parshas yitro

Don't forget to go to shul people! This Shabbos we're reading the 10 Commandments - so make sure you wake up in time to hear them!

A very nice Dvar Torah I heard from a very nice Rebbetzin today:

Last week's Parsha began with the words " וַיְהִי בְּשַׁלַּח פַּרְעֹה"  - and Pharoah let Bnai Yisrael go.
This week's Parsha begins with "וַיִּשְׁמַע יִתְרוֹ" - and Yitro heard.
It's interesting that the two Parshas that ultimately culminate in Bnai Yisroel receiving the Torah start with people who are not part of our nation. Two people who couldn't be more different in their approaches to 'yiddishkeit'. And the way that each Parsha begins reflects their approaches.  
Hearing is a way in which you take something that is exterior to you, and you then internalize and process and understand it. It is the opposite of letting something go - where you take something that you once internalized and discard it.
Hearing is also a spiritual sense. According to the Lubavitcher Rebbe, the only way that a person can internalize Hashem and spirituality is by 'hearing' - you cannot see Hashem or spirituality firsthand - but you can talk about it and discuss it, listen to shiurs about it, and by doing so, understand it. The only time that we experienced Hashem by 'seeing' is at Har Sinai where it says "וְכָל הָעָם רֹאִים אֶת הַקּוֹלֹת"  - and Bnai Yisrael saw the Voices.