"And Yitro heard...." So begins our sedra, one of only six named for a specific person; in this case, Moshe's father-in-law. But what exactly did Yitro hear? Rashi answers: "He heard of the splitting of the sea and about the war with Amalek."
Question: Other commentators add that Yitro heard about a third cataclysmic event - the giving of the Torah. So why did Rashi exclude that? Furthermore, if, as Rashi says, Yitro only heard about k'riat Yam Suf and Amalek, why is his "hearing" not recorded in last week's parshat B'Shalach, where these two events are specifically mentioned?
One more question: The parsha tells us that "Yitro had heard about all that HaShem had done for Moshe and B'nei Yisrael." Then, when he is greeted by Moshe, we are told: "And Moshe recounted for Yitro all that HaShem had done to Pharaoh and Egypt for the sake of Israel." If Yitro had already heard all this, why did Moshe have to tell it to him again?
Okay? Confused enough? So let's try to figure out what is happening here. Yitro heard about all the amazing events that G-d had wrought for Israel. But hearing, though a good start, is not enough; Yitro had to see with his own eyes what was going on. He had to meet the witnesses first-hand.
Moshe then not only told him the facts of what had happened, but he explained why G-d did it: "Because HaShem loves Israel, and wants to do good" for them (see Bamidbar 10:29-32). Moshe - who had a "clear eye" view of things throughout his life, until the day he died - applied a Torah "spin" to all these events. So, Yitro's story rightfully belongs in our sedra, in which the Torah is given.
But when all is said and done, it remains unclear whether Yitro casts his lot fully with Am Yisrael, whether he joins us in Israel or whether he goes back to the "old country" of Midian. I suggest that is the reason why Rashi leaves out the third item - Matan Torah - since Yitro's commitment may fall short of 100%. (Unlike Ruth, who goes "all the way", and embraces our religious and national ideals. Perhaps that is why we still name Jewish girls Ruth, but I don't hear of too many boys named Yitro.)
The lesson from all this: hearing (Sh'ma) is crucial (it is the first mitzvah a Bar Mitzvah boy does); seeing is the next stage, processing what we have heard and understanding what it all means; but the last, pivotal step is to act upon what we have heard and understood.
Yitro's response to Moshe is vayichad Yitro. Chad can mean "point" in Hebrew. In other words, hear the musar, see its message, but if you don't do anything about it, then what's the point?
Question: Other commentators add that Yitro heard about a third cataclysmic event - the giving of the Torah. So why did Rashi exclude that? Furthermore, if, as Rashi says, Yitro only heard about k'riat Yam Suf and Amalek, why is his "hearing" not recorded in last week's parshat B'Shalach, where these two events are specifically mentioned?
One more question: The parsha tells us that "Yitro had heard about all that HaShem had done for Moshe and B'nei Yisrael." Then, when he is greeted by Moshe, we are told: "And Moshe recounted for Yitro all that HaShem had done to Pharaoh and Egypt for the sake of Israel." If Yitro had already heard all this, why did Moshe have to tell it to him again?
Okay? Confused enough? So let's try to figure out what is happening here. Yitro heard about all the amazing events that G-d had wrought for Israel. But hearing, though a good start, is not enough; Yitro had to see with his own eyes what was going on. He had to meet the witnesses first-hand.
Moshe then not only told him the facts of what had happened, but he explained why G-d did it: "Because HaShem loves Israel, and wants to do good" for them (see Bamidbar 10:29-32). Moshe - who had a "clear eye" view of things throughout his life, until the day he died - applied a Torah "spin" to all these events. So, Yitro's story rightfully belongs in our sedra, in which the Torah is given.
But when all is said and done, it remains unclear whether Yitro casts his lot fully with Am Yisrael, whether he joins us in Israel or whether he goes back to the "old country" of Midian. I suggest that is the reason why Rashi leaves out the third item - Matan Torah - since Yitro's commitment may fall short of 100%. (Unlike Ruth, who goes "all the way", and embraces our religious and national ideals. Perhaps that is why we still name Jewish girls Ruth, but I don't hear of too many boys named Yitro.)
The lesson from all this: hearing (Sh'ma) is crucial (it is the first mitzvah a Bar Mitzvah boy does); seeing is the next stage, processing what we have heard and understanding what it all means; but the last, pivotal step is to act upon what we have heard and understood.
Yitro's response to Moshe is vayichad Yitro. Chad can mean "point" in Hebrew. In other words, hear the musar, see its message, but if you don't do anything about it, then what's the point?