“And Moshe's
father in law, Yitro, the minister of Midyan, heard all that G-d had done for
Moshe and for Yisrael, His people, that Hashem had taken Yisrael out of Egypt.”
(Shemot 18:1)
Moshe and Bnai Yisrael are joined in the wilderness
by Moshe’s father-in-law, Yitro. Yitro brings with him Moshe’s wife and their
two children. However, Yitro did not
embark on this journey only to reunite Moshe and his family. Yitro had received
news of the events in Egypt and the redemption of Bnai Yisrael. According to our Sages, Yitro was so
impressed by these events that he converted to Judaism.[1]
There is a substantial dispute among the
commentaries regarding the timing of these events. Nachmanides observes that events in the Torah are not always
presented in chronological order.
However, we should assume that the events are narrated chronologically
in instances in which there is no concrete evidence to the contrary. In this instance, there is no reason to
assume that the events presented are not chronologically arranged. Therefore, Nachmanides asserts that Yitro
came to the encampment of Bnai Yisrael immediately after the confrontation with
Amalek.[2]
Rabbaynu Avraham ibn Ezra disagrees with
Nachmanides’ position. He argues that
there is significant evidence that Yitro came to Bnai Yisrael’s encampment
after the giving of the Torah. According
to Ibn Ezra, the events related in our parasha
are not presented chronologically. Our parasha first relates Yitro’s arrival at
the encampment and later describes the events of revelation. This order is opposite the order in which
the events actually occurred.
Of course, this raises an obvious question: Why does the Torah depart from a
chronological presentation of events?
Ibn Ezra suggests that the Torah abandons a chronological presentation
in order to juxtapose Yitro’s support of Bnai Yisrael with Amalek’s hatred. In response to Amalek’s aggression and
hatred, we are obligated to destroy it.
In contrast, we are obligated to recognize the support of Yitro. We express this recognition by acting with
kindness towards his descendants. Ibn
Ezra observes that this lesson has a practical application: Yitro’s descendants lived in proximity to
Amalek. Bnai Yisrael is commanded to
destroy Amalek. However, we must take
care to not wage our war against Amalek in an indiscriminate manner. We must be careful to provide for the safety
of Yitro’s descendants even when battling Amalek.[3]
The roots of this dispute between Ibn Ezra and
Nachminides are found in the Talmud. The Talmud describes a dispute between
three Sages on the meaning of our passage.
Our passage tells us that Yitro heard of all that Hashem had done for
Bnai Yisrael and of their redemption from Egypt. These Sages ask: What
specifically did Yitro hear? What was
the specific news, or report, that encouraged him to join the Jewish
people? One Sage suggests that Yitro
heard of the war with Amalek. The
second opinion is that he heard of the giving of the Torah. The final opinion is that he heard of the
splitting of the Reed Sea.[4]
Two of these positions are easily understood. The parting of the Reed Sea revealed
Hashem’s omnipotence. His omnipotence
is evidence that He is the Creator. We
can understand Yitro’s decision – based on this awesome demonstration – that he
must devote himself to the service of Hashem.
We can also appreciate the opinion that Yitro was inspired by the giving
of the Torah. In the revelation, Hashem
revealed Himself to Bnai Yisrael and gave to them the Torah. Hashem – the Creator – provided humanity
with His guide to life. We can
understand Yitro’s decision as a response to revelation. However, it is difficult to understand the
third opinion. According to this
opinion, Yitro joined Bnai Yisrael in response to the war with Amalek. What aspect of this war motivated Yitro’s
decision? Bnai Yisrael’s defeat of
Amalek was miraculous. However, this
was not the greatest miracle that the nation had witnessed to that point. It certainly did not compare with the
plagues in Egypt or the splitting of the sea.
Why would this event motivate Yitro to join the Jewish people?
In order to answer this question, it is important to consider the context of
this dispute. All three opinions are
expressed in response to a single question:
What news did Yitro hear and convert?
In other words, what specific information of events motivated Yitro’s
decision to convert? We can assume that
the Sages regarded Yitro as a righteous convert. Yitro made his decision based upon proper and laudable
motives. If we accept this assumption,
then we can rephrase the Talmud’s initial question: What was Yitro’s – the ideal convert – motive for conversion?
Again, two of the responses are easily
understood. However, with our
reformulation of the Talmud’s question, we can understand these two responses
more clearly. One Sage suggests that
Yitro’s conversion was a response to the splitting of the Reed Sea. This miracle revealed Hashem as the
omnipotent Creator. Yitro recognized
that he must abandon all other worship and devote himself to the service of the
one true G-d. Another Sage suggests
that Yitro’s conversion was a response to the revelation at Sinai. We can easily understand this
motivation. Hashem gave His people a
way of life. Yitro recognized that
Hashem’s instructions for living provided the ideal model for human existence. He wished to adopt the Torah life. It remains difficult to immediately grasp
the third opinion. Why was the war with
Amalek a proper motivation for conversion?
However, now that we understand that these Sages are
discussing proper motivations for conversion, we can understand this third
position. But first, we must review key
elements of Amalek’s attack on Bnai Yisrael.
Why did Amalek attack Bnai Yisrael? Amalek was not threatened by Bnai
Yisrael. Bnai Yisrael had not been
given their land and would not attempt to conquer Amalek. Obviously, Amalek’s
attack was not motivated by practical, territorial considerations. What was Amalek’s motivation? Apparently, Amalek was unable to tolerate
the existence of Bnai Yisrael and the message communicated by their redemption
from Egypt. In other words, Bnai
Yisrael’s experiences in Egypt demonstrated Hashem’s providence, His
omnipotence, and His special relationship with the Jewish people. Amalek’s attack on Bnai Yisrael was an
attempt to silence these messages.
Amalek’s attack on Bnai Yisrael marked the emergence of a great divide. Bnai Yisrael was not just another nation
among the family of nations. Instead,
Bnai Yisrael and the messages that their existence communicated evoked
antipathy, hatred and opposition. With
Amalek’s attack, two opposing forces emerged.
Bnai Yisrael’s existence and experiences communicate a new world-view
and perspective. Amalek represents
those nations that are opposed to this view and seek to destroy Bnai Yisrael
and their message.
We can now understand the third opinion. Yitro was
motivated to convert by the war of Amalek.
Yitro recognized that the nations of the world were choosing sides. He did not feel he could remain a passive
observer of this battle. He, too, had
to choose between two opposing world-views and he chose to align himself with
Bnai Yisrael.