Jethro's Joy

 

 

 

Jethro rejoiced over all the good things the Lord had done for Israel that He rescued them from the Egyptians.                                      Exodus 18:9

Our Sages offered different opinions on the reason for Jethro's joy:

"Over all the good things": Rabbi Yehoshua says: "The goodness of the manna; (Moses) said to Jethro: 'In the manna which God gave us, we taste bread, meat, fish, grasshoppers, and all the flavors of the world.'"

Rabbi Elazar haModa'i says: "The goodness of the well[i]. (Moses) said to Jethro: 'From the well which God provided for us we can taste honey, milk, new wine and aged wine and all the flavors of the world.'"

Rabbi Eliezer says: "The goodness of the Land of Israel. (Moses) said to Jethro: 'God will give us the Land of Israel and the World to Come and a new world, the kingdom of David, the priesthood and Levites.'"

                                   Mechilta of Rabbi Shimon bar Yoḥai

Each of the Mishnaic Sages who expresses his opinion on the reason for Jethro's joy sees the wording of the verse as hinting that there are, in fact, multiple layers within the reason for his joy.

Rabbi Eliezer sees the reason for Jethro's joy as being the fact that the Nation of Israel will enter the Promised Land and following this, merit the World to Come, a new world, the kingdom of David and the service of the kohanim and levi'im in the Temple.

We may note two aspects of the opinion of Rabbi Eliezer:

1] His colleagues saw the reason for Jethro's joy as stemming from the past, from what God had already done on behalf of His chosen nation, while Rabbi Eliezer sees the reason as being forward looking.

2] According to Rabbi Eliezer's opinion, Jethro perceived the purpose of the exodus from Egypt and understood that it was not merely to take Israel out of Egyptian servitude, but to bring the Chosen People into its Land, where the Nation of Israel will be able to establish a "new world" which will be founded on Torah which they will receive at Mount Sinai.

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[i] "The well of Miriam," which accompanied Israel throughout the wilderness until the death of Miriam [Babylonian Talmud, Ta'anit 9a]