Parshas Yisro

This week's parsha is one of the most famous in the Torah, because it recounts the events of the giving of the Torah on Har Sinai. We are told in great detail of the awesome spectacle of how Hashem revealed of His glory to Klal Yisroel, and gave us the Torah. One would expect such a dramatic parsha to have an equally dramatic ending. Yet for some reason, the parsha ends with Hashem commanding us not to have stairs leading up to the mizbei'ach - instead, it must be accessed only via a ramp. Why does the parsha dealing with such a lofty event end with such a seemingly mundane commandment - simply telling us the right way to reach the top of the mizbei'ach?

A popular answer to this question is that the commandment not to climb stairs to the altar is not merely a prohibition; it actually has a hidden lesson regarding the proper approach to spiritual growth. A staircase consists of many flat platforms; an object placed on any of these surfaces can rest peacefully, without rolling one way or the other. A ramp, on the other hand, is slanted all the way through; an object placed on it will roll downward, unless some external force continuously compels it upward. Likewise, the Torah is hinting to us that spiritual growth is like a ramp. One cannot be satisfied with his current spiritual status and rest on one of the "stairs" of complacency, content with his accomplishments. Rather, he must continuously strive to rise higher. Because when it comes to spiritual growth, if you are not ascending, then by definition you are automatically sliding back down the "ramp".

We should keep this message in mind whenever the Yetzer Hara tries to convince us that we're okay the way we are. Because no matter how good we are doing, we cannot afford to become complacent with what we have already accomplished. Of course, our past gains are extremely valuable, and we should be very proud of them; however, we should not use them as an excuse to allow ourselves to become stagnant in our Avodas Hashem. And when we continuously push ourselves up the spiritual ramp, then we can indeed climb higher and higher on the altar of Hashem.