Parshas Yisro

The Aseres Hadibros are written twice in chumash, with a number of differences. We tend to believe, based on Chazal, that the version in this week’s parsha is what was written on luchas rishonim- the one we received on 7th day of Sivan and was broken when we sinned with the eigal. The version that we read in Parshas V’eschanan is luchas shneios- what was returned to us on Yom Kippur after we were forgiven for the eigal. One of the differences is the way the commandment for Shabbos is stated. In luchas reshomin it starts with the word ‘zachor’- remember the Shabbos. This is the mitzvas asseh- positive commandment of Shabbos. In luchas shneios we are told the negative commandment of Shabbos- the commandment opens with the word ‘shomer’- watch the Shabbos. Clearly both versions were said and heard at kabolas hatorah at Sinai as we are taught; זכור ושמור בדיבור אחד נאמרו. The two different versions of aseres hadibros was what we understood from it. Luchas rishonim, when we heard zachor and shomer we understood that the focal point was zachor and shomer was just an added dimension. At luchas shneios we understood shomer, and zachor was just an added dimension.
One can contemplate who brings more pleasure to Hashem, a tzadik- one who dedicates his life to Hashem and never did anything against His will- or a baal teshuvah- one who struggles in his fight with the yetzer horah. If we judge them by their deeds, the tzadik is definitely greater. A perfect tzadik has never strayed from Hashem’s ways. Every deed he does, every word he utters, every step he takes, every detail in his life brings glory to Hashem’s name. His very nature is one of perfection and deveikus b’Hashem. On the other hand, a baal teshuvah, while he struggles to be close to Hashem, he still does many things that distance him from Hashem. He does not enjoy the deveikus b’Hashem that a tzadik does.
Yet we are taught במקום שבעלי תשובה עומדין אין צדיקים גמורין יכולין לעמוד. In a sense a baal teshuva is greater than even the greatest tzadik. We can judge them by the hard work they put into their avodas Hashem. For a tzadik to do good comes natural, his body and soul are programmed to do Hashem’s will. A baal teshuvah struggles all his life for Hashem’s glory, every waking hour of his day he is a soldier fighting to do what’s right. The toil he puts in to do what’s right, is what makes him greater.
Luchos rishonim was given to Klal Yisroel at their point of perfection. Klal Yisroel, with the luchos rishonim were to be free of sin, free of the yetzer horah and free of death - a nation of tzadikim only capable of glorifying Hashem’s name. Had we physically gotten the luchos we would have kept that level and been an eternally perfect nation and brought perfection to the world. But we didn’t manage to bring the luchos down to the world. With the sin of the eigel, we lost the luchos, the handiwork of Hashem was smashed before our eyes, the broken pieces lie at the foot of the mountain. We put ourselves back into the world of imperfection. We now struggle to keep ourselves holy and close to Hashem. We are a nation of baalei teshuvah.
One, who is pure in all ways and has distanced himself from all wrongdoing, must be told only of the positive commandments. His main avodah is running after mitzvos. His greatest pleasure is to actively serve Hashem with love. The negative commandments aren’t really necessary for him for there is no will to do any wrong. A baal teshuvah, on the other hand, must first be told of what not to do- the negative commandments, and only then can he be told of the positive mitzvos, how to actively serve Hashem.
Parshas Yisro relates to the level we were on when we received the first luchos- on the level of tzadikim. In luchos reshonim Shabbos is given to them as a positive commandment- zachor. In parshas V’eschanan Klal Yisroel was after the sin of the eigal- on a lower level, a level of baalei teshuvah. Luchos achronim came to an imperfect nation, what they had to hear was the negative commandment- shomer.