<html>
<body>
RSRH's commentary on Parsha Yisro is literally filled with deep insights
into Yahadus. I cannot recommend strongly enough that people read
through at least some of his commentary. YL<br><br>
On Shemos 20<br><br>
<font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=4><b>2
</font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3><i>I, </b>Hashem<b>, shall be
your God, I, Who brought you out from the land of Egypt, from the house
of slaves.<br><br>
</i></b>Rav Hirsch writes in part:<br><br>
</font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3>What the philosophers,
ancient and modern, call “the belief in the<br>
existence of God” is as remote as can be from the meaning of this
verse<br>
regarding the foundations of Jewish thought and Jewish life. The
fundamental<br>
truth of Jewish life is not belief in God’s existence, nor that<br>
God is one and only one. It is, rather, that the one and only God,
the<br>
God of truth, is </font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3><i>my
</i></font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3>God: He created and
formed
</font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3><i>me</i></font>
<font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3>, gave me my<br>
standing, informed me of my duty, and He continues to create me and<br>
to form me, to keep me, to guide me and to lead me. My belief is not<br>
that my connection to Him is through an endless chain of events as a<br>
chance product of a universe of which He was the first cause aeons
ago.<br>
Rather, my belief is that every breath that I take and every moment
of<br>
my existence is a direct gift of His power and love, and that my
duty<br>
is to devote every moment of my life to His service alone.<br><br>
In other words, the essential thing is not the knowledge of God’s<br>
existence, but the
</font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3><i>awareness
</i></font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3>and the
</font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3><i>acknowledgment
</i></font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3>that He is
</font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3><i>my
</i></font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3>God,<br>
that my fate is in His hands alone, and that He alone establishes
the<br>
work of my hands. Corresponding to the command
</font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3><i>Anochi Hashem Elokecha</i>
</font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3>there<br>
is but one response: <i>Ata Elokei. <br><br>
</i>Hence, more than any other nation, we owe to God whatever we
possess<br>
— head, heart and hand. All that the Egyptians had denied us was<br>
restored to us by God Himself: our personal individuality, the right
to<br>
acquire possessions, and the possessions themselves. Consequently,
He<br>
alone has dominion over our lives and our property, and we belong
exclusively<br>
to Him. To His service we dedicate our lives, capabilities and
possessions,<br>
and we acknowledge Him alone as the Guide of all our actions.<br><br>
Only our total subservience to God freed us from servitude to man.<br>
Only on this condition were we liberated and granted our
independence.<br>
Whereas all people of all other nations are indebted to God for
their<br>
creation and existence, we are indebted to Him for our historical
and<br>
social existence also. We went forth from
</font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3><i>Avdus Paro</i>
</font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3>and entered
</font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3><i>Avdus<br>
Hashem</i></font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3>. In the national
anthem of the </font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3><i>Hallel
</i></font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3>we sing:
</font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3><i>Ani</i> <i>Avdecha ben
Amasecha<br>
Petachta l'mosaroi</i>
</font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3>(</font>
<font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3><i>Tehillim
</i></font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3>116:16), which means: I
am Your servant from birth,<br>
for You loosened the bonds of my servitude.</font></body>
</html>