Yisro The Man - Yisro 5772

There are mysteries regarding Yisro. These are mysteries that we can try to answer with a thought from Rav Shimon Schwab. Yisro becomes a Ger as it says in Rashi to 18:1 (יתרו: שבע שמות נקראו לו רעואל, יתר, יתרו, חובב, חבר, קיני, פוטיאל. יתר, על שם שיתר פרשה אחת בתורה (להלן פסוק כא) ואתה תחזה. יתרו לכשנתגייר וקיים המצות הוסיפו לו אות אחת על שמו. חובב שחבב את התורה. וחובב הוא יתרו, שנאמר (שופטים ד יא) מבני חובב חותן משה. ויש אומרים רעואל אביו של יתרו היה, ומה הוא אומר (שמות ב יח) ותבאנה אל רעואל אביהן, שהתינוקות קורין לאבי אביהן אבא. בספרי). Yisro was clearly Migayeir. What is very mysterious about Yisro is what he does afterwards. We know that Yisro did not stay with Klal Yisrael. Yisro travelled back to Midyan. If he is a Jew why is he going back to Midyan? Where is he going to find anything that a Yid needs to live? It is very strange that he goes back.

We find in Parshas Behaloscha in 10:29 (לְכָה אִתָּנוּ וְהֵטַבְנוּ לָךְ) where Moshe Rabbeinu begs Yisro to stay with Klal Yisrael and Yisro answers back in Posuk 30 (לֹא אֵלֵךְ) I refuse to go (כִּי אִם-אֶל-אַרְצִי וְאֶל-מוֹלַדְתִּי, אֵלֵךְ). Moshe Rabbeinu begs in Posuk 31, (אַל-נָא תַּעֲזֹב אֹתָנוּ) don’t abandon us and Yisro does not accompany Klal Yisrael. Why did he go back? This is something of a mystery.

When you learn Nach you learn about the descendants of Yisro who did come to Eretz Yisrael. But again, it is somehow mysterious on how they lived. You would think that Yisro’s children were full-fledged Jews as they were children of Yisro who was a Ger. We find in the first Perek of Shoftim that they lived in Yericho as it says in 1:18 (וּבְנֵי קֵינִי חֹתֵן מֹשֶׁה עָלוּ מֵעִיר הַתְּמָרִים, אֶת-בְּנֵי יְהוּדָה, מִדְבַּר יְהוּדָה, אֲשֶׁר בְּנֶגֶב עֲרָד; וַיֵּלֶךְ, וַיֵּשֶׁב אֶת-הָעָם). Yet it is very strange, we just Lained in the Haftorah of Parshas Beshalach that one of the families that descended from Yisro was a woman named Yoel. Of course she is the one who killed Sisra. The Posuk says when Sisra comes to Yoel that Sisra felt safe in the house of Yoel. Why? This is a Jewish home? The Posuk says in 4:17 (וְסִיסְרָא, נָס בְּרַגְלָיו, אֶל-אֹהֶל יָעֵל, אֵשֶׁת חֶבֶר הַקֵּינִי: כִּי שָׁלוֹם, בֵּין יָבִין מֶלֶךְ-חָצוֹר, וּבֵין, בֵּית חֶבֶר הַקֵּינִי). (חֶבֶר הַקֵּינִי) are the descendants of Yisro as it says in Shoftim Perek 1 in the Posuk brought above. Even though the (מֶלֶךְ-חָצוֹר) was in battle with Klal Yisrael the descendants of Yisro somehow lived separately. It is a very strange idea.  

We find this again when Shaul goes to do battle against Amaleik in Shmuel 1 15:6 (וַיֹּאמֶר שָׁאוּל אֶל-הַקֵּינִי לְכוּ סֻּרוּ רְדוּ מִתּוֹךְ עֲמָלֵקִי, פֶּן-אֹסִפְךָ עִמּוֹ, וְאַתָּה עָשִׂיתָה חֶסֶד עִם-כָּל-בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, בַּעֲלוֹתָם מִמִּצְרָיִם; וַיָּסַר קֵינִי, מִתּוֹךְ עֲמָלֵק). We find here again that the Bnei Yisro lived separately. This is something of a mystery that I have never seen addressed at all.

Let me discuss with you something that Rav Schwab says about Yisro and then perhaps we can come back to understand. Rav Schwab writes that Yisro had a Shittas Hachaim. We know that different Jews had different paths in Avodas Hashem.  Even the Shevatim had different paths. Rav Schwab describes the Mehaleich (the approach) of Yisro as holding that the Derech to Avodas Hashem was with faith, Emunah that comes from Chakira. There is a difference of opinion among Rishonim as to the optimum way of serving the Ribbono Shel Olam. Whether with an Emunah Peshuta which is an Emunah based on a Mesora that we have from our ancestors who stood at Sinai. Or in an Emunah B’derech Chakira, or in an Emunah that comes from an understanding, a recognition, a knowledge of the Borei Olam. While there is a disagreement as to what is the best way to serve Hashem, there is a general consensus that for the Hamon Am the approach is Emunah Peshuta. Certainly we raise children with Emunah Peshuta and if they reach a level that they could come to Emunah Al Yedai Chakira then they reach that level.

Rav Elchonon in the beginning of Kovetz Mamarim in his Maimar Al HaEmunah explores the idea of Emunah B’derech HaChakira. At any rate, for the average Jew we raise our children with Emuna Peshuta. If they will reach the level of intelligence in order to understand they will come to a level of Emunah Al Yedai Chakira. Yisro on the other hand held that his Derech in Avodas Hashem was Emunah through Chakira. We know that Yisro was someone that tried all the Avodah Zora and ultimately came to a recognition of the Borei Olam.

Rav Schwab says this is the Pshat when Moshe Rabbeinu swore to Yisro that his first child would be given to an Avodah Zora. Now of course this didn’t mean for his first child to be given to an Avodah Zora in any complete way. But it means that he would come B’derech Hachakira to a recognition of Hashem. That would be his first child.

Rav Schwab explains that that is why in the beginning of this week’s Parsha it says 18:3 – 18:4 (שֵׁם הָאֶחָד, גֵּרְשֹׁם) and (וְשֵׁם הָאֶחָד, אֱלִיעֶזֶר). Each of his children is called Echad first. Gershom was his Bechor and he was to be raised B’derech Hachakira. And (וְשֵׁם הָאֶחָד, אֱלִיעֶזֶר) and the first child outside of that Shevua was Eliezer. This was Yisro’s Derech in serving Hakadosh Baruch Hu, to come to a recognition B’derech Hachakira.

If we understand this then perhaps we can answer the mystery regarding Yisro. Why doesn’t he stay in the Midbar and why does he go back to Midyan. The answer would seem to be that anyone raised in the Midbar could not possibly have to come to a recognition of Hakadosh Baruch Hu B’derech Hachakira, in that Derech. Hashem’s miracles were evident all around on a daily basis. If Yisro felt that his path in Avodas Hashem was Emunah B’derech Hachakira, then we can understand that he needed to be in a place that he can serve Hakadosh Baruch Hu in the best possible way. This may also explain why in Eretz Yisrael the family of Yisro stayed separate. They had a Derech in Avodah which was not accepted by the rest of Klal Yisrael, was not even desirable to the rest of Klal Yisrael. This may explain why Yisro kept himself separate and his descendants kept themselves separate in Eretz Yisrael.