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
What
report did he (Jethro) hear that brought him to convert? The splitting of the
Red sea and the battle against Amalek. Rashi
My
father suggested that it was the proximity of the splitting of the Red Sea and
the battle against Amalek which influenced Jethro
to come to his son in law Moses.
Our Sages tell us that
Pharaoh had three advisers: Balaam, who supported
Pharaoh’s plan to throw the male children of the Israelites to their deaths in the Nile; Job, who remained silent; and Jethro, who protested the plan and expressed his opposition. Based on this Midrash, Jethro
represents the enlightened liberal
gentile, who supports the human rights of minority groups.
After
the splitting of the Red Sea and punishment of the Egyptians, Jethro anticipated that the world would realize that the Egyptians
were punished because of their oppression of the
Israelites, and that Mankind in general would appreciate
that there is a God of justice Who punished the Egyptians. Yet, shortly after the Israelites crossed the Red Sea, they
were attacked by the tribe of Amalek. Not
only did Amalek disregard the lesson of the Red Sea, but no other nation spoke in defense of Israel, or came to
their aid against Amalek. It was the
failure of the “enlightened” world to learn and apply the lessons of history which brought Jethro to lose faith in the nations
of the world and to join Israel.
No comments:
Post a Comment