Yitro — Jethro
Hebrew: יִתְרוֹ | Book: Shemot (Exodus)
Summary
Jethro’s visit and advice; the Ten Commandments at Sinai.
Chabad Chassidic Teachings
Jethro: The Outsider Who Sees
Yitro (Jethro), a Midianite priest and Moses’s father-in-law, comes to bring Moses’s family after hearing about the Exodus. Paradoxically, the parsha of the Ten Commandments is named after this outsider.
Chabad teaching: the yud of Yitro represents the extra insight available to one who comes from the outside. Sometimes a fresh perspective — even from an unlikely source — reveals what insiders can’t see. Yitro’s organizational advice to Moses (create a judicial hierarchy) is a practical example.
This also teaches that sparks of Divine wisdom can be found anywhere — the function of the Jewish mission includes recognizing and elevating these sparks.
The Ten Commandments: The Complete Revelation
The Ten Commandments (aseret hadibrot) are structured in two tablets of five:
- First tablet: commandments between humans and God
- Second tablet: commandments between humans
Chabad: the parallel structure indicates that these two categories are ultimately one — proper conduct between humans IS service of God; proper service of God expresses itself in conduct between humans.
Anochi: The First Word
The first word of the Ten Commandments — Anochi (I am) — is described by the Sages as an acronym for “Ana Nafshi Ktivit Yehavit” — “I have written and given My own self.” In giving the Torah, God gave not just instructions but His very essence. Every word of Torah is an infinite Divine transmission garbed in finite language.
Key Concepts
Sources Cited
Shemot 20:2; Shabbat 88b; Zohar II:82a