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February 14, 2025 - 14 Shvat 5785 Parashat Yitro - Stronger Together
Photo by Krakenimages on Unsplash
Dear Friends, Tomorrow morning, we will celebrate Tu B’Shavat, the New Year for the trees, which actually took place on Thursday. Joining us will be Rachel Kahn of the Jewish National Fund (JNF). In place of my traditional sermon, I will sit down with Rachel for a Torah-side chat to discuss the JNF’s mission and its current campaigns and initiatives. It should be an interesting discussion, so I hope you will join us. There is one more round to Biblical Smackdowns, but school is on winter break next week, so enjoy your vacation! We will reconnect the week after next for the sixth and final match-up of the series on Monday, February 24th at 7:30PM. It is sure to be a knock-out, so I hope you will join us over Zoom. We would like to thank Gary Miller for sponsoring this Shabbat’s Kiddush luncheon in honor and memory of his grandmother, Rose Schwartz. Remembering a loved one is a Mitzvah, so please join us at the Kiddush table to share in Gary’s Mitzvah and consider sponsoring a Kiddush to honor or celebrate a person or event. ********** One of my favorite teachings about the Kipah or Yarmulke is simple. Why do we wear a one? Of course, traditionally, it's to always keep in mind that God is above us, watching and judging us. But, the teaching I love answers the question a little differently: to remind us that we only go up to "here." In other words, as much as one person may be able to achieve on their own, you can't be taller - literally and figuratively - than you are. As we know, sometimes the simplest answers are the best and most meaningful. For me, this is a profound statement: each of us as individuals has power, agency, and creativity to do wonderful things and make significant contributions to the world around us. The potential of just one human being is often inspiring, pushing us to our limits and sometimes beyond, boosting us into the 105% or 110% I discussed in my Rabbinic Reflections two weeks ago. And yet, even with all of the incredible capabilities we have as individuals, what we achieve on our own is relatively miniscule when compared with what we can and do achieve together, with others. As much as one person can do and offer, the contributions of groups working together cohesively are so often much greater than the sum of their parts. This week's Parasha, Yitro, is named for Moses' father-in-law, who is wowed by dramatic stories of the plagues on Egypt, the exodus from slavery, and the splitting of the Sea of Reeds. Yitro's response to Moses is considered by many Sages of our tradition to be no less than a conversion to Judaism, the first, in their view, to do so, long before Ruth in the book named for her. He says:
...בָּר֣וּךְ יְהֹוָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֨ר הִצִּ֥יל אֶתְכֶ֛ם מִיַּ֥ד מִצְרַ֖יִם וּמִיַּ֣ד פַּרְעֹ֑ה
עַתָּ֣ה יָדַ֔עְתִּי כִּֽי־גָד֥וֹל יְהֹוָ֖ה מִכׇּל־הָאֱלֹהִ֑ים
Well we know that even these marvels performed by God were aided and initiated by the Israelites themselves, reminding us that even the most miraculous of moments in our lives are almost always the handiwork of several. The text tells us, the very next day, Moses sat as magistrate among the people, with a line of hundreds, if not thousands, waiting to bring their unsettled disputes before him. Yitro asks Moses what he is doing, and Moses responds that "The people come to me to inquire of God. When they have a dispute, it comes before me, and I make known the laws and teachings of God." Yitro doesn't miss a beat, telling Moses that "The thing you are doing is not right; you will surely wear yourself out, and these people as well." He continues:
כִּֽי־כָבֵ֤ד מִמְּךָ֙ הַדָּבָ֔ר לֹא־תוּכַ֥ל עֲשֹׂ֖הוּ לְבַדֶּֽךָ
Yitro's advice to Moses is ultimately heeded, and Moses sets up chiefs and judges to help resolve the smaller disputes that don't require his time and energy; and the ones that prove too difficult for these folks will be heard by Moses. This is a crucial life lesson that Moses, and I would argue strongly, we all need to understand. We live in a world that casts asking for help and delegating tasks as signs of weakness, that "If you want something done right, do it yourself." Not only is this unhelpful and untrue, this passage comes to teach us exactly the opposite: knowing both our own value and our limitations is the strength of self-awareness; that asking for help is in fact a sign of that inner knowledge and strength, in the realization that the greatest of accomplishments are achieved through that awareness and openness to collaboration. In our story here, serving the people, helping them achieve resolution and peace through the teachings of God - those are the ultimate goals to be achieved, and those are much bigger than any one person's abilities or contributions. And getting past ourselves and our egos to serve and improve the lives of as many as possible is not merely a weakness; it is an incredible strength. Also in this portion, Moses can only receive the Ten Commandments from God once he learns this invaluable lesson from his father-in-law. This past Sunday, we saw a decisive Super Bowl victory by my beloved Philadelphia football team, delivered, as God describes the redemption of the Israelites from slavery in this week's portion, "on the wings of eagles." As the television pundits argued over who deserves the most credit, I believe Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni said it best: "You can't be great without the greatness of others." Or, to put it another way, according to a famous African proverb, "If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together." Moses needed to learn this lesson. May we come to learn, understand, and live this too. Shabbat Shalom, Rabbi Joshua Strom
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