Cantor Robins on this week's Torah portion....
It’s a particularly good week in the reading cycle, jam-packed with drama, music (well, the blasts of the shofar!), weather (mainly thunder and lightning, but also smoke and fire), and the watershed moment of the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai. For purposes of the blogosphere, I can’t think of a portion that provides more content to discuss – especially for a blog called Lifting Sinai!
In hopes that Shavuot (when we read the 10 commandments again) will bring an important and exciting blog post about this awesome and critical moment for Moses and bnei Yisrael, I think its worth exploring the moment before Moses goes up to Sinai. So, to recap – here’s the situation:
It’s a particularly good week in the reading cycle, jam-packed with drama, music (well, the blasts of the shofar!), weather (mainly thunder and lightning, but also smoke and fire), and the watershed moment of the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai. For purposes of the blogosphere, I can’t think of a portion that provides more content to discuss – especially for a blog called Lifting Sinai!
In hopes that Shavuot (when we read the 10 commandments again) will bring an important and exciting blog post about this awesome and critical moment for Moses and bnei Yisrael, I think its worth exploring the moment before Moses goes up to Sinai. So, to recap – here’s the situation:
Moses and his people have just made their way out of Egypt and across the sea on dry land. The journey wasn’t glamorous, and not always easy. Upon arriving on ‘the other side,’ Moses is summoned by his father-in-law, Jethro. (Lets remember – they have a pretty good relationship.) Jethro has been kind and wise in his communication with Moses. At this moment, he invites him over. Moses and Jethro greet one another warmly, and Jethro brings Moses into his tent, whereupon Moses tells Jethro the whole story. (By the whole story, I am reading into the text that Moses shares all the gory details…all the miracles and all the stress of going from slavery to freedom.) Jethro is impressed and amazed, and taken by the power of YHVH. He blesses God, praises God, and offers a burnt-offering (sacrifice) to God.
Next day. Moses is doing his Moses-thing, settling disputes amongst the people. Jethro takes a look at this, and asks Moses what he’s up to. Moses is working impossibly hard to take care of all the conflict resolution work that God has entrusted (and commanded) him to do. Jethro is worried – he’s convinced that Moses working from morning until evening is not a good call; that he will wear himself out. So, Jethro (being the wise Kohen from Midian that he is) directs Moses to find some people to whom he can delegate some of this work; saving the biggest (read: most significant to the community or most complicated to answer) for Moses himself. And so, Jethro advises Moses on the qualities of the people whom he should appoint to build this new legal system in the desert.
21 You shall also seek out from among all the people capable men who fear God, trustworthy men who spurn ill-gotten gain. Set these over them as chiefs of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens, and 22 let them judge the people at all times. Have them bring every major dispute to you, but let them decide every minor dispute themselves. Make it easier for yourself by letting them share the burden with you. 23 If you do this — and God so commands you — you will be able to bear up; and all these people too will go home unwearied." (Translation from JPS)
In the advice Jethro gives to Moses, he lists four qualities that the folks Moses appoints should have: 1) capable, 2) God-fearing, 3) trustworthy and 4) spurn ill-gotten gain. Let’s reinterpret it for our day.
1) Capable, skilled: We want to expand the network of people who help us do our work (professional or personal) with people who are skilled and capable at the task we need them to help us complete.
2) I read God-fearing here as ‘on the same page as us’ - after all, Moses was God-fearing and working for God. He’d want to surround himself with people ‘sharing the vision.’
3) Trustworthy. Is this one self-explanatory? (Remember, we know that the people surrounding Moses are a few steps away from committing a HUGE sin that will prove them both a little un-trustworthy and a little not God-fearing)
4) I read this as in it for the mission (the passion), not the compensation or the fame.
And so, the question for us as we read Parashat Yitro this week is: Are the qualities Jethro tells Moses to look for the same qualities we look for in our teams, staffs, etc? And if not, what would we change and/ or add to the list?
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