Parshas Yisro

“And Yisro, the minister of Midian… heard all that Hashem had done for Moshe and the Jews”(Exodus 18:1). Yisro, the advisor to Pharaoh who was banished after standing up for the Jews, the father-in-law of Moshe, and the religious priest of Midian, went on a deep soul- searching journey. With honesty and logic, he scoured the earth, delving into each religion and tossing them one by one into the waste basket of hypocrisy, contradiction, and immorality. Yet now, he sees the awesome miracles that Hashem performed for His people that culminated in the exodus from Egypt, the world superpower. This compels him to proclaim, “Now I know Hashem is greater than all gods, yes, by the result of their very schemes against [the people]” (Exodus 18:11). The commentator Ramban explains that Yisro wasn’t just making a casual statement; he was speaking as a former expert in every known theology. He compares the “scheming” of the Egyptians to the specific “measure-for- measure” justice of Hashem. The Egyptians, for example drowned Jewish babies in water to destroy the Jewish nation. Hashem, in turn, destroyed them by drowning them in the sea.

An amazing story of intellectual honesty. But why did Hashem delay the telling of the story of us receiving the Torah at Mount Sinai just to tell us a seemingly random non-Jew was inspired and joined us?

The answer reveals a breathtaking lesson. Hashem created the world and because of our heritage and choices of our forefathers, we have a special place in perfecting Hashem’s world. But we are not in a bubble. Hashem’s plan requires the whole world, even non-Jews, to achieve an understanding of the Creator and His kindness. While, yes, we are the chosen nation, we are chosen not for special perks and priority boarding. We are chosen for the mission of spreading His light and being partners in perfecting His creation.

The Zohar (kabbalah) notes that Pharaoh, the most powerful non-Jewish king, and Yisro, the most knowledgeable non-Jewish priest, must both submit to Hashem’s will for Hashem to give us the Torah and fulfill our destiny.

Every action we do in public can bring more light to the world. Not by encouraging conversion, but by doing good things we bring Hashem’s creation a step closer to that ultimate perfection. May Hashem bless us with the strength to work on ourselves, let that light spill over to the world around us, and bring the day we always pray for when the whole world will know ‘Hashem is One and His name is One.’