Netivyah News

Last updated February 13, 2025

Yehuda Bachana: Heart's Intentions- Yitro [2025]

Along with Parashat Yitro, a most unforgettable and terrifying moment has arrived! Israel is standing at Mount Sinai, which is wrapped in smoke, because God descended on it in fire. And yet, it wasn’t the sounding of the shofar, the flashes of lightning, nor the fear that caused the People of Israel to make a covenant with their heavenly Father. In fact, this bond had been signed three days earlier.

Moses serves as the mediator between Israel and God. In Exodus 19, Moses ascends to God, returns to the people, and then conveys their response back to God:

“Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine (...) All the people answered together and said, ‘All that the Lord has spoken we will do’. And Moses reported the words of the people to the Lord.” (Exodus 19:5-6, 8)

Not from fear, but a well-considered decision
The choice to commit to a covenant with God was well-considered. It wasn’t a decision made under pressure. At the time the covenant was made, there was no fire and smoke, and the sound of the shofar hadn’t been heard yet.

God presented Himself and His deeds up until the moment in history where He redeemed the People of Israel from Egypt, and offered them the opportunity to be special to Him. The people listened and agreed.

In Parashat Yitro, the People of Israel receive the Ten Commandments - the heart of the Torah. There are a few commentators who claim that Israel had no choice, but to accept the Torah; saying that, if they had refused, God would’ve killed them. I don’t agree with this claim or interpretation, and still, it’s useful to read and learn about different thoughts and opinions such as this one, too, as we study the Torah Portions in depth.

Other commentators argue that if the Torah had been given by force, under coercion, the People of Israel wouldn’t have been obligated to keep it. Religious coercion is not sustainable (nor desirable)! The Torah cannot be forced upon people. I tend to agree with this approach, and therefore, I’m of the opinion that the People of Israel entered into the covenant and accepted the Torah out of free choice.

Now three days later, we read how Israel stands in fear at the incredible revelation at Mount Sinai, immediately after hearing the Ten Commandments. People witness the flames, the lightning, and the increasingly loud sound of the shofar. As a response, the people take a step back and tell Moses:

“You go and speak with God, and then you’ll tell us what He said —we’re afraid we’ll die.” (Exodus 20:19)

Moses tells Israel that this is a test from God. That they can come closer and shouldn’t be afraid. Still, the people aren’t convinced, and

“remained at a distance, while Moses approached the thick darkness where God was.” (verse 21)

What are the Ten Commandments? And, what makes them the heart of the Torah?

Essentially, the Ten Commandments are God’s way of setting expectations with us: what’s important and why? Here we’ll highlight five key points:

1. Loyalty!

“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall have no other gods before Me." (Exodus 20:2-3)

We should express our loyalty both in faith and in action, which are expressed by:

“You shall not make for yourself a carved image,”(verse 4)

and

“You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.” (verse 7)

At the beginning of the Ten Commandments, God defines what’s true, and Who the Creator of the universe is, and then seals this by saying “You shall have no other gods before Me." Isaiah repeats this same, monotheistic declaration by saying:

“Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: ‘I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god’.” (44:6)

2. Shabbat!

The Shabbat is a fundamental element of the covenant with God. Traditionally, Shabbat is celebrated with a special meal on Friday evenings, and one of the blessings we sing at the Shabbat dinner is a direct quote from Genesis, that says

"there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day. So the heavens and the earth were completed, and all that is in them.”(1:31-2:1)

This makes the Shabbat a weekly reminder of creation.

The Shabbat also serves as the very first social law in history, because God already sanctified the Shabbat in the Garden of Eden, even before Adam and Eve were told not to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:16-17).

The Shabbat is a ‘social law’, because everyone - without exception - is meant to benefit from its rest. It’s a day when everyone is set free, both masters and servants. The Shabbat shines as a bright beacon of light and grants a moral and social gift to society. In fact, God essentially obligates us to rest from our work on Shabbat, which adds sanity to our busy lives. This is revolutionary, because the Shabbat-rest entails the very same rights to all of society, which includes servants, foreigners, and those who don’t belong to our faith.

God grants this day of rest to everyone and to all of His creation - including our working animals like the ox and the donkey. Even if they cannot request a weekly day of rest for themselves, they have the right to enjoy a work-free Shabbat.

3. Honoring Parents!

The attitude toward our parents isn’t just a private family matter; rather, it’s part of the foundation of the society with which God establishes this covenant. Some commentators explain the importance of this commandment by saying children begin their life from complete helplessness and dependence on their parents. It’s up to the parent to educate their children, but also to instill them with faith and identity in the Creator of the world, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as part of their heritage. Instilling respect for parents also stems from the desire for future generations to follow in the same footsteps of that blessed legacy, that is led by respect and faith.

4. Don’t harm!

Don’t hurt others. Don’t steal. Don’t murder. Don’t bear a false witness against others.

These commandments are so simple and concise, and in Hebrew each one is formulated as a two-word phrase. What more could be added?

Yeshua teaches us that there is indeed more, and that even these two-word-rules have a deeper meaning and interpretation:

“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.” (Matthew 5:21-22)

And so, Yeshua adds an extra dimension which clarifies the spirit of the commandments.

This connects us to the fifth and final point, that connects to the heart:

5. "You shall not covet" — not even in thought!

After nine clear laws of ‘dos’ and ‘don’ts’ that are each followed by a consequence (whether punishment or reward), a different type of commandment appears. Though, this one isn’t entirely clear-cut, nor does it specify a punishment for violating it. The first nine commandments adhere to legal distinctions, testimonies and evidence for those who violate them. Whereas, the last commandment is only between a person and God.

We cannot judge someone else for "You shall not covet." For example, in the case of David and Bathsheba, Nathan the Prophet couldn’t (and didn’t) accuse David of coveting. Instead, Nathan could only accuse David after the fact of committing adultery and killing Uriah.

The same applies to the Prophet Elijah, who didn’t accuse King Ahab at the moment he coveted Naboth’s vineyard. Rather, Elijah only brought charges after Ahab had Naboth executed, and seized his vineyard by means of a false testimony.

Here we see that "You shall not murder", and "You shall not commit adultery" are clear rules about black-and-white matters. Whereas the final commandment, "You shall not covet,"speaks to the heart. Similarly, commandments like "Love your neighbor as yourself" and "You shall not covet", belong to the emotional realm. How can a person control their thoughts and feelings?

Actually, it is possible to influence and even change our thoughts and feelings. It’s not just about what we do or don’t do, with but rather about beginning to train our hearts by replacing our old thoughts with new ones. A powerful tool to replace old thoughts, is to intentionally internalize the Word of God in our daily life. Not by force, but from free choice and true love.

Love is the essence
Both Isaiah and Jeremiah prophesied against the law, because there is a natural tendency to lose the purpose of the law when we become overly rigid with formality. The Torah wasn’t meant to be shackles that bind our human behavior. Jeremiah 31 touches the heart because, above all, the Torah calls us to love: "Love the Lord your God" and "Love your neighbor as yourself." This is Yeshua’s main emphasis, too.

Forgetting that love is the essence of all commandments means stripping them of their meaning:

"Those who think that action is the main thing are mistaken, because the essence is only the heart. Actions and words are merely means to accustom a person to direct their heart. These are the foundations and the root of all commandments: that one should love God with all their heart." (Sefer HaChaim)

This quote isn’t a Christian interpretation that nullifies the importance of Torah-commandments, but rather a classical Jewish interpretation!

Also observant Jewish commentators understand that the depth of the Torah goes far beyond simple ‘dos’ and ‘don’ts’. The Torah contains a depth that speaks to the human heart.

Yeshua’s added dimension
This is the greatness and the great enlightenment that Yeshua and the New Covenant brought into the world. Yeshua introduced a real demand and responsibility for a fundamental transformation in our lives, which is expressed through our love to God, as well as our love for those around us:

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:34)

Yeshua’s great change is the added dimension to the (seemingly) simple meaning of the commandments. Yeshua demands that we write God’s Torah on our hearts:

“For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:20)

What is Yeshua saying here?
Do we need to try harder to observe the commandments and be even stricter than the Pharisees and Scribes? Should we fulfill even more than they did? No! I believe Yeshua is talking here about following God's Word with joy and love. Yeshua speaks about our attitude towards one another, and towards God.

Yeshua teaches us that it isn’t enough to just fulfill the commandment. The Torah was never meant for us to ‘check-off’ like some to-do-list. Instead, God is interested in our heart’s intentions, and for us to serve Him with joy.

We place great importance in faith, and the Body of Messiah talks endlessly about what (and how) one should believe. And yet, the real question isn’t what we have in our minds; but rather:
how much love, how much joy, how much of Yeshua do we have in our hearts?

The commandment to ‘not covet’ touches the heart, and requires us to be content with what we have. It includes most everything:
Do not covet other gods.
Do not look at the nations and say, "I want to be like them." We belong to God and to Him alone!
Do not look at the Shabbat and say, "I want more. I need to work more, buy and do more."Guard the holiness of the Shabbat.
Don’t covet someone else’s life, and don’t take what belongs to them.
Covet what you have! And rejoice and enjoy it!
Do you want more? Work for six days, but leave the Shabbat for resting.
Want more? That’s possible, but earn it with integrity. Don’t steal.
Covet the truth! Have a sharp and righteous eye and pursue justice.
Don’t lie or hurt others: be a true and faithful witness.

We’ll wrap up this week with Yeshua’s declaration:

“For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:20)

This means for us to engrave God's Torah on our hearts. Not to leave the words on holy, stone tablets. But rather, to allow their wisdom to penetrate and dwell in our hearts. This is our faith in Yeshua the Messiah — this is His Torah.

Please join us in prayer for:

Roeh Israel, our kehilla

- Continue to lift up Joseph and Marcia’s health in your prayers, including Marcia’s appetite and strength, and Joseph’s pain and health struggles and his dedicated love and care for Marcia.

- Zvi and Batsheva’s ongoing health struggles, as well as for Yehudit’s hand, ankles, thyroid and calcium-levels.

- Intercede for a breakthrough in Aharon’s life and his openness towards our Heavenly Father. Pray for the decisions concerning his housing, and that they will be for a true blessingfor his life.

- Lift up Hannah’s mom, Miriam, for her memory-decline and walking.

- The family of Tal who just heard of his auto-immune disease, while raising 4 little ones.

- Our youth are starting to join more Messianic youth camps, and we’re so excited for them to be part of a greater believing community!

The Staff

- Lift up Sam, as well as Nir and their precious, young families as they both struggle with health issues.

Israel

We truly rejoice as some of the hostages are being released, and pray for their physical and emotional healing and restoration after having been in such inhumane conditions for nearly 16 months.
The last hostages lost up to 30% of their body weight; and on average, only received some pita or rice once a day!
As they return several of them received heart-breaking news about their loved ones... Pray for their restoration and healing.

Last Shabbat, February 8, the following 3 men were released:

- Ohad Ben Ami (56), abducted from his home in Beeri, and his wife Raz Ben Ami, also abducted, was released as part of a week-long ceasefire in November 2023.

- Eli Sharabi (52), kidnapped from his home in Be'eri. As Hamas was about to parade him on stage yesterday and made him thank them, Hamas told Eli that his brother was murdered. Upon his release, Eli heard that his wife and 2 daughters were murdered on October 7.

- Or Levy (34), whose wife was murdered near him (but that he only heard of as he was released), returned to his (now) 3 year-old son Almog who told his daddy after 16 months: "it took you a long time to come back."

Or Levy, Eli Sharabi, and Ohad Ben Ami
Credit: Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Israel)

- Along with our joy for the return of these hostages, we embrace the remaining families who await their loved ones' fate & return! At the same time, we also mourn with the families who have lost their loved ones.

- Continue to intercede for this Hostage Deal and for the safety on our streets, as hundreds of terrorists (incl. many murderers) are being set free on our streets each week, of whom 82% of those released since the Hamas-deal in November, have returned to terror. Please pray families of the terror victims whose murderers get set free as part of this Hamas-deal. And pray against anxiety with so many murderers being set free.

- Hamas is now saying they are freezing the hostage-release and there won’t be a release this Shabbat which is a grace violation. Please intercede!

- Pray for the IDF-soldiers who guard our Northern border, and continue to defend against the attacks from Yemen and Gaza, as well as their operations to strengthen security in Judea and Samaria against the Iranian axis that spread all around us.

- Pray for the Northern communities who might return home from March 1st on (after over 16 months).

May we witness the coming of our Messiah Yeshua, the Bread of Life, very soon and in our days.

Shabbat shalom,

Yehuda and Lydia Bachana
Netivyah and the Roeh Israel congregation

Last News Update:

Things you might like:

SIGN UP FOR THE NETIVYAH NEWS 

PERIODICAL UPDATES HELPING YOU PRAY FOR ISRAEL

tfz39

GET THE LATEST ISSUE OF “TEACHING FROM ZION” SENT TO YOUR INBOX

Scroll to Top
}});