(א) וַיִּשְׁמַ֞ע יִתְר֨וֹ כֹהֵ֤ן מִדְיָן֙ חֹתֵ֣ן מֹשֶׁ֔ה אֵת֩ כׇּל־אֲשֶׁ֨ר עָשָׂ֤ה אֱלֹהִים֙ לְמֹשֶׁ֔ה וּלְיִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל עַמּ֑וֹ כִּֽי־הוֹצִ֧יא יְהֹוָ֛ה אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל מִמִּצְרָֽיִם....
(ח) וַיְסַפֵּ֤ר מֹשֶׁה֙ לְחֹ֣תְנ֔וֹ אֵת֩ כׇּל־אֲשֶׁ֨ר עָשָׂ֤ה יְהֹוָה֙ לְפַרְעֹ֣ה וּלְמִצְרַ֔יִם עַ֖ל אוֹדֹ֣ת יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל אֵ֤ת כׇּל־הַתְּלָאָה֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר מְצָאָ֣תַם בַּדֶּ֔רֶךְ וַיַּצִּלֵ֖ם יְהֹוָֽה׃ (ט) וַיִּ֣חַדְּ יִתְר֔וֹ עַ֚ל כׇּל־הַטּוֹבָ֔ה אֲשֶׁר־עָשָׂ֥ה יְהֹוָ֖ה לְיִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל אֲשֶׁ֥ר הִצִּיל֖וֹ מִיַּ֥ד מִצְרָֽיִם׃ (י) וַיֹּ֘אמֶר֮ יִתְרוֹ֒ בָּר֣וּךְ יְהֹוָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֨ר הִצִּ֥יל אֶתְכֶ֛ם מִיַּ֥ד מִצְרַ֖יִם וּמִיַּ֣ד פַּרְעֹ֑ה אֲשֶׁ֤ר הִצִּיל֙ אֶת־הָעָ֔ם מִתַּ֖חַת יַד־מִצְרָֽיִם׃ (יא) עַתָּ֣ה יָדַ֔עְתִּי כִּֽי־גָד֥וֹל יְהֹוָ֖ה מִכׇּל־הָאֱלֹהִ֑ים כִּ֣י בַדָּבָ֔ר אֲשֶׁ֥ר זָד֖וּ עֲלֵיהֶֽם׃ (יב) וַיִּקַּ֞ח יִתְר֨וֹ חֹתֵ֥ן מֹשֶׁ֛ה עֹלָ֥ה וּזְבָחִ֖ים לֵֽאלֹהִ֑ים וַיָּבֹ֨א אַהֲרֹ֜ן וְכֹ֣ל ׀ זִקְנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל לֶאֱכׇל־לֶ֛חֶם עִם־חֹתֵ֥ן מֹשֶׁ֖ה לִפְנֵ֥י הָאֱלֹהִֽים׃
(1) Jethro priest of Midian, Moses’ father-in-law, heard all that God had done for Moses and for Israel, God’s people, how יהוה had brought Israel out from Egypt....
(8) Moses then recounted to his father-in-law everything that יהוה had done to Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel’s sake, all the hardships that had befallen them on the way, and how יהוה had delivered them. (9) And Jethro rejoiced over all the kindness that יהוה had shown Israel when delivering them from the Egyptians. (10) “Blessed be יהוה,” Jethro said, “who delivered you from the Egyptians and from Pharaoh, and who delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians. (11) Now I know that יהוה is greater than all gods, yes, by the result of their very schemes against [the people].”*yes, by the result of their very schemes against [the people] Meaning of Heb. uncertain. (12) And Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, brought a burnt offering and sacrifices for God; and Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to partake of the meal before God with Moses’ father-in-law.
(א)....הטעם על רדיפת מצרים בים. וביאת עמלק ורעב הקהל וצמאו. ומכולם הצילם ה':
(1) AND MOSES TOLD..... It refers to Egypt’s pursuit of Israel at the sea, the war with Amalek, and the thirst and hunger which the congregation suffered. God delivered them from all of these.
(א) ויספר משה לחתנו....(ב) את כל התלאה. שֶׁעַל הַיָּם וְשֶׁל עֲמָלֵק:
(1) ויספר משה לחתנו AND MOSES RELATED TO HIS FATHER-IN-LAW [ALL THAT THE LORD HAD DONE].... (2) את כל התלאה ALL THE TRAVAIL that they had experienced at the Red Sea, and that caused by Amalek (Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 18:8).
(א) עולה וזבחים לאלהים.... (ג) לפני האלהים. לפני המזבח אשר עליו הקריבו אותם הזבחים, אם שהיה אותו המזבח שבנה משה באבדן עמלק, אם שהיה זולתו ולא נזכר בנינו....
(1) עולה וזבחים לאלוקים. (3).... לפני האלוקים. in front of the altar on which they offered these sacrifices. It is not clear if this was the altar Moses had built after the victory over Amalek (in the event Yitro had arrived before the revelation at Mount Sinai) or if it had been another altar whose erection had not been especially mentioned by the Torah....
(א) וישמע יתרו. מַה שְּׁמוּעָה שָׁמַע וּבָא? קְרִיעַת יַם סוּף וּמִלְחֶמֶת עֲמָלֵק: (מכילתא): (ה) את כל אשר עשה. לָהֶם בִּירִידַת הַמָּן וּבַבְּאֵר וּבַעֲמָלֵק: (ו) כי הוציא ה' וגו'. זוֹ גְּדוֹלָה עַל כֻּלָּם (שם):
(1) וישמע יתרו AND JETHRO HEARD — What was the particular report which he heard so that he came? — The division of the Red Sea and the war with Amalek (cf. (Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 18:1:1; Zevachim 116a).
(5) את כל אשר עשה ALL THAT [GOD] HAD DONE for them through the falling of the Manna and through the well (cf. Rashi on Numbers 21:17) and by the defeat of Amalek. (6) כי הוציא ה׳ וגו׳ THAT THE LORD HAD BROUGHT FORTH etc. — this was greater than all other things, and is therefore singled out for mention (cf. Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 18:1:5).
N. Sarna (JPS Torah Commentary): to inquire of God - "this biblical phrase originally meant to seek divine guidance in a situation in which human wisdom has unavailingly exhausted itself. Here it has acquired a legal nuance with the sense of "seeking a judgment or decision," "Making judicial inquiry." This usage reflects the conception of true justice as being ultimately the expression of the will of God communicated through the human judge."
And thus the people did with the [later] prophets, just as it is said, In former times in Israel, when a man went to inquire of G-d, thus he said: Come and let us go to the seer.92I Samuel 9:9. The matter there concerned the finding of Saul’s lost asses. The prophet was Samuel. Similarly, Go meet the man of G-d, and inquire of the Eternal by him, saying: Shall I recover from this sickness?93II Kings 8:8. The speaker is Ben-hadad, king of Aram, and he is sending Hazael to the prophet Elisha, who had come to Damascus. meaning that the prophet should pray for his recovery and that he should inform him if his prayer was accepted. This is also the meaning of the verse, and she [Rebekah] went to inquire of the Eternal,94Genesis 25:22 (Vol. I, p. 316). as I have explained there.
“Moreover,” [Moses continued], “I adjudicate matters between them, when they have a matter, it cometh unto me, and I judge.95Verse 16. And I also teach them Torah, and I make them know the statutes of G-d and His laws.”95Verse 16.
(א) שם שם לו. בְּמָרָה נָתַן לָהֶם מִקְצָת פָּרָשִׁיּוֹת שֶׁל תּוֹרָה שֶׁיִּתְעַסְּקוּ בָהֶם, שַׁבָּת וּפָרָה אֲדֻמָּה וְדִינִין (סנהדרין נ"ו):
(1) שם שם לו HERE HE MADE FOR THEM [A STATUTE AND AN ORDINANCE) — At Marah He gave them a few sections of the Torah in order that they might engage in the study thereof; viz., the sections containing the command regarding the sabbath, the red heifer and the administration of justice (Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 15:25; Sanhedrin 56b).
(א) אם שמוע תשמע לקול ה' אלהיך.... אבל אם תקבל עליך עתה ואחר תבגוד, ישים עליך כהנה וכהנה בלי ספק. וזה היה כענין אמרם ז"ל גר הבא להתגייר אומרים לו, הוי יודע שעד שלא באת למדה זו, אכלת חלב אינך ענוש כרת, חללת שבת אינך חייב סקילה, ועכשו אכלת חלב אתה ענוש כרת וכו' (יבמות מז א):
....The implication was that betraying G’d’s trust would have painful consequences. The entire experience is a reminder of the manner in which the Rabbis relate to a potential convert to Judaism. One does not present Judaism in rosy attractive colours so as to encourage him to convert, but on the contrary, one apprises him first and foremost of the עול המצות, “the yoke of the commandments,” telling him of all the things he would have to forego by joining the Jewish people, i.e. the Jewish religion. Moreover, one advises him that whereas up until now he was able to eat certain foods, such as chelev, not only would he no longer be able to eat these foods, but violation of the commandment would carry the penalty of karet, loss of entitlement to his afterlife, etc. Only after he has duly absorbed this information does one proceed with teaching him the intricacies of Judaism. What happened at Marah was preparatory to accepting Judaism at Mount Sinai.