When Jethro comes to visit Moses and Israel, the Torah details how he reacted to the news of the rescue of Israel from the hands of the Egyptians. The Torah says vayihad Yitro, which is generally translated as ‘Jethro rejoiced’. Yet Rashi brings a different interpretation, which links the word to the root for shivering or his flesh crawled. This he explained was Jethro’s reaction to the destruction and suffering visited upon the Egyptians. Rashi then quotes a saying that one should not insult non-Jews in front of a convert. This seems to be a rather surprising suggestion, that there is some special racial sensitivity in converts to negative Jewish attitudes to the non-Jewish world. Yet another comment of Rashi puts a different slant on this idea. Jethro no sooner arrives than he starts giving Moses advice. The way he administers justice alone is not good, with people waiting to be heard from morning to night. Here, Rashi comments that Jethro’s specific concern was with ‘the honour of Israel’. It was intolerable that the Jewish people should have to suffer the indignity of waiting all day for justice, and for this he reproved Moses. Putting these to cases together, we can see a somewhat different picture emerging. It is not that Jethro as a convert has a special concern for the honour of non-Jews. It is that he has a special sensitivity in general for human dignity, something that may be less obvious in those born Jewish. Why should this be so? Jews are born into a religion but also an ethnic group. Like members of other ethnic groups, we can sometime be self-absorbed in our own story, and less sensitive to the needs of others. Yet Judaism is also a faith with a universal vision. On Succot, we offer sacrifices for all the nations of the world. We are meant to be a light to the nations, yet sometimes that light is hidden by our preoccupation with ourselves. Converts, who join us from outside our insular ethnicity, bring with them something very special. They both remind us of our universal mission and often inject a needed sensitivity to the needs and opinions of others. This is what Jethro brought to Moses, That sensitivity was a necessary prerequisite to the giving of the Torah, given to the Jews but, through our observance of it, also a light to all the nations.

ALIYAH BY ALIYAH SYNOPSIS

Rishon	Jethro arrives with Moses‘ wives and sons and is warmly welcomed.
Sheni	Jethro gives Moses advice on setting up a judicial system.
Shelishi	Moses takes his advice.
Revi’i	G-d proposes a covenant between Himself and Israel.
Chamishi	The Jews accept the covenant and are told to prepare for Revelation. This occurs amid a volcanic eruption
Shishi	G-d speaks the Ten Commandments.
Shevi’i	The consequences of the covenant.
Haftorah	Isaiah: 6;1-7;6, 9;5-6: Isaiah’s vision of G-d.

 Sidra Statistics

Parshat Yitro

·         has 72 verses ;

·         is the 5th in Exodus, 17th in the Torah

·         shortest in Exodus, 47th longest in the Torah

·         has 3 pos + 14 neg = 17 mitzvot.