In this week’s iconic Torah portion, Yitro, we experience the peak moment of the entire Torah narrative, and Jewish history more specifically: The Giving of the Ten Commandments/Torah on Mt. Sinai. But in many ways, it is the context leading up to that defining revelation that is even more critical. Jethro, Moses’ Father-in-law, a Midianite Priest, observes Moses passing judgment on a long line of people throughout the day. He adjudicates alone, encompassing all cases large and small. Jethro lovingly admonishes Moses, reminding him that physical exhaustion can lead to impatience, frustration, and most troublingly, unjust rulings. He counsels Moses to delegate his authority to a system of lower judges, taking on only the most important cases himself. Without this sage advice, as valuable in today’s boardrooms as it was in those desert sands, the powerful insights of Torah could never have reached the hearts, minds, and lives of the people as effectively as they did and still do today. It is a critical wisdom worthy of Jethro’s eponymous title of this seminal portion.
