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Parshat Yitro
2006
The Role of Human Innovation
In the portion of the Torah we read this coming Shabbat, Parshat Yitro, Moshe's father-in-law, Yitro, comes to greet the children of Israel after they have crossed the Red Sea. Yitro was a priest who had served many gods, and when he saw what HaShem had done for Israel, he blessed God as greater than all other gods. Later, when he saw Moshe judging the people all day long, he questioned Moshe's actions - basically saying he was crazy to do this all by himself.
Instead, Yitro suggested Moshe set up a system of judges, whom he would instruct, to decide matters of law for the people. Only the major cases would then be brought to Moshe. Moshe willingly accepted this suggestion, and the people also bought into it, thus establishing both a judiciary and an educational system, as this system of judges would also be a mechanism for transmitting the law.
In terms of storyline, this comes right after Israel has been saved from Egypt and Pharaoh (with all that he represents) destroyed, and before they reach Mount Sinai and the giving of the law, matan Torah.
Makes perfect sense, no?
Yet, two oddities stand out. The first is that this suggestion comes from "outside of the camp." On the one hand, this is not surprising. Those who appreciate therapy, consulting or good friendships can attest to the benefits of an outside perspective. However, there is a longstanding religious question that exists about whether wisdom, and what kind of wisdom, exists outside of Israel. Given Yitro's pedagogic role in establishing the first Torah educational institution, it would seem that there is such wisdom, and perhaps not just on technical details. Yet, perhaps we can take this line of thought even further with our next consideration.
The second oddity is perhaps a bit more substantive. The interplay between Moshe and Yitro, and institutionalization of this legal/educational system took place before the giving of the law on Mount Sinai. Not to say that Moshe didn't have what to teach (and I am not suggesting going down this road, as I am sure HaShem gave Moshe enough Torah previews to share in their earlier interactions), but don't you think God might have provided a teacher's guide to go with the Torah? (Or at least a student workbook?) Or, perhaps more to the point, why didn't Moshe wait to see what the whole package looked like, and whether it included such a teacher's guide, before setting up this system?
Given that this system continued after the giving of the law at Mount Sinai, it clearly had its merits. So what can we learn from this?
First and foremost, there is room for human innovation and wisdom when it comes to bringing Torah to the world. Divine revelation is not the only source of wisdom in the world, nor is it a one-way street. If revelation implies that there is one source of truth (i.e. God) and one distribution system (i.e. fireworks at Mount Sinai or the pronouncements of the prophets), then acceptance of Yitro's initiative and recommendations contradict this.
Yitro offers an alternative to divine wisdom, complementary as it was. Moshe and Israel affirm the acceptability of this non-revelatory innovation, thus setting an example for other possible contexts. And the fact that the source was from outside the Jewish people further enhances possibilities for learning from "the other" and benefiting from wisdom in other cultures and peoples. As it says in the Midrash Tanchuma 4, "Why is he called Yitro (from the root YTR - to add)? Because he added a parsha to the Torah."
Given this understanding, it is important that the interchange with Yitro and the development of the system of judges take place before the actual revelation at Mount Sinai - thereby highlighting the role of independent human thought and action. Were it to take place afterward, there would always be interpretations that link this innovation to the revelation at Sinai, thereby minimizing the role and possible scope of such non-divinely instigated wisdom.
Furthermore, in addition to highlighting the role for human innovation, Yitro's recommendation, and the establishment of a cadre of judges drawn from the people themselves, leads to a more egalitarian system, with maximum access and "ownership" of the Torah by the people.
There are many lessons we can see from this Torah portion, such as how vision requires an implementation strategy to be successful; the importance of effective institutions, educational and judicial, for molding and modeling a culture; and the notion of Lo Bashamayim Hi, that the Torah is not in heaven - i.e. divine and inviolate - but a part of the world for us to explore, interpret and understand.
Credit to Rav Alex Israel of Midreshet Lindenbaum, whose divrei Torah helped inform this one.
Prepared by Keith Krivitzky, associate director of development
Learn More
Additional commentaries and text studies on Parshat Yitro at MyJewishLearning.com.
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