Some things
to note about the section we just read about Yitro and his interactions with
Moshe( read all of chapter 18 parashat Yitro):
1) He is depicted as a man of religious
commitment, hospitality and wisdom.
2) He gave shelter to Moshe when he was
fleeing Egypt, gave him his daughter, Zipporah as a wife.
3) He rejoiced in Israel’s good fortune,
declared that HaShem is greater than all the gods and made a sacrifice to
HaShem.
4) He gave Moshe sage advice about how
to administer justice
5) Later on in the book of Numbers,
Moshe will ask him to join Israel permanently as it conquests and settles
Canaan, and although he refuses he remains an admiring friend of Israel.
6) He had a significant influence upon
his son-in-law.
This was a
relationship of mutual respect ….between two religious leaders that found a common
denominator that bound them even beyond the familial tie that they shared.
Think about
what it would be like to be in Jethro’s position, entrusting the well-being of
your daughter and grandsons to the G-d of the Israelites that you had never
served. Perhaps that is why he brings
the sacrifice to Adonai. This was not an
act of conversion, Yitro was still a polytheist although he acknowledged the
unique power of the G-d of the Israelites.
Another
thought, what would it be like to be in Moshe’s position. Having been summoned by G-d to lead the
nation of Israel out of Egypt and into the wilderness, feeling solely
responsible for their well-being and then being told by your father-in-law that
you should be sharing the burden of so you don’t burn out! Moses was unique because he could hear the
criticism as constructive and wise, given out of love and respect, and
experience.
Some things
that come to mind:
1) Over the past several months I have
developed relationships with various ministers in this community with whom I
might never have interacted had it not been for our work on the Chaplaincy
Corps for the city of Lincoln. The
expressions of belief in G-d are varied, but there is definitely a conviction
that we share in the good works that we provide to individuals in need. There
is a respect for one another and a true desire to be supportive of each other
in times of need. I see this as not much
different than the relationship exhibited by Moshe and Yitro.
2) Individuals in positions of
leadership, and I include myself in that category, often make the same mistake
that Moshe was making, namely not delegating responsibilities to others. This was a topic of a recent webinar I
attended via USCJ on family engagement.
How do we share the responsibility, not burn ourselves out, and not take
such advantage of others who are willing to help that they too burn out. The area I see ourselves most successful at
this model of shared responsibility is in our sharing of davening and Torah
reading during services and in our sharing of tasks related to the mitzvah of
kavod ha-met, honoring the dead.
3) Individuals like Yitro, who maintain
their own religious convictions but support their children and grandchildren
who embrace Judaism can be seen as righteous gentiles. It is a phenomena which we see in families
all across this country. We owe them
deep respect because it is not easy see to a child take a path different than
one’s own. Yet, as can be seen via
Yitro, the love and mutual respect need not end because of such differences.
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