(14) And when Moses’ father-in-law saw all that he did to the people, he said: ‘What is this thing that you are doing to the people? why do you sit alone, and all the people stand about you from morning until evening?’ (15) And Moses said to his father-in-law: ‘Because the people come to me to inquire of God; (16) when they have a matter, it comes to me; and I judge between a man and his neighbor, and I make them know the laws of God, and His Torah.’ (17) And Moses’ father-in-law said to him: ‘The thing that you are doing is not good. (18) You will surely wear away, both you, and this people that is with you; for the thing is too heavy for you; you are not able to perform it alone.
- What possible motivations could Yitro (Jethro) have had for giving this unsolicited advice to Moshe?
- What factors made Yitro a good advisor for Moshe?
- As an elder of our community, what do you appreciate about the way this advice was delivered? Is there anything you would do differently?
(א) משֶׁה קִבֵּל תּוֹרָה מִסִּינַי, וּמְסָרָהּ לִיהוֹשֻׁעַ, וִיהוֹשֻׁעַ לִזְקֵנִים, וּזְקֵנִים לִנְבִיאִים, וּנְבִיאִים מְסָרוּהָ לְאַנְשֵׁי כְנֶסֶת הַגְּדוֹלָה. הֵם אָמְרוּ שְׁלשָׁה דְבָרִים, הֱווּ מְתוּנִים בַּדִּין, וְהַעֲמִידוּ תַלְמִידִים הַרְבֵּה, וַעֲשׂוּ סְיָג לַתּוֹרָה:
(1) Moshe received Torah from Sinai and transmitted it to Yehoshua, and Yehoshua to the Elders, and the Elders to the Prophets, and the Prophets transmitted it to the Men of the Great Assembly. They said three things: Be deliberate (careful, mild) in judgment, raise (cause to stand) up many students, and make a fence (living boundary, hedge) for the Torah.
Questions for discussion:
- Transmitting information from generation to generation with high fidelity is tough - what guidelines are provided for that process in this text? Are they good guidelines?
- What differences in understanding of the text do you see from the italicized nuances?