The Weekly Sedra – Yisro – Stand Up and Be Counted

It is said in the name of Rabbi Shalom Dov Ber of Lubavitch (the fifth Lubavitcher Rebbe), that there are three progressive levels in the way something can be heard:

A) To hear with one’s ears – listen. B) To hear with the mind – comprehend. C) To hear with all 248 limbs of the body – to sense the subject matter throughout one’s entire being. (Told in the name of Reb Mendel Futerfass)

Of the many Biblical heroes, few, if any, are honored with a Parsha named after themselves, not even Avraham or Moshe. This of course, makes Yisro all the more unique.


Yisro was not only privileged to have a Parsha in the Torah bear his name; he was even-more-so awarded a highly distinguished section within the Torah. The portion containing the most auspicious event in the annals of human history – known as Matan Torah – the miraculous Revelation at Sinai – is called “Yisro.”

What merited Yisro this great honor? What lesson is the Torah conveying by linking Yisro with this celebrated episode?

Our Parsha relates that upon hearing what the Almighty had done for Israel, Yisro was so affected that he actually left Midian and joined the fledgling nation of Israel in the desert. “Yisro, the minister of Midian, the father-in-law of Moshe, heard everything that G-d did to Moshe and to Israel, His people – that G-d had taken Israel out of Egypt. . . And Yisro the father-in-law of Moshe came to Moshe with his sons and wife, to the Wilderness where he was encamped by the mountain of G-d.” (Exodus 18:1-5)

While Ancient Midian may not have been a world power like Egypt or Babylon, it was nonetheless a very prosperous and thriving nation, and Yisro was its undisputed leader. Still, when he “heard all the Lord had done for Moses and his people Israel,” Yisro left the luxuries and comforts of Midian and joined the Jewish people in the parched desert.

Yisro was not the only one to hear about what the Almighty had done to Egypt. The entire world knew that G-d had destroyed Egypt and redeemed His people. “Nations heard and trembled with fear,” states the verse (Exedos15:14). The next morning, however, it was back to bacon and eggs. None considered making any meaningful changes in their lives. After a few days it was all but forgotten, as Martin Luther King would say: “We’re a two week nation.” Yet, while the rest of the world remained undaunted, Yisro was moved to the point of action.

What prompted Yisro to give up his royal honors – his power, estates, and luxurious lifestyle? What had he “heard” that so enamored and transformed him?

Rashi, quoting the Talmud (Zevachim 116b), asserts that Yisro was inspired by the miracles of the Splitting of the Sea and the War with Amalek. While both these events were common knowledge to the rest of the world community, Yisro reacted to these miracles with an epiphany-type realization. Hence, he abandoned his position as the Priest of Midian to join the Jewish nation in the wilderness. While nobody else cared enough to bat an eye, Yisro heard and came. He would never be the same person again.

Upon reflection, one could imagine that the splitting of the sea was a phenomenal miracle – the kind of wonder that might’ve motivated Yisro into action. But what was so inspiring about the battle with Amalek? Was the victory in this war more miraculous than the Ten Plagues and the Exodus of Egypt?

The commentaries note that the Ten Plagues and the Exodus had, in actuality, engendered within Yisro a profound sense of belief in the G-d of Israel. These stunning wonders have indeed led Yisro to the recognition of G-d’s mastery over the world. But they did not motivate him to change his life. Despite his newfound understanding of divinity, he was content to live as a “righteous gentile” in Midian, for the rest of his life.

As far as Yisro was concerned, the world had once and for all become cleansed and transformed through the annihilation of the wicked Egyptians, mush as he himself had become changed and metamorphosed by those events. There was hence no need to do anything.

However, the Chutzpah of Amalek – his unprovoked attack on Israel – coming as it did immediately after the splitting of the sea – had shaken him to his core.

How could this happen? How could the extraordinary wonders which the Almighty performed on behalf of the Israelites have so little impact on Amalek? Surely, Amalek had not missed this major news event. Yet, out of sheer malice, he chose to attack the Jewish people. He was willing to cut his nose to spite his face – to sacrifice everything – just so that truth and holiness would not sustain its enormous recent victory.

To Yisro this was astounding. The notion that in the face of overwhelming evidence of G-d’s existence there would still remain opposition was insidious. The fact that the inconceivable Divine miracles failed to subordinate and transform the rebellious and defiant evildoers was proof of an extremely nefarious level of evil and falsehood – a resistance to holiness and truth far beyond anything he had ever imagined.

In light of this epiphany, Yisro saw the need to change his paradigm of Divine service. He came to understand that only by lending his actual support to the anti-evil forces – could this deep form of evil be stemmed.

It had become abundantly clear to him that the battle between good and evil in this world is a perpetual reality. It had become further obvious that in this essential war over the cosmos, one is either part of the solution or part of the problem. There can be no neutrality.

Yisro’s epiphany and resulting sate of mind has established the prologue and mindset for receiving the Torah. It sets the stage for Divine revelation on all levels and spheres for all times – the historic and macrocosmic, as well as the routine and microcosmic.

In order to receive the Torah and Divine revelation, we must collectively, as a nation and as individuals, be willing to uncompromisingly search for and pursue truth. We must also be willing to make the necessary changes when confronted with that truth.

We all encounter moments of inspiration that lift us above the mundane routine of our everyday lives, moments when we experience a mystical joy that changes our entire perspective. But how do we capture that momentary feeling? How can we make it a permanent part of reality? Only by taking a step forward can we anchor these transcendent feelings in our hearts and employ them in the transformation of our world.

Knowledge and inspiration are wonderful attributes but unless translated and transformed into action they are for naught.

The underlying lesson of Yisro’s story is that every single human being must stand up and be counted in the battle against the dark forces of impurity and depravity. Every act of every human is carefully weighed and tallied. It serves as the precious antidote – the only counterbalance – to the Amalekiet toxins of Chutzpah and decline.

We must never underestimate the power of every act of every individual in tipping the cosmic scale to the side of good and holiness. The smallest act of goodness, be it a good word or a kind smile, is worth more than a hundred useless inspirations. May our actions finally reach the tipping point and hasten the era of redemption and reward, with the coming of the righteous Moshiach.

The Author welcomes your comments: rabbi@chabadjacksonville.org