Teaching Torah was a one-man show. Moses, the leader and teacher of the Jewish people, was taught the Torah directly by G-d and then taught it to the Jewish people. Moses was unified completely with the concepts and teachings of the Divine, the Torah, to the extent that the Torah is called ‘Torat Moshe’ Moses’s Torah.

But then there is a real twist to the story. Moses’s father-in-law Yitro shows up. He sees Moses standing and teaching the Torah day and night. He sees the long lines of people waiting to receive guidance from Moses. And, in the wisdom that G-d has given to all parents-in-law, Yitro tells Moses that he is doing it all wrong.

Yitro helped Moses understand an objective point of view. He told Moses that he was exhausting himself and it was unwitting to keep the people waiting for him. He explained that any system that is reliant on only one person is doomed to failure. Moses knew in his heart that his father-in-law was right. Moses, the crown prince of the Torah, had really wanted to teach every Jew, to show every Jew the beauty and deep truth of the Torah. He had a hard time letting go.

Yitro understood that for the Torah to become immersed within the people, it had to be accessible to the people. He guided Moses to set up teachers, learning groups, judges and leaders. He made it possible for every Jew to be able to absorb and spread the light of Torah.

Today we see the lasting benefits of this system. We study in communal settings, we have Rabbis, teachers, and leaders who we can turn to for guidance in every aspect of our lives. We have books on Jewish philosophy, law, spirituality, etc. All this is thanks to Yitro, who made the Torah accessible to every Jew. This is why Yitro merited to have the Torah Portion of this week, which includes the Ten Commandments, named for him.

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Zushe Cunin