Yitro - Stepping Stones to Basic Jewish Knowledge - Torah with a Capital T

1. NOW JETHRO HEARD. ....I will now explain why the chapter dealing with Jethro was inserted here. It was placed here because Scripture had just mentioned the evil that Amalek did to Israel. The Torah wants to contrast it with the good that Jethro rendered Israel. Scripture notes, And Jethro rejoiced for all the goodness which the Lord had done to Israel (v. 9) and that he gave proper and correct counsel to Moses and Israel.... Now because Scripture states in the preceding chapter, the Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation (Ex. 17:16), namely, that when God gives Israel rest they are obligated to wage war against Amalek, the Torah mentions the account of Jethro. For the descendants of Jethro lived in proximity to the nation of Amalek, and the Torah wants Israel to remember the kindness that Jethro demonstrated so that they do not harm his seed....

AND FOR ISRAEL HIS PEOPLE. God's people, or the people of Moses. It is possible that the lamed should be translated as "because" (instead of "to" or "for"), that is, because of Moses and Israel, the reference being to the plagues and the drowning of Pharaoh. (This way, the phrase can be translated as "Jethro...heard of all that God had done because of Moses and because of Israel.")

1. ALL THAT GOD HAD DONE TO MOSES AND TO ISRAEL HIS PEOPLE. The marvel He did for Moses were the kindness and goodness He wrought with him, i.e., that he should always be able to come before Pharaoh and not be afraid of him, and that he should inflict the plagues upon him until they went out from Egypt--he and the people with him--Moses being a king to them.

And Rabbi ibn Ezra wrote, "l'Mosheh ul'Yisrael means 'for Moses and Israel.' The intent is with regard to the plagues and the drowning of Pharaoh" [which God wrought for the sake of Moses and Israel, His people]. And so it appears from the opinion of our Rabbis, who said: "Moses was equal to Israel, and Israel to Moses."

for Moses and for Israel: Moses was equal to all of Israel. [Mechilta]

all that…had done: for them with the descent of the manna, with the well, and with Amalek.

that the Lord had taken Israel out…: This was the greatest of them all. — [from Mechilta]

וישמע יתרו, the word שמיעה for hearing is used when recording or referring to something which did not occur at the time it is being reported. When one hears of something which is just happening, the Torah uses the term ראיה, “seeing,” i.e. first hand knowledge of something. It does not matter whether the sound of the happening comes from a distant location or is nearby within one’s eyesight.... However, if we understand the words כי הוציא as meaning כאשר הוציא, “when He took out,” we must understand Yitro as saying that he had heard all that God had done for Israel at the time when He took them out of Egypt. This would include a reference to all the plagues, the drowning of the Egyptians army, etc. It was this information which had prompted him to journey into the desert himself instead of sending a messenger who would accompany Tzipporah and her children so that they would be reunited with their husband/father. He was primarily motivated by his quest for God.

Another explanation of NOW JETHRO...HEARD. It is written, The wise shall inherit honour (Prov. III, 35) --this refers to JEthro; what [great] honour he inherited when he visited Moses!

And he said unto Moses: I thy father-in-law Jethro am coming unto thee (18:6). R. Joshua said that he sent a messenger unto Moses; R. Eliezer said that he sent him a letter with the request: 'Do it for my sake; and should you be unwilling to do it for my sake, then for the sake of your wife, and if you are reluctant to grant my request for her sake, then do it for the sake of your children.' R. Eleazar said: God told Moses: 'Go forth.' AND HE SAID UNTO MOSES. God said: 'I am He who commanded the world to come into existence,' as it says, God, God, the Lord, hath spoken, and called the earth (Ps. L, I). 'I am He who bringeth near and who removeth fat,' as it says, Am I a God near at hand, saith the Lord, and not a God afar off? (Jer. 23, 23). 'I am He who hath brought Jethro near and not thrust him off afar; for this man who is coming to Me is coming for a godly purpose--to become a proselyte. Do thou also bring him near and do not cast him off.' Thereupon we at once read: AND MOSES WENT OUT TO MEET HIS FATHER-IN-LAW (28:7). The [Sages] said: With Moses, there also went out Aaron, Nadab and Abihu and seventy of the elders of Israel; some say that the ark also went out with them. For this reason does it say, 'The wise shall inherit honour.'

Another interpretation: "And Yitro Heard": He was called by seven names. Yeter was his name while he was yet an idolater. As it says: "He returned to Yeter his father-in-law"(Exodus 4:18). Once he converted, an extra letter (vav) was added to his name, just as was done to Avraham, and he was then called Yitro. Another interpretation: Yitro, because he increased (yiter) a section of the Torah, i.e. "And you shall see from amongst the people" (Exodus 18:21).