- Yitro brings his daughter Zipporah and her two sons, Gershom and Eliezer, to his son-in-law Moses. (18:1-12)
- Moses follows Yitro's advice and appoints judges to help him lead the people. (18:13-27)
- The Children of Israel camp in front of Mount Sinai. Upon hearing the covenant, the Israelites respond, "All that God has spoken we will do." (19:1-8)
- After three days of preparation, the Israelites encounter God at Mount Sinai. (19:9-25)
- God gives the Ten Commandments aloud directly to the people. (20:1-14)
- Frightened, the Children of Israel ask Moses to serve as an intermediary between God and them. Moses tells the people not to be afraid. (20:15-18)
by Carroll Greenfield
This Parashah in part tells us about Yitro (Jethro) Moses’ father-in-law, and his journey from his home in Midian to the wilderness where Moses and all the Jewish people were encamped. Yitro brought Zipporah, Moses’ wife, and her two sons Gershom and Eliezer.
After they met and embraced, Moses related to Yitro all the trials and cruelty that the people had endured under Pharaoh’s harsh treatment. He described the plagues that the Lord had visited on the Egyptians to persuade Pharaoh to release the people he had enslaved. He further described how Pharaoh finally released them, but not before the slaying of the Egyptian first born. Moses went on to describe the subsequent flight and the crossing of the Sea of Reeds. He told of the Israelites difficult trek and the hardships they endured on their journey into the wilderness and how the Lord had preserved them.
Yitro rejoiced over the kindness the Lord had shown in delivering the people from Pharaoh and the Egyptian people. He was convinced by these wonders and declared that the Lord is greater than all other gods.
The next day Yitro observed Moses sitting as Magistrate and adjudicating disputes among the people. Moses sat all day as a crowd of people awaited their turn to have their case heard. Yitro found this scene disturbing and told Moses that this was not right. He said if he continued he would wear himself out and counseled Moses to choose “capable men who fear God, trust-worthy men who spurn ill-gotten gain. Set these men over the people as chiefs of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens, and let them judge the people at all times.” Yitro tells his son-in-law, Moses to handle only the most difficult cases.
Moses listened to this advice and did what Yitro suggested. He set trusted people to handle most of the disputes and Moses handled only the toughest cases himself. Having seen Moses heed his words Yitro returned to his home in Midian.
This is just the beginning of the story and I cannot help but think about how this part suggests the seeds of future law enforcement and judicial systems.
There are some wonderful lessons within this story. First, the warning not to micromanage, because you will just wear yourself out, is certainly still good advice today.
Second, listen to what people you respect have to say and adopt their suggestions if they make sense. We can still learn from that today.
Looking back at the dramatic events that occurred so many years ago, may evoke some awe-inspiring images. Consider the panic, misery and pain the people must have experienced during this traumatic period. Can we even imagine the degree of chaos that was occurring as the Israelites were scurrying to start their journey to freedom, first across the Sea Of Reeds and then into the wilderness? Is it possible to close our eyes for just a moment and see the utter pandemonium and fear those people must have had to endure?
The giving of the Ten Commandments by the Lord to Moses and the receiving of them by the Israelites established what would become an unbroken chain of guidelines to civilization. This amazing group of God’s instructions has spread from this event and seeped down through the ages, and was subsequently adopted by many other religions and countless nations.
It is interesting to recall that this was just one of many instances of the Jewish people having to start over and reinvent themselves. Consider the courage that we Jews have had to demonstrate repeatedly in order to maintain ourselves as a people and a nation.
While not mentioned in the Parashah, it does remind us that we are encouraged to heal the world. It is wonderful to see the many varied ways there are for us to fulfill that mission. I believe we all grow when we try to find our own path to accomplish that.