Parshat Yitro Rabbi Chaim Brovender

An investigation into the personality of Yisro is in place. Why was his arrival, on one view, necessary for the receiving of the Torah (it precedes the giving of the law)? Alternatively, why was his presence necessary for the absorption of the Torah (coming after receiving the law)?

Further, Yisro chooses to leave along the march to Canaan before the people arrived at their destination and despite Moshe’s attempt to convince him to stay. These are important matters, but we will address other questions.

After arriving in the camp, Moshe begins to tell Yisro how G-d saved the people and about their journey into the desert. Yisro's reaction is remarkable:

"Yisro rejoiced over all the goodness that Hashem had done for Yisrael, that He had saved them from the hand of Egypt" (18: 9).

In the first part of the verse, Yisro exhibits great compassion and is able to rejoice though he himself was not saved. He specifically refers to their salvation “from the hand of Egypt” (miyad mizrayim).

Yisro continues: "Blessed be Hashem who rescued you from the hand of Egypt and from the hand of Pharaoh; who rescued the people from [under] the hand of Egypt" (18: 10).

The verse presents an unexpected development: a non-Jew is first to bless G-d for the redemption of the Jews from Egypt. Yisro’s words are well chosen; they exemplify words of blessing (bracha). Yisro said: “Baruch Hashem…” (Blessed be G-d), and his blessing became a model, adopted by chazal, the standard form for all blessings.

In the Talmud, this fact is seen as an embarrassment: "[Yisro’s words] are an embarrassment for Moshe and the six hundred thousand who did not formulate a blessing for G-d. It is Yisro who did it first." (Sanhedrin, I 94a). Yisro understood that the correct response to the goodness that Hashem bestowed upon the people was to say, “Baruch Hashem…”. Yisro’s position is endorsed when chazal select his words as the proper form for all brachos.

There is another hiddush, a creative insight, into the words of Yisro. His praises, repeated three times, that G-d rescued Israel from, 1) "the hand of Egypt", 2) “…from the hand of Egypt and from the hand of Pharaoh”, and again, 3) “from [under] the hand of Egypt" (18: 9-10) call for comment.

Rashi explains that the "hand of Egypt" means that Egypt was a hard nation. The "hand of Pharaoh" means that Pharaoh was a hard king. And third, "under the hand of Egypt" means that the Egyptians would lay their hand heavily upon the people. This refers to the labor that they were forced to do."

Yisro’s comments show an awareness of the burden of Israel’s suffering. His blessing acknowledges the harshness of their oppressors, the physical labor of slavery, and that Israel had nearly lost their own identity becoming completely subservient to the Egyptian rule (“under the hand of Egypt”). In that state, the people did not really have any claim on redemption. They were unable to distinguish themselves from the Egyptian conquerors, and oppressors. Yisro understood the situation and constructed a blessing appropriate to their circumstance. Only Yisro (apparently) understood that the people were close to loosing their independence and that their salvation was more impressive than they imagined. With this awareness, he was able to bless G-d for a Providence that rescued Israel from their total peril: “Boruch Hashem…”.

Gut shabbos,
Chaim Brovender

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