Yitro (Exodus 18:1-20:23)
OVERVIEW
After leaving Egypt, Moses and the Israelites meet up with Jethro, Moses's father-in-law, who also reunites him with his wife and son. Jethro observes Moses's daily schedule as chief administrator, judge, and teacher of Israel, and worries that he is taking on too much responsibility. He advises him to delegate the responsibilities of justice and administration to different levels of leadership, so that disputes can be resolved quickly and fairly. In the third month out of Egypt, God calls to Moses and tells him to prepare the people for a great revelation at Mount Sinai. After three days of preparation, the Presence of God is revealed on the mountain with smoke and lightning and shofar blasts. Moses leads the people to assemble at the foot of Mt. Sinai. God summons Moses to ascend the mountain and instructs him to emphasize the prohibition against anyone being on the mountain during Revelation. Moses then descends and, standing among the people at the foot of the mountain, God speaks the Ten Commandments to the entire people.
IN FOCUS
"...the man bowed and kissed him and asked the peace of his dear one." (Exodus 18:7)
PSHAT
Jethro, Moses's father-in-law, who is a Midianite Priest, has heard about all the goings on in Egypt and what God did for Moses and Israel. Jethro gathers upon Zipporah, his daughter who is Moses's wife, and their two sons, and brings them out to the wilderness to meet Moses. After hearing of the amazing events that happened to the nation led by Moses, Jethro also decides to join the Israelites for a while. Moses, hearing that they are coming, goes out to greet his family. The Torah tells us that Moses went out to greet Jethro and, "the man bowed and kissed him and asked the peace of his dear one."
DRASH
There is ambiguity in the Torah text. Who bowed to whom? The Hebrew does not make it clear. Who was the one to make this grand gesture of respect? Was it Jethro, the Midianite priest, who kissed Moses, or did Moses, the son-in-law, a man of God, leader of millions of people, run to greet his father in-law, a Midianite priest, and bow and kiss him?
Rashi refers us to Numbers 12:3, where Moses is called "the man Moses". Obviously, Rashi concludes, the words, "the man bowed and kissed him" in our portion must mean that same man - Moses. Why, then, did the Torah choose a seemingly convoluted way to tell us that Moses bowed before his father-in-law? Would it not have been easier to tell us simply that "Moses bowed and kissed him and asked the peace of his dear one"? Why did the Torah use the words "the man" and send us all the way to the Book of Numbers to learn who "the man" was?
Perhaps a story can help:
A Rabbi was trying to contact a friend who was vacationing at a hotel in Florida. After a few rings, the hotel operator, an elderly, southern black woman who worked at the hotel for three decades, politely informs the Rabbi that the man he is seeking is not in his room. "Would you like to leave a message?" she asked.
"Sure," responded the Rabbi, "tell him that Rabbi Shapiro, called."
The woman at the other end gasped. "Rabbi Shapiro?" she drawled. "Did you say you were Rabbi Shapiro?"
She sounded like she knew the name well! "Yes." he responded, "Why do you ask?"
"Are you," asked the operator, "by any chance, related to the famous Rabbi Shapiro?"
There was silence. The Rabbi could not imagine that this woman knew of his grandfather, the renown Rabbi Shapiro, considered a great sage. The woman continued, "You know, he passed away about ten years ago at the end the winter."
She definitely had her man, thought the Rabbi. Still in shock, he offered a subdued, "Yes, I'm his grandson."
"YOOOU ARE?" she exclaimed, "well I'm sure glad to talk to you! Cause your grandpa -- he was a real good friend of mine!"
Again the Rabbi was astonished. "You say that Rabbi Shapiro was a good friend of yours?"
"Sure! Every morning Rabbi Shapiro would come to this hotel to teach some sort of Bible class. Now my desk is about ten yards from the main entrance of the hotel. But every morning he made sure to come my way, nod his head, and say good morning to me. On his way out, he would always stop by my desk and say goodbye. Oh! Yes! He was a great Rabbi, but he was even a greater man. He was a wonderful man. He was a real good friend of mine!"
The Torah could have told us the narrative an easier way. It could have simply told us that Moses bowed before Jethro. But the Torah wanted to tell us more. It tells us that it was "a man" who kissed Jethro. Moses's actions in showing respect to Jethro were more than just common courtesy, they were the acts of a mentsch. Rashi realized this when he chose to draw our attention to the passage from the Book of Numbers, because the text continues:
It was the man Moses, who was exceedingly humble, more than any one on the face of the earth. (Numbers 12:13)
DAVAR AHER
"When they have a matter, it comes before me..." (Exodus 18:16)
Why does the text not read: "When they have a matter, they come before me"?
Because Moses viewed each case as if the matter, rather than the individuals involved, had come before him. This means that he treated each "matter" impartially and objectively, without regard to the personalities or other extraneous considerations involved. (from Wellsprings of Torah)
