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בס”ד יתרו

The purpose of creation was for כלל ישראל to receive the Torah. The question is why is this momentous Parsha, named יתרו? And why was Yisro זוכה to have the Parsha of מתן תורה named after him? Parshas Yisro and פרשת משפטים are very connected as both speak of מתן תורה where the details left out in יתרו, are included in משפטים. The Parsha is usually read in the vicinity of טו בשבט, where פורים falls within thirty days of both פרשת יתרו and טו בשבט. Like we already mentioned in previous Parshios, the month and a half of מדת הדין which began on ר”ח טבת, changes to מדת הרחמים on טו בשבט. We see this also in the combination of Hashem’s name for the month of שבט – המר ימירנו והיה הוא, where after the first two words of מר –bitterness, it changes to the last two words beginning והיה which is a language of joy. The first two letters of the שם ה” are backwards- הי representing דין, as opposed to the last two letters which are in order וה- representing חסד. This demonstrates this drastic change from harsh judgement to compassion in the middle of the month. Also, המר ימירנו והיה הוא is a pasuk in תמורה, discussing the exchange of the קדושה of one animal on another. On טו בשבט, there is a change from דין to רחמים. Similarly יתרו was an individual that changed himself from דין to חסד, and so he’s an example of ונהפוך הוא – ונהפוך הוא=179=כהן מדין. By Yisro turning himself totally around, he was doing the biggest חסד for כלל ישראל and קדוש ה”. There are 72 pesukim in the Parsha חסד=72.

In the beginning of the Parsha, יתרו is referred to as כהן מדין, whereas from then on, he is referred only as חתן משה. He went from serving every ע”ז in the world, to serving Hashem and Moshe. This is very similar to the big change that takes place on the טו בשבט – ראש השנה לאילן=982=כהן מדין חתן משה. The Ari Tzal says that all the נשמות in the world are either from קין, those that are generally good with their hands, or from הבל –those good in brains-thinking. It says in the חידא and the מגלה עמוקות, in the name of the ארי הקודש that יתרו was the גלגול of קין, and Moshe is the גלגול of Hevel. אני חתנך יתרו is the acronym אחי that is, I was your brother קין. Kain was born with a twin, whereas Hevel was born as a triplet. Kain was very jealous that Hevel had this ‘extra’ sister, which was one of the main reasons that Kain ended up killing Hevel. Yisro, who came back as Kain, made the tikun and gave his daughter, Tzippora to Moshe (as giving back this triplet). Kain was the first murderer in history, which makes him the first פוגם ברית. The פסוק quoted by many Sefarim to emphasize this פגם is קול דמי אחיך צעקים אלי מן האדמה, where the future children, זרע are crying out שובב=310=קרי=310=צעקים. One of the main תיקונים of the ימי השובבים or in a leap year שובבים תת is to rectify this blemish of זרע לבטלה, which was Pharoh’s plan in killing Jewish babies- שובבים תת=1160=כל הבן הילוד היאורה תשליכהו. The הפטרה in בשלח brings וחבר הקיני נפרד מקין. The names חבר וקיני are two of the seven names of Yisro, brought in the first רשי. In other words יתרו separated himself- נפרד from his former גלגול as קין. When משיח comes, the world will be free from קין, free from רציחה and strifeהמלך המשיח בן דויד=534=נפרד מקין .

The בני יששכרsays that whenever it says עון in the Torah, it refers to this blemish of פגם הברית. This פגם effects all 248 organs- עין וו נון=248. The first time it says עון in the Torah is by Kain גדול עוני מנשוא. Yisro, being more than one hundred years old, humbled himself, turning the עון into ענו. Yisro is no longer the גדול עוני=179=כהן מדין, where the first פוגם הברית or the first שובב was Kain. Yisro is the rectification of the שובב. This פגם leads a yid to depression, and anger and becoming a בעל מחלוקת. This is why the sacrifice and prayers of Kain were not accepted by Hashem.

One of the punishments given to Kain was to wander from place to place, since he caused Hevel to lose his “place” in the world. This פגם causes פיזור or dispersion. Yisro who transformed himself, now found his “place”, that is in “his” Parsha. The בית אהרן, the Stoliner along with others, said that depression is not an עבירה, but it leads to the worst עבירות whereas שמחה is not a מצוה, but it leads the greatest מצוות. The sin of the נחש הקדמוני, lead to depression בעצבון, where this depression was the זהומת הנחש. It says in the Gemorra that בא נחש על חוה והטיל בה זהומה, where the ארי הקדוש says that this filth, or זהומה was transferred into Kain. In פסוק יח:ט it says- ויחד יתרו על כל הטובה אשר עשה ה”, where the word ויחד is written the only time in the Chumash, and Rashi says this is a language ofשמחה . The Gemorra says that יתרו sharpened (לשון חידד) his sword and circumcised himself.

Someone born under the מזל of Mars (red) could either be a murderer, or put this potential to good, and become either a Mohel, or a Shochet. Putting the two opinions together, Yisro became a מוהל, gave himself a ברית, and was now happy. When he was Kain, he was upset and depressed, as is written in ספרי רבי נחמןthat one who hasתיקון הברית experiences joy, where the lack of this, leads depression. Yisro made a tikun for the murder that קין committed- ויקם קין אל הבל אחיו ויהרגהו=644=ויחד יתרו. Before the וישמע יתרו at the start of the Parsha, Yisro went from idol to idol, and couldn’t find himself, that is he wasn’t at peace. Now after ויחד יתרו – – זהומת הנחש=821=ויחד יתרו על כל הטובה, the filth of the snake has left him. Yisro has been transformed.

Elazer HaCohen married into the family of פוטיאל, either from יוסף who was called פוטיאל because he was פטפט ביצרו as Rashi says in פרשת וארא, or from יתרו who was called פוטיאל because he פטם עגלים לע”ז, that is he fattened the calves for idol worship. Therefore Yisro transformed himself, and is now equated with Yosef, for why else would the Torah give the same exact name to both of them and call them both איתן-. By Yosef it says ותשב באיתן קשתו, where איתן means a strong rock. The אבות הקדושים are called איתנים, also referring to the month of תשרי. Yosef had to strengthen himself by not giving into the wife of Potifar. Billam marveled over the fact that Yisro joined the yidden as it says in — פרשת בלק כד:כא- – איתן מושבך וירא את הקיני וישא משלו ויאמר, and he also said in the next pasuk כד:כב- לבער קין in that יתרו separated himself from him being קין.

Both בלעם and יתרו were together when Pharoh ordered that the Jewish babies be thrown into the Nile. Yisro ran away, similar to Yosef running away, and after running from פרעה -פה רע , he said ויצילני מחרב פרעה where he denounced the חרב of Pharoh. When Yisro was ברח from the palace, he was זוכה in becoming a חבר, one of his seven names- חרב=ברח=חבר Also רחב changed herself from חרב to רחב. Yisro or פוטיאל was the great grandfather of Pinchas who was אליהו הנביא that attends every Bris. Yisro comes from his name יתר, which means to add – יתר פרשה אחד בתורה. The Chumash can never be added to even one letter, but the תורה שבעל פה is the הוספה in Torah. The Tikun for theחטא of פגם הברית is שס=360=שובבים, the ששה סדר משנה. The ו (letter of הוספה) represents the מדת היסוד. Yisro-יתר brought a הוספה to the Torah.

Yisro went through the tikun of שובבים and totally transformed himself. Another interpretation of ויחד is יהודי, that Yisro converted to Judaism, and gave up all the ע”ז, and was now making a יחוד between קודשא בריך הוא ושכינתא. Now Yisro knows there is one Hashem, who conducts the world with השגחה פרטית as he said עתה ידעתי כי גדול ה” מכל האלה-ים. This was also a תיקון for Kain who said לית דין ולית דיין, that there is no justice and no judge. The ones that are נכשל in the area of ברית, are always complaining against Hashem, and everyone around them. The מקרא מגילה publicizes the fact that there are no coincidences, no מקרה and that every single detail is part of a big picture. Amalek says that everything is coincidence – אשר קרך. Achashverosh is Hashem who the אחרית וראשית שלו, where even the insignificant things, the אחרית, are from and directed by Hashem only. Purim is the 619^th mitzvah- 613 from the Torah and 7 Rabanim המן בן המדתא האגגי=619=אחרית. Yisro saw that every detail of his life is a part of Hashem’s plan- יתרו saw his ownstory as a מגילה –דברי האיגרת הזאת=1248=עתה ידעתי כי גדול יה–וה מכל האלה–ים .Yisro is theפועל דמיוני of all the yidden that are very far from Yiddishkeit, and finally come backתבחר ותקרב=1318=שבת יתרו , written in תהלים סה. Moshe was not sure whether to מקרב Yisro, or to מרחק him, and so Hashem told him to bring him close. This is the Shabbos of קירוב.

The Parsha begins וישמע יתרו where Rashi says that Yisro heard both קריעת ים סוף ומלחמת עמלק. There is a third opinion (מחלוקת) that he heard of מתן תורה. Maybe Rashi doesn’t bring this here, since he doesn’t want to bring an opinion that was subject to a מחלוקת, or maybe Rashi is of the opinion that Yisro came before מתן תורה. The question here is why was קריאת ים סוף, not sufficient? By קריאת ים סוף, Yisro saw clearly the מדה כנגד מדה of Hashem in this world. As we said, Yisro was there when Pharoh made the decree to drown the Jewish babies, and when he heard that the Egyptians were drowned in the Yam Suf, he saw this incredible הנהגה of Hashem. However maybe Hashem protects his children who sunk to the lowest level, the 49^th level of טומאה, but no lower. Yisro knew that after serving every form of ע”ז, he had sunk to the 50^th level, which is כפירה. He thought that probably there was no hope for him, until he heard of מלחמת עמלק. Here Amalek started up with those yidden that were spit out of the cloud, the נחשלים, the ones who were weak in their אמונה and full of ספיקות.

Micha, who was from the בני דן, the ones who were outside the clouds, brought with him an idol. The clouds came behind כלל ישראל, protecting even the בני דן. Also Yisro heard that Moshe sent יהושע to battle Amalek, who were after mainly the בני דן. And so here Yisro saw that there was a תיקון even for the ones who fell to ע”ז, the שער נ of טומאה. He sees Purim that even the forgotten Jews are written שער נ=620=זכרן בספר. Yisro saw that there was also a תיקון for him, and so he came. The מתנות לאביונים on Purim is a special gift to those that have nothing. At first מתנות לאביונים is not mentioned, since originally Mordechai and Esther wanted that Purim be a י”ט, when מתנות לאביונים are forbidden. If this would have been the case, then the lowest Jews would have nothing to gain. However the חכמים made Purim on a weekday, חול which included tikunim for even the lowest yidden.There is a מחלוקתin ש”ס whether מגילת אסתר should be written in תנ”ך or not- ר” יהושע says no and ר” אליעזר המודאי said yes. This is based on the amount of times and where מחיית עמלק is mentioned in תנ”ך based on the pasuk כתוב זאת בספר זכרון. Rav Yehoshua says זאת is חומש, זכרון is משנה תורה and בספר is נביא. Rav Eliezer argues and says כתוב זאת is משנה תורה and חומש, זכרון is נביא and בספר is מגילת אסתר. These two תנאים are the ones in the Gemorra that argue on whether Yisro came before מתן תורה or after. Rav Eliezer said that Yisro came after, and therefore Yisro felt that there was no more tikun for him in the Torah, since it was already written. The Torah was for the yidden that fell into the מט שערים, but not the שער נ of טומאה. The same Rav Eliezer said that מגילת אסתר is part of תנ”ך. Esther pushed to have the מגילת אסתר part of תנ”ך so that there would be a tikun for yidden that fell into the 50^th level which includes Yisro – and so Yisro came.

There is one of the שם עב which we spoke of before, referring to תקון הברית, and that is the שם חבו the acronym ofחיל בלע וקיאנו a pasuk in איוב. This expression refers to the טומאה swallowing up the sparks of קדושה and then spitting them back out, when we’re זוכה. A yid who is careful in the area of ברית, also merits his portion in Torah ותן חלקנו בתורתך – ר”ת חבו. Yisro merited a portion of Torah. As a matter of fact every yid’s portion is included in פרשת יתרו. Yisro who originally was the advisor of Pharoh, but ran away, was זוכה of becoming the advisor of Moshe, and all כלל ישראל. Yisro was called חבר which is also חיבור referring to his attachment to the Jewish people. Yisro removed himself from being כהן מדין, where מדין is the source of all strife and מחלוקת in the world. Yisro made a huge תיקון for the strife and מחלוקת he portrayed when he was קין, in a previous גלגול. Now he brought all כלל ישראל to state of peace. It says הכל הולך אחרי החיתום, where the entire ש”ס ends with שלום, and the final Bracha in שמנה עשרה ends with שלום, and the מגילת אסתר ends with שלום. The last words of Yisro said before he left were- ויהי בימי אחשורוש=914=וגם כל העם הזה על מקומו יבא בשלום.

In פסוק כ:טו it says וירא העם וינעו, which interprets that the yidden saw the קולות and began to shake and sweat. The Jewish nation is the only ones who shake, while learning and davening. The ארי הקדושsays that this shaking and sweating rectifies the פגם הברית that is נעו is a tikun for עון- אעביר=964=וירא העם וינעו ויעמדו מרחוק את רוח הטומאה. These urges could be channeled for good.

In פסוק יח:יב it says there that Yisro made a סעודה. This was to fix up the sacrifice that קין brought from the גרוע, and that was not accepted up above. Rashi says here that שהנהנה מסעודה שתלמידי חכמים מסובין בה …the similar words used to describe the yidden partaking of the סעודת אחשורוש. It says that this סעודה was a תיקון for the חטא עץ הדעת. This meal was one of holiness and is equated to the סעודת פורים. One opinion was that the fruit of the חטא עץ הדעת was a אתרוג, the only fruit that טעם עצו ופריו שווים, that both the fruit and the bark tasted the same. At the beginning of creation, all trees were supposed to be this way –עץ פרי עשה פרי, only the אתרוג remained loyal to Hashem’s גזרה, where its fruit and bark are equal in taste ועץ עשה פרי-Due to this drastic sin, many trees are barren. All the species in the world, of which there are thousands, were all supposed to bear fruit, the way it will be in the future, but because of the חטא עץ הדעת, only some bear fruit. On טו בשבטall the trees are rejuvenating, a kind of תחיית המתים from their dead state during the long winter months. On this day we get a taste of the future, when all trees will bear fruit — חמשה עשר בשבט=1236=ועץ השדה יתן פריו.

If all trees would have “listened” to Hashem’s decree that עצו ופריו שוין then maybe Adam and Chava wouldn’t have ate from the עץ הדעת, since all trees have this uniqueness. The צבי לצדיק says that day to beginמתקן this drastic sin is טו בשבת, the ר”ה לאילן. It says אילן in the singular to hint to the אילן הידוע –the עץ הדעת. The month of Shevat is the eleventh month, known as עשתי עשר חדש. Tu BeShevat is exactly the mid or halfway point –עשתי עשר חדש=1662 and half of this is 831=ועץ עשה פרי. The other opinions of what the עץ הדעת was are wheat, figs, and grapes, are all related to טו בשבט, where there is a מנהג to eat fruits from the שבעה מינים. The בעל התניא says that a מנהג is higher than a מצוה, and since it’s so high, it’s not written. An example of this is שובבים. The closer we get to משיח, we merit to have more מנהגים.

On טו בשבט, we eat אתרוג and there’s also a custom to daven for a nice אתרוג for the coming סוכות. The fruit of the אתרוג grows before its leaves. Likewise the yidden said נעשה ונשמה before understanding what they were supposed to do. The Gemorra in שבת: פט says the angels were amazed when the yidden said נעשה ונשמה, and they said “who revealed this רז , secret”?. By מלאכים it says עושה דברו לשמוע בקול דברו that they do before they listen. The Gemorra quotes a pasuk in שה”ש ב:גwhich says כתפוח בעצי היער כן דודי בין הבנים בצלו חמדתי וישבתי ופריו מתוק לחכי. The yidden are praising Hashem that he is like an apple, compared to other trees. Rashi says that an apple tree really has no shade. The goyim ran away from Hashem’s shade, but the yidden stayed and accepted the Torah- שבת יתרו=1318=בצלו חמדתי וישבתי “In His shade I desired to dwell”. Tosfos says that the תפוח is an אתרוג, also translated by Targum that ריח תפוחים are referring to אתרוגים, where the fruit of the אתרוג, come before the leaves, unlike the apple. The reason is that the אתרוג grows on the tree the entire year, and so when the old leaves fall off, the אתרוג is still there before the new leaves. The אתרוג doesn’t experience any winter. On טו בשבט, a day of rejuvenation, we shouldn’t think that “once in a while” it’s a good idea to renew ourselves. We eat the jam of the אתרוג, which is in constant התחדשות, constant renewal, hinting that a yid should be like an אתרוג and always renew himself. A yid who rectifies himself during these weeks, is זוכה to התחדשות and if not, he’s like a מת.

The pasuk ends תקון שובבים=916= ופריו מתוק לחכי, where the sweet fruits hints to טו בשבט. On טו בשבט, we get the כח for this התחדשות, where a yid has the power, and desire to renew himself daily. Perhaps that’s why this is considered like a major י”ט and we don’t say תחנון. On Tu BeShevat, the sap or שרף rises. The sap is now עולה באילן where אילן=91, which is equal to the two names of Hashem- the יה–וה=26, and אדנ–י=65whichtogether equal 91. The number 580, refers many times to דין –שרף=580=קול דמי אחיך צעקים אלי and Yaacov sent 580 animals to Esav שעיר –=580. On טו בשבת, the שרף עולה באילן, that is the שרףis עולה, now equals 91, the two שמות ה”. The judgement is now being sweetened.

The חטא of Kain, is now being rectified on טו בשבט. The trees are becoming alive לישועתך קויתי ה“=1388=ראש השנה לאילנותThe ישועה is beginning now, and onטו בשבט we feel the change. A yid always hopes for ישועת ה”, even in the darkness, when we don’t see any leaves on the tree and thus the tree appears dead. On טו בשבת we feel a fresh excitement, a feeling that we should always be youthful- דשנים ורעננים יהיו=861=ראש השנהas טו בשבט is the ר”ה לאילןThe רמב”ן says that the root of the word יובל, which is mentioned in Chumash for the first time here in פרשת יתרו, is from the הפטרה of Behar the – ועל יובל ישלח שרשיו, meaning that the roots of the tree, sprout better next to a spring שבת יתרו=1318=ועל יובל ישלח שרשיו . Parshas יתרו usually falls in the week of טו בשבט. Unlike the vegetables, the fruit trees are strongly rooted and once the fruits are picked, the fruit returns again the next year- האדם עץ השדה. A yid is strongly and firmly rooted in the אבות הקדושים and is constantly growing. Really a yid is compared to an upside down tree, where the roots are in שמים, and the branches and fruits represent his life of Torah and Mitzvos down in this world.

The הפטרה of פרשת יתרו is from ישעיה who saw an angel with six wings. On שבועות the הפטרה we read is from יחזקאל, who was not on the same level as ישעיה, who preceded him. Also the prophesy of יחזקאל was of an angel with four wings. The sefarim say that six wings represent the six words of ברוך שם כבוד מלכותו לעולם ועד. All six wings exist, בזמן שבהמ”ק קיים, and the yidden were doing רצון ה”. The four wings are just the opposite, when there is no בהמ”ק, and yidden not following Hashem. The Gemorra speaks of which wings are missing when there are only four, and later commentators have different opinions on

which words of the ברוך שם are missing. The ברוך שם is said when one says שם ה” לבטלה. During these weeks we’re working on the פגם of לבטלה. What we see here is that when we read of תורה in פרשת יתרו it is on some level or even greater than שבועות. This is because the Torah is above time, whereas שבועות takes place in time, on the sixth of Sivan- (Spinka).

The month of שבט represents the תרועה, the תורה ע where Moshe began teaching Sefer Devarim in 70-ע languages on ר”ח שבט. Also the eleventh הללויה, in Tehillim קנ which represents Shevat is הללוהו בצלצלי תרועה. The first time the word שופר is written in Chumash is in our Parsha. This is the month of awakening and renewal – התעררות לשון תרועה, having the ר”ה לאילנות at it’s center. In Breishis, the three cardinal sins were committed. By אדם הראשון, there was a lack of אמונה. By this חטא there was פגם הברית. It says in Gem. Shabbos בא הנחש על חוה והטיל בה זהומה. By קין there was רציחה and by אנוש there was ע”ז. In פרשת יתרו there is the תיקון for these three cardinal sins, with Yisro fixing up all the blemishes that was from his previous גלגול of Kain. In the עשר הדברות, the first commandment of אנכי ה” is a tikun for אנוש, and לא תרצח was a tikun for Kain, and לא תנאף was a tikun for חטא עץ הדעת.

The word יתרו means הוספה, as he was constantly striving to grow higher, like aפרי עץ . Yisro was given the city of יריחו, which is the city most connected to י”ם. There were caves under the ground connecting the two cities, and whatever happened in י”ם, was felt in יריחו. For example the קטורת was able to be smelt in and resulting in the name יריחו. Jericho is called the עיר תמריםwhere a צדיק is referred to as תמרים as it says צדיק כתמר ופרח. Even though Yisro was a גר, and has no portion in א”י, he was still given the city of יריחו for 440 years.

Inפרק ז of שה”ש it says שני שדיך כשני עפרים where Rashi says refers to the שני הלוחות. Whatever is written on the top line parallel each other, and similarly with each of the five rows. For exampleאנכי ה” parallels לא תרצח where the midrash says that a person that kills is ממעט את הדמות של הקב”ה. Killing another yid is a blatant blemish in his אמונה. The Rambam says אמונה is the first מצוה in the Torah, and the Ramban argues and says that אמונה is higher and a prerequisite to all the מצוות as it says כל מצוותך אמונה.The דבור of לא תרצח is the sixth, corresponding to the sixth מדה of יסוד, which a lack of leads to a lack in אמונה and ספיקות. One who is פוגם in ברית is a רוצח – קרע שטן=729=לא תרצח.When we remove the שטן, we rectify the לא תרצח.

When Amelek is around, Hashem’s name is incomplete- כס יה. When the yidden left Egypt, they left the ערות הארץ the טומאה and therefore אנכי יה–וה=107=כסא יה–וה. The commandment לא יהיה לך parallels לא תנאף, where the yidden, by חטא העגל, was as if they took another woman. The pasuk says in צפניה, which some say every day בעת ההיא אביא אתכם ובעת קבצי אתכם …. בשובי את שבותיכם לעיניכם אמר ה” where בשובי are the ר”ת of the Parshios שמות וארא בא בשלח יתרו, which we are now completing. לעיניכם represents the תקון עינים and קבצי אתכם is a concept of קיבוץ גליות which is the קבוץ נצוצות that have been scattered as a result of the חטאים that we’re working to rectify during theימי השובבים . In פרשת יתרו, we also see the ענין of קיבץ as it says ואשא אתכם על כנפי נשרים, which Rashi says when the כלל ישראל came to רעמסס, they were first scattered over the land of גושן, and then in a short amount of time they all gathered in רעמסס. The melting away of the רע is what the name רעמסס implies, that is רע מסס, the bad and undesirables vanish and the טוב is revealed. From the קבץ which results in the stripping away of the bad, a yid then is זוכה to ויסעו מרפידים ויבאו מדבר סיני, we leave מצרים and we come to ירושלים. Har Sinai had the קדושה of Jerusalem. פרשת יתרו is the seventeenth Parsha inחומש , 17 = טוב. The month of Shevat is שב-ט, or return to the good also שובו בנים טובים. The דברי חיים says that after טו בשבט, every two weeks is a יום טוב, and we have only an עליה in זמן, up until שבועות. We’re climbing a mountain.

Before we learn of מתן תורה, we learn of how to acquire Torah. We learn from יתרו how to transform ourselves, at least not to be a רשע, not to be רע. This is why the yidden had to leave רעמסס before coming to הר סיני. Similarly they left רפידים the place that the yidden lacked of enthusiasm before coming to the מקום המקדש. Har Sinai was הר המוריה אדמת קדש הוא, the place of vigor and renewal- דשנים ורעננים יהיו=861= בית המקדש=861=אדמת קדש הוא.

There is a pasuk in דברי הימים, which speaks of the בני יתרו. His grandson יונדב, is the סימן used for the 72 pesukim in the Parsha. יונדב learned Torah in Yavne by Ozniel Ben Knaz. Rashi quotes a pasuk in דברי הימים א-ב:נה which the Gem. Sota says that because יתרו ran away from being “secretary of state” in Egypt, his descendants were זוכה to become members of the Sanhedrin. Rashi quotes these names were literally families that descended from Yisro- the תרעתים, the שמעתים, and the שוחתים. The Sifri says that תרעתים- means that Yisro heard the תרועה on הר סיני, that he davened that his tefillos would be accepted, and that he sat by the gates of י”ם. The שמעתים – means that the בני יונדב listened to their father, and the שוחתים, which they darshen with a ס, that they had רוח הקדוש, from the hidden light-שובו בנים שובבים=776=שוכתים. When we are זוכה to שובו בנים שובבים we are זוכה to שוכתים, we are זוכה to רוח הקדוש, we are זוכה to our חלק in Torah, we are זוכה to מחדש חידושי תורה, and we are זוכה to מהפך from קין to קני, which is נקי. Yisro cleansed himself.

The beginning of the Parsha is ויצלני מחרב פרעה, whereas the end of Parshas Yisro speaks of not using the חרב on the מזבח. Rashi says that the מזבח is used to lengthen a man’s life and ברזל was created to shorten a man’s life. It was טובל קין that invented the first weapons of ברזל, spicing up the trade of the רצח. Yisro made the tikun and became the איש השלום, as his last words suggest – וגם כל העם הזה על מקומו יבא בשלום. Pharoh represents the חרב of רציחה- רע, while Yisro when he was Kain used the חרב, but Yisro transformed himself to חבר. Yisro did a big חסד for כלל ישראל, in teaching us that every yid, could change himself around for good, no matter what his age is- Yisro was at least a hundred years old.

Parshas Yisro is always in חודש שבט, the eleventh month. The number eleven is associated with תשובה. The eleventh ingredient of the קטורת is חלבנה which is a foul smelling spice המן=95=חלבנה. However when חלבנה is mixed with the other ten spices, the foul smell turns into very pleasant smell- ריח נחוח לה”. This is the concept of תשובה where the “foul smelling” sins are transformed into “pleasant smelling” mitzvos.