Yisro, the Ten Commandments and Tu b'Shevat

Q. Is it not an affront to Judaism that Yisro advised regarding our justice system rather than God Himself?

A. Clearly not. God recorded Yisro's words in the Torah, Yisro is held in high regard for his contribution, and he got a parsha named after him! We want people to be engaged in the process and Yisro is an excellent role model.

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Necessary background information: Ta’am elyon and ta’am tachton are two different forms of trop (cantillation) associated with the Aseres Hadibros (Ten Commandments). Ta’am elyon divides the dibros into ten sections and ta’am tachton divides them into twelve sections.

Q. If you are doing Shnayim Mikra v’Echad Targum pasuk by pasuk, which pasuk breaks do you use for the aseres hadibros – ta’am elyon or ta’am tachton?

A. Thanks for your question. Ta’am elyon is used for the public reading of the Torah and ta'am tachton is used for private reading. Therefore, ta'am tachton should be used for Shnayim Mikra, which is a private reading.

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Q. Do we give a portion of our fresh fruits of trees annually all at once on Tu Bishvat or do we give them after each individual harvest? After all, not all fruits are harvested at the same time of year, and fresh fruits are perishable at different rates.

A. We don't currently give tithes,* but you are correct that in a time when they were given, they were not given all at once. However, they need not be given fresh. A landowner might dry fruits, make wine from grapes, or make oil out of olives. These things have a much longer shelf life than fresh fruits, so produce sitting too long was not an insurmountable problem.

*A clarification: In Israel, tithes must still be separated from crops, it's just that many of these gifts cannot currently be eaten. See our series Hashoneh Halachos 2: Mishneh Torah for more information about tithes.

Rabbi Jack's book Ask Rabbi Jack is available from Kodesh Press and on Amazon.com.