D'var Torah

In this week’s Torah portion, Yitro, we are reintroduced to Moses’s endearing and accepting father-in-law, Jethro (or Yitro in Hebrew). Moses and Jethro have not seen each other since Moses left his simple life as a shepherd to free the Israelites from Egypt. They greet each other outside Moses’s tent with the warmth of two people who love and respect each other: “And Moses went out to meet his father-in-law, and he bowed down and kissed him, and each of them asked of the other’s well-being” (Exodus 18:7).

When they entered the tent together, Jethro hears the entire distressing tale of the exodus from Egypt and exclaims, “Blessed is the Lord who has rescued you from the hand of Egypt and from the hand of Pharoah, who rescued the people from under the hand of Egypt" (Exodus 18:1-11).

I love this simple sentence of praise and response because I think Jethro teaches us a meaningful lesson on how to communicate with someone who has just completed a journey that has been both heroic and harrowing. First, we understand that Jethro listens deeply and attentively while Moses describes what occurred. And, from Jethro’s response, we can imagine that Moses shared his own emotional dread facing Pharoah and his army. While Jethro’s response does focus on gratitude to God, he first recognizes how miraculous it is that Moses escaped the clutches of Egypt and Pharoah alive. Jethro sees how his quiet, unassuming son-in-law has just faced the challenge of a lifetime and has come to the other side.

Then, Jethro acknowledges the communal miracle of the freedom of the Israelite nation. By starting with his personal relief to see his son-in-law unharmed and then expanding to the greater gift of freedom for an entire people, Jethro allows Moses to reflect on his personal and communal victory in Egypt.

There is no doubt in my mind that Moses must have suffered emotional trauma from his experiences in Egypt, both as a child and now as an adult. Jethro knows Moses more intimately than most and is immediately able to use the trust the two share to empathize with Moses’s experience and extoll his courage.

May we use the wisdom of Jethro in our lives when we see those around us on a journey that might take an emotional toll on them. May we open ourselves up to listen to them and encourage them, to see their humanity and hear their pain. May we, like Jethro, be present with our loved ones in the moments they need it most.

Shabbat Shalom,

Cantor Rachel Rhodes