11 Feb PARASHAT YITRO: LEARNING FROM YITRO’S EXAMPLE

After the Torah told
of Beneh Yisrael’s
departure from
Egypt, it spoke of
their experiences
in the desert. It
described the great miracles performed for
them, showing us how G-d cared for our
ancestors and ensured their sustenance and
protection. All these stories were leading
to what we might call the “crescendo,” the
purpose for which Beneh Yisrael left Egypt –
their receiving the Torah at Mount Sinai.
We find, however, one section which seems
out of place. Just prior to the story of Matan
Torah, the Torah found it necessary to tell us
about the arrival of Yitro, the father-in-law of
Moshe Rabbenu. The Torah goes into great
detail, informing us of the great honor with
which Moshe and the other leaders welcomed
Yitro, and of how Yitro assisted Moshe by
advising him to establish a network of judges.
Why is this narrative included as part of the
Torah’s presentation of the events that led to
Matan Torah? Why is this story significant
enough to be mentioned just prior to the
Revelation at Sinai?

Rav Leibele Eiger (Poland, 1818-1888), in
Torat Emet, explains that this story is told to
teach us that nobody should ever despair. Yitro
was a pagan priest, and the Sages tell that he
explored and practiced every form of idolatry
before finally arriving at the belief in the one,
true G-d. His arrival, and his acceptance by
Beneh Yisrael, teaches us that it is never too
late for a person to embrace the Torah. Once
Yitro made the decision to join Beneh Yisrael,
his idolatrous past did not matter. He did not
say to himself, “Why should I bother? They
have been part of this religion since the days
of Abraham, Yishak and Yaakob. It’s too
late for me. I’m from a pagan background,
and I’ve always been a pagan. I was even a
priest! I can’t suddenly come now, at my age,
and join them!” Yitro did not think this way.
Because once he decided to embark on this
new journey, he was warmly accepted and
embraced.
This is the critically important message that
the Torah wished to convey to us before telling
us about Matan Torah. It wanted to teach us
that it is never too late to accept the Torah. No
matter how old we are, and no matter what
we’ve done in the past, we are still encouraged
to “come to Sinai,” to commit ourselves to the

Torah, and build a relationship with Hashem.
There is also an additional lesson we learn
from Yitro.
The opening verse of Parashat Yitro describes
Yitro as “Kohen Midyan,” which is commonly
translated as “the priest of Midyan.” Indeed,
Yitro was a pagan religious leader. However,
Rashi, commenting to the first instance of
the word “Kohen” in the Torah (“Admat
Ha’kohanim” – Bereshit 47:22), writes that
sometimes, this word denotes prominence
and prestige, and not a position of leadership.
Importantly, Rashi cites the verse in our
Parasha – “Kohen Midyan” – as an example
of where “Kohen” is used to mean distinction,
as opposed to religious leadership. According
to Rashi, then, the Torah here emphasizes
that Yitro was a distinguished person, who
enjoyed wealth and prestige. And, several
verses later in our Parasha (18:5), the Torah
states that Yitro came “El Ha’midbar” – “to
the desert.” Rashi comments that the Torah
speaks in praise of Yitro, who “sat in the glory
of the world” – with wealth and honor, and
gave it all up to join Beneh Yisrael in the
barren desert. Yitro, the “Kohen,” enjoyed
material comforts and prestige, but he decided
to sacrifice it all to come to the desert.

Yitro shows us that in order to accept the
Torah and be part of G-d’s treasured nation,
one needs to make sacrifices. One cannot
expect to commit himself to Torah without
giving up some comforts, conveniences and
luxuries. Of course, we are not expected to live
in a “desert,” with only our bare necessities,
as our ancestors did for forty years. We are,
however, expected to make sacrifices, just as
Yitro did. Torah life is exceedingly rewarding,
but we must be prepared to put in the work, to
exert effort, and to make sacrifices. The story
of Yitro is told before Matan Torah to remind
us that in order to fully commit ourselves
to Torah study and observance, we must be
prepared to give up certain comforts and
conveniences in exchange for the unparalleled
joy and privilege of serving our Creator.