It Takes Action to Impress Jethro

When Jethro, priest of Midian, Moses’ father-in-law heard of all that God had done for Moses and for Israel His people, that God had brought them out of Egypt...          Exodus 18:1

          Rashi comments: What was the particular report that he heard? The splitting of the Red Sea and the battle against Amalek. Rashi’s source is the Talmudic discussion [Zevaḥim 116a):

What report did he (Jethro) hear that brought him to convert? Rabbi Yehoshua says, he heard of the battle against Amalek and came; Rabbi Elazar the Moda’i says he heard of the giving  of Torah and came; Eliezer ben Yaakov says he heard of the splitting  of the  Red Sea and  came

            It is interesting to note that Rashi quotes two of the three opinions expressed in the Talmud, while excluding that of Rabbi Elazar haModa’i.

            Re’em (Rabbi Eliyahu Mizraḥi), in his supercommentary on Rashi asks why it is that Rashi omits the third Talmudic opinion. Siftei Ḥachamim answers that there is a difference of opinion in the Talmud (Zevaḥim, ibid.) whether Jethro arrived before or after the giving of the Torah (Rashi himself notes this argument in his commentary on verse 13). Therefore, Rabbi Elazar haModai’s opinion cannot be universally accepted, as it presupposes Jethro’s arrival before giving Torah. Hence, Rashi leaves this opinion out.   My father sharpened the point by noting that Rashi (in his own words) is an exponent of p’shat, the simple meaning of the text, and the p’shat would assume that the verses are in chronological order, i.e. Jethro indeed arrived before the Torah was given.

            My father noted that there is a substantive difference between the two miracles Rashi notes and giving the Torah. Giving the Torah was exclusively God’s action. However, the splitting of the Red Sea and the battle of Amalek each involved the active participation of the Children of Israel in God’s miracle. Our Sages tell us that the Red Sea split only once Naḥshon ben Aminadav, Prince of Judah jumped into the water. At the battle of Amalek the Israelites, lead by Joshua, actively fought against their adversary.

            Seeing that the People of Israel were ready to do their part, rather than merely awaiting God’s miracles, Jethro understood that there is optimism for the future of Israel, and he was moved to join them.