Yisro

 בס״ד

Yisro

A d'var is a word, or simply a thing,

And letters make up each d'var,

But each letter itself is a note in G-d’s song,

Which at Sinai we heard from afar.

The Aseres Hadivros are not ten words,

And for certain not only ten things,

Imperatives, they are, on how to relate,

To each other, and also our King.

So why call them Aseres Hadivros?

Why not mitzva, tzivui or chok?

Plus the Torah itself never bothers to count,

We’re told: “All these d’varim G-d spoke”.

I’m thinking that words can be like letters too,

When they follow along in succession,

And each phrase or idea is itself a d'var,

To which the sum of its words gives expression.

Every utterance is only a part of the whole,

Each thought crucial to the intent,

They must harmonize into a minyan of song,

For the larger d’var to make sense.