Reflections from Rabbi Ellis

Yitro is the fifth Parsha in the second book of the Torah. Parshat Yitro is an apex in human history, a moment that in spite of our constant striving, we have not been able to get back to for over three thousand years. In our Parsha G!d and the nation of Israel meet at Sinai. Everything after that is just details. Our Parsha is famous because G!d gives the Ten Commandments to Israel in the sixth Aliyah. More important, but less recognized is the fact that G!d makes us a nation and gives us our purpose in this Parsha. This is where we as a nation become obligated in the Mitzvot. This is the week that Jewish history begins, everything until now is just preamble.

What we witness in this Parsha is the creation of the Jewish people, why then is the first half of the Parsha dominated by the visit of Moshe’s father-in-law, Yitro, to the camp of Israel. While Yitro does give Moshe important advice regarding how to organize the judicial and education system of the young nation of Israel, creating a society that has one educator for every ten households, there are two more essential lessons to be learned from G!d putting Yitro’s visit before Sinai.

The first lesson is about humility, both of our leaders and of the Torah itself. At the beginning of the Parsha we are staring down revelation at Sinai. Until now society has relied on observation and experience to develop wisdom. Only in our Parsha does G!d start revealing to the world, through Israel, his plan and purpose for creation and how to fulfill it. In this week’s Parsha the whole nation of Israel attains prophecy. After such an experience, when truth becomes so clear, how can we ever accept any other wisdom that is not revealed directly to us by G!d? Thus before telling us about the revelation at Sinai, G!d tells us how a human, a reformed idolator even, has an idea that is so good that it is added to the Torah. Before revelation G!d emphasizes the value of human intellect and wisdom and that it can come from any person. G!d makes it clear that revelation does not replace intellect and wisdom, rather it gives them a goal to strive towards. 

At the beginning of the Parsha, after Moshe greets his father-in-law he invites him to take part in a sacrificial offering. The sacrifice that Yitro offers can only be offered by Jews, thus we see that Yitro converted and joined the nation of Israel. Before the revelation at Sinai, where Jewish nationhood and identity are established, G!d tells us that an essential part of our nation are those who choose to be a part of it. Before the boundaries between us and them, between Israel and the other nations, are established G!d makes it clear that those borders will always be porous, allowing in all who love G!d and Israel, and make our mission theirs as well. 

Shabbat Shalom!