Parshat Yithro 5778: The Wisdom Which Brought a Torah-Based Legal, Judicial System

Shalom Friends;

This week, our Parshat HaShevua, Yithro is being sponsored by R’ Kalman Menachem & Rebbetzin Doba Shapira and family of Ramat Beit Shemesh dedicated for the Geula Shleima for kol Klal Yisrael. To the Shapira family, many thanks for your sponsorship and for your continued kindnesses.

You can celebrate a Simcha — a birth, a Bar/Bat Mitzvah, a Chassuna or other Simcha event in your life, or commemorate a Yahrtzeit of a loved one, or for whatever other reason by sponsoring a Parshat HaShevua.

Please forward to your relatives and friends and encourage them to sponsor a Parshat HaShevua. And please be in contact with me with any questions, or for further details.

Best Regards,

Moshe Burt
olehchadash@yahoo.com
skype: mark.burt3
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Parshat Yithro 5778: The Wisdom Which Brought a Torah-Based Legal, Judicial System

by Moshe Burt

We learn that when Yithro had heard all that Hashem had done for B’nai Yisrael, he left Midian with Tzippora and Moshe’s two sons and went to join with the Jews. Sefer Shemos, Perek 18, posuk 9 states “Vayichad Yithro” which Rashi renders as Yithro “rejoiced” at seeing B’nei Yisrael free of Mitzri bondage, at seeing K’riyat Yom Suf and at B’nei Yisrael’s victory over Amalek.

We note that Hashem named only four Parshiyot of Torah for biblical personalities: three of these personalities earned this merit either through their role at a crucial time in human or Jewish history — such as Noach before and during the Flood, or Pinchas, whose action regarding Zimri and Kozbi ended a plague of Jewish death and brought Hashem’s conveyance upon him the Kehuna and eternal life. And we know that Balak had a Parshat named for him and that B’nei Yisrael would always recall the evil perpetrated against them by his biblical axis of evil with Bila’am and how the temptation and seduction of the yeitzer hora jeopardized the Jewish nation — a battle in which Am Yisrael has yet to decisively and finally prevail.

Yithro, Moshe’s father-in-law merited a Parshat titled in his name by virtue of his contributions toward forming and solidifying B’nei Yisrael and bringing them closer to HaKadosh Borchu.

Yithro, by virtue of what could be understood to be his background in governance as a counsel to Pharaoh, was well positioned to provide counsel to Moshe regarding the formation of a Jewish legal and judicial system — a system which merited inclusion in Torah and which exists to this day as the ideal legal and judicial system within governance in a true Jewish,Torah-oriented sovereign nation, and which would again serve as the legal, justice system in days of the Moshiach and the Ge’ula Shleima.

Yithro counseled Moshe:

“‘The thing you do is not good.. You will surely weary — you as well as the people that is with you — because for this matter is heavier than you, you will not be able to do it alone. Now heed my voice, I shall advise you, and may Hashem be with you…'” (Sefer Shemot, Perek 18, posukim 17-19 as rendered to English in The Sapirstein Edition, The Torah with Rashi’s Commentary )

The Sapirstein Edition, The Torah with Rashi’s Commentary provides commentary on posuk 19:

(Mechilta) “May Hashem be with you” is not a blessing in the sense of “May He aid you and give you the strength to succeed.” ….Rather, Yithro says, I will advise you, but accept my advice only if Hashem agrees to it.” (Gur Aryeh) The Targumim and Ibn Ezra see Yithro’s statement here as a blessing.

Rav Zelig Pliskin writes in his sefer “Growth Through Torah” (page 183):

Yithro saw that Moshe took total responsibility for helping the Jewish people in spiritual matters. He foresaw that Moshe would eventually wear himself out. Therefore he advised Moshe to delegate authority and by this means share the burden with others. People who devote their time to helping others need to learn from this. It is very easy for an idealistic person to suffer from burnout by accepting too great a burden upon himself. One must be aware of his limitations. If you are not careful and you overextend yourself, you are likely to wear yourself out. Not only will you suffer but all the people you could have helped if you had not burned yourself will suffer…

Torah relates (Sefer Shemot, Perek 18, posukim 21-22 as rendered to English in the Artscroll Stone Chumash):

“And you shall discern from among the entire people, men of accomplishment, G’d-fearing people, men of truth, men who despise money, and you shall appoint them leaders of thousands, leaders of hundreds, leaders of fifties, leaders of tens. They shall judge people at all times, and they shall bring every major matter to you, and every minor matter they shall judge, and it will be eased for you, and they shall bear with you.”

The Artscroll Stone Chumash (page 399) provides additional commentary:

Yithro conceded that some of Moshe’s functions could be carried out only by him. Thus, Moshe would continue to be the intermediary between Hashem and Israel, bringing His prophecies to them [presumably the people] and their [presumably the peoples’] complaints and requests to Him. Also, Moshe would teach them the general laws of the Torah. However, for the adjudication of disputes, which would require application of the laws and the evaluation of evidence, Yithro suggested a system of delegated authority.

This concept of dividing responsibilities amongst qualified individuals with solid principles and integrity seems applicable as a lesson in delegation for those who would aspire to form a faith-based governance in contemporary medinat Yisrael.

So, here we are in 2018, 5778, under generations of an ever-increasingly leftist, socialist bureaucracy and agenda, socialist, man-made laws (i.e British Mandate law, etc.) entrenched in every facet of Israel’s governmental and bureaucratic systems. And, aside from equivocal governance regarding Jewish sovereignty in Eretz Yisrael and indecisiveness in war rather than outright defeat of Muslim enemies who would destroy and eradicate us, we are confronted with an entrenched, prejudiced law enforcement, legal and justice system.

There is still no leader strong enough, and with backing of a sufficient infrastructure based on solid Jewish principles, integrity and dedication, to go to elections, win and form a duly elected government to take down and eradicate this old engrained socialist, leftist, dictatorial mess — Israel’s version of the “Deep State Swamp”, and build toward a real Torah governance and Torah-mandated legal, justice system. There is no leadership anywhere in the offing, derech hateva, to bring about a fair and just law enforcement, legal and judicial system based on kindness for the merciful and cruelty toward the cruel and murderous, instead of the other way around.

And although a particular candidate may himself possess the above desirable attributes for faith-based national leadership and governance, a sign as to why he is continually stifled in campaigns for leadership could well be that the masses of the governed, of Am Yisrael remain dumbed-down and blinded to the truth by an elitist leftist intelligencia, academia, media and are as yet not sufficiently erudite and, thus not prepared for such faith-based governance. In that case, it would seem that all sectors of observant Jewry in Eretz Yisrael MUST get on the same page in order not to continue to fall victim of the dominance of secular, equivocal, anti-Torah, disdainful and Jewish self-loathing governance.

May we, the B’nei Yisrael be zocha that our brethren — the refugee families from Gush Katif be permanently settled and be made totally whole — be totally restituted for all that was stolen from them and that the expelled families of Amona be restored to their rebuilt homes, at government expense; both due to alt-leftist-agendized, supreme court legalized Yassamnik gunpoint. May our dear brother Jonathan Pollard be liberated and truly free — only upon his return home to Israel, and that the MIAs be liberated alive and returned to us in ways befitting Al Kiddush Hashem, as should the remains of the two chayalim from the Gaza War of three and a half years ago. May we have the courage and strength to stand up and physically prevent the possibility of Chas V’Challila any future eviction of Jews from their homes and prevent Chas V’Challila the handing of Jewish land over to anyone, let alone to enemies sworn to Israel’s and Judaism’s destruction and eradication. May we fulfill Hashem’s blueprint of B’nai Yisrael as a Unique people — an Am Segula, not to be reckoned with as with “the nations” and may we be zocha to see the Moshiach, the Ge’ula Shlaima, as Dov Shurin sings; “Ki Karov Yom Hashem Al’Kol HaGoyim”, the Ultimate Redemption, bimhayrah b’yamainu — speedily, in our time”, — Achshav, Chik Chuk, Miyad, Etmol!!!

Good Shabbos!
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Moshe Burt, an Oleh, is a commentator on news and events in Israel and Founder and Director of The Sefer Torah Recycling Network. He lives in Ramat Beit Shemesh.
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