Dvar Torah for Parshat Yitro

There are a number of ways to couple the Ten Commandments: [1] 1-2, 3-4, etc; [2] 1-6, 2-7, etc.; [3] 1-10, 2-9, etc. The holy Shelah uses the last formulation. In addition, he matches them up to the ten fingers of the hands.

From the Shelah HaKodesh (Rabbi Isaiah Horowitz, c. 1565–March 24, 1630)
LEFT-HAND	10–6	1–5	RIGHT-HAND
Pinky	Don't Be Envious	Belief in G'd	Pinky
Ring Finger	Don't Testify Falsely	Have no other god	Ring Finger
Middle Finger	Don't Steal	Don't Say G'd's Name Needlessly	Middle Finger
Index Finger	Don't Commit Adultery	Keep Shabbat	Index Finger
Thumb	Don't Murder	Honor Father&Mother	Thumb

I came upon this and knowing that a lot of people like this sort of thing, decided to share it. It's not merely "cute." It shows more than that the Torah is *in* our hands. It shows that the Torah *is* our hands. We embody the Torah in ways that we don't even know about.

Anything you put your hands to, you can invest with the sacredness of Torah. No matter how far you feel you may have strayed, it's in your hands to come back. No matter where you go, you always have a *Sefer* (Torah book) at hand to remind of what you are.

agutn Shabbos!

Shabbat Shalom!

© Copyright Breslov Research Institute 2007 Shabbat Shalom!