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Why do we stand for the Ten Commandments if the Rambam (רמב"ם) calls it near heresy? The shiur develops a fundamental chakira: is Kriyas HaTorah a din of hearing Moshe's nevuah or a din of Talmud (תלמוד) Torah (תורה)? The Rambam holds the former—making standing for just the Aseres HaDibros problematic—while the Rif and Tosafos (תוספות) hold the latter, justifying the custom since we read tam elyon (prophecy) specifically there.
Rabbi Zweig opens with a striking halachic problem: the widespread custom (minhag Yisrael) to stand during the public reading of the Aseres HaDibros (Ten Commandments), despite the Rambam (רמב"ם)'s strong objection in Teshuvos Pei'er HaDor. The Rambam categorically opposes this practice, calling it "darkei haminim" (the ways of heretics) because standing only for the Ten Commandments implies they have special superiority over the rest of the Torah (תורה)—a belief the Rambam attributes to non-believers. The Gemara (גמרא) in Berachos explains that Chazal originally abolished the daily recitation of the Aseres HaDibros precisely "mitnei haminim"—to counter those who claimed the Ten Commandments were uniquely important. The Rambam goes so far as to say that anyone who stands only for the Aseres HaDibros should be prevented from doing so, and he compares allowing this minhag to making healthy people sick. Yet the widespread Jewish custom persists, not only for the Aseres HaDibros but also for Oz Yoshir (the Song at the Sea). How can we justify minhag Yisrael in the face of such fierce opposition? The shiur's central insight turns on understanding what Kriyas HaTorah (public Torah reading) fundamentally is. Rabbi Zweig identifies a basic chakira (conceptual division): Is Kriyas HaTorah a din of Talmud (תלמוד) Torah—studying the Sefer Torah that Moshe wrote—or is it a din of shemiyas nevuah—hearing over the prophecy that Moshe spoke? This question emerges from a careful analysis of the Rambam's formulation in Hilchos Tefillah. The Rambam states that Moshe instituted Torah reading on Shabbos (שבת), Monday, and Thursday "so that three days should not pass without shemi'as Torah" (hearing Torah)—not without "Talmud Torah" (studying Torah). The Rambam's precise language suggests that the mitzvah (מצוה) is to hear the prophetic word, not merely to study the written text.
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Parshas Yisro, Aseres HaDibros
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What is the primary purpose of the cities of refuge - protecting the accidental killer or something else? The shiur argues that creating respect for law takes precedence over providing sanctuary. True deterrence comes from recognizing the gravity of murder itself, not fear of punishment.
