In this section, we will post a new D'var Torah each week, written specifically for this site.
Dvar Torah - PARSHAT YITRO
Rav Chaim Solovetchik, Ramat Bet Shemesh.
Yitro was a thinker and a searcher. The Midrash Tanchuma states that Yitro served a different Avodah Zara each day, constantly seeking the true religion. His search ended when he heard about Am Yisrael.
Why was Yitro so impressed with Am Yisrael that he decided to leave Midyan and join Am Yisrael?
Rashi states that Yitro heard about the splitting of the Red Sea, the war with Amalek, the Mann, the Wellspring of Miriam and that Hashem freed Am Yisrael from their bondage in Egypt. All these miracles left an impact on Yitro, but which ones actually influenced his decision to become a member of Am Yisrael? Rashi emphasizes that although Yitziat Mitzrayim was the greatest miracle, Yitro did not join Am Yisrael immediately after that. The miracles that finally caused Yitro to come to the desert were the splitting of the Red Sea and the war with Amalek.
The other miracles that Yitro heard about were ones that were initiated by Hashem and did not require real involvement from Am Yisrael. For the Red Sea to split, Am Yisrael had to initiate the miracle by first entering the waters and becoming submerged up to their necks in the sea. To be victorious against Amalek, Am Yisrael had to fight. This initiation of action is what impressed Yitro the most. This is what he saw as the uniqueness of Am Yisrael.
The beauty of Am Yisrael is not only its passive acceptance of the will of Hashem, but the joining with Hashem to fulfill the ideal of Olam Chesed Yibanah. Being involved in acts of Chesed, initiating, and giving of oneself truly defines Am Yisrael.
Return to top