum/Amaretto Cake(pareve)

1 cup chopped, toasted pecans

1 18-1/2 ounce yellow cake mix

1 1-3/4 ounce (4-serving size) instant vanilla

pudding mix

4 eggs

1/4 cup non-dairy

¼ cup amaretto

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup Bacardi dark rum

Glaze-

1/2 cup margarine

1/4 cup ameretto

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup dark rum

Cake: Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease and flour 12-cup Bundt pan. Sprinkle nuts on bottom of pan. Combine all cake ingredients. Beat for 2 minutes on high with electric mixer. Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 1 hour. Cool in pan. Invert on serving plate. Prick top with fork. Drizzle glaze over top of cake.

Melt margarine, Stir in sugar. Add rum and amaretto,to let soak in cake

Elisheva’s Delightful Rosemary Chicken

Rosemary is one of those wonderful herbs that makes a beautiful ornamental plant as well as a tasty culinary seasoning. Its Latin name, "Rosmarinus officinalis", means" "dew of the sea" so use it generously to remind us of the miracle of the splitting of the Reed Sea!

This recipe was submitted by a close friend from Australia Eli! (for all you rosemary fans out there)

Chicken Breast: Cut up into small cutlets.

Marinate cutlets in a bowl with soy sauce, salt, pepper and garlic powder.

Heat olive oil in pan and add chicken cutlets to heated pan.

Sprinkle rosemary spices onto chicken pieces.

Turn chicken cutlets over once and sprinkle again with rosemary spices.

Until the rosemary chicken is lightly brown or to your desired taste.

Great dish to go with any hot side dish or even tossed into a cold chicken salad.

Another great way to use rosemary if you

would rather have chicken pieces is as

follows:

This marinade is great for chicken, lamb or