Ramasayim Tzofim teaches another reason Yisro decided to join the Jewish nation only after he heard about milchemes Amalek. He was inspired to convert right after he heard about kriyas Yam Suf. However, he was afraid he wouldn't be able to keep all the mitzvos. He feared he would sin occasionally, so how could he join? The war against Amalek represents our battle against the yetzer hara. From this war, Yisro understood that Hashem desires our battles even more than our perfection. When Yisro understood this, he came and joined the Jewish nation.
This is an essential lesson that we must remember. Sometimes we err, sometimes we sin, and we feel broken. We must not forget that if Hashem wanted perfection, He would have created us with the ability to be perfect. But the reality of human beings is that they will make mistakes, so it must be that Hashem wants out attempts, yearnings, and battles and that perfection isn’t the goal.
Hashem is With Us Even When We Fall
It states (20:18) האלקים שם אשר הערפל אל נגש ומשה, "Moshe drew near to the thick cloud, where Hashem was." ערפל spells the words פאל אראפ, which means to fall down, to go down levels. The Torah tells us that שם אשר האלקים, that Hashem is there. Hashem doesn't leave us even when we fall from our levels.
Before kiddush on Friday night, we say, דרכו תמים מלך תפילה שומע מלך. Rebbe Boruch'l explains that תמים means twice temimus. This is because Hashem uses temimus twice. He doesn't think about what was, and Hashem doesn't think about what will be. He looks at the person as he is now and listens to his tefillos.
Holy Chutzpah and Teshuvah
Chazal (Sotah 49:) say, חוצפא משיחא בעקבות יסגא, that before Moshiach comes, there will be a lot of chutzpah in the world. The Saraf of Strelisk zt'l teaches that the Gemara refers to a holy chutzpah. A person can be on a very low spiritual level, but that doesn't prevent him from turning to Hashem with Torah, mitzvos, and tefillah. This is the chutzpah of the later generations, and that is the chutzpah that Hashem wants from us.
Someone said to the Beis Yisrael zt'l, "I have doubts in emunah, so what value can my tefillos have?" The Beis Yisrael opened a Gemara Shabbos to where it says that when one says Amen yehei shemei rabba with all his strength, even if he has thoughts of avodah zarah, he is forgiven. "Do you see what is written here? The Gemara discusses a person who has thoughts of avodah zarah, yet even he can say amen yehei shmei rabba. So, no matter what level we fall to, we can daven and turn to Hashem."
It states (19:5) והייתם ...בקולי תשמעו שמוע אם ועתה העמים מכל סגולה לי, "And now, if you obey Me and keep My covenant, you shall be to Me a treasure out of all peoples, for Mine is the entire earth." Chazal (Bereishis Rabba 21:6) say that whenever the Torah states עתה, "now," it refers to teshuvah. What is the connection between "now" and teshuvah? The Avodas Yisrael writes, "We can explain that Hakadosh Baruch Hu hints to those who come close to Him that they shouldn’t lose hope and be afraid to come close to Him due to their aveiros that they did in the past because the main thing is to come close to Hashem from today onwards and to not to sin anymore. This is Hashem's great chesed because He wants to bring close those who do teshuvah, and he doesn’t want to think or remind them of their sinful pasts."
Torah is for Everyone
This lesson also applies to Torah study. One shouldn't feel that he has sinned too much and can no longer study Torah properly. Torah is for everyone, no matter which level one is on.
The Chasam Sofer (Drashos, Shavuous 5562) zt'l writes, "The Torah wasn't given to individuals; it was given to all of klal Yisrael, the sinners ['the chelbenah'] and the tzaddikim ['the besamim']. We received the Torah after falling to the forty-ninth level of tumah [which proves that Torah is for everyone, from the tzaddikim down to the lowliest Yidden]."
Meforshim ask why the Aseres HaDibros begin with מצרים מארץ הוצאתיך אשר אלקיך 'ה אנכי, "I am Hashem your G-d who took you out of the land of Mitzrayim," instead of “I am Hashem...Who created heaven and earth." We can answer that we mention yetzias Mitzrayim to remember that just a short time before, we were at the 49th level of tumah. And with that awareness, no one will say he isn't worthy of studying or practicing the Torah.
Rebbe Leibeile Eiger zy"a explains that this is why matan Torah is written in parashas Yisro. Yisro worshiped every avodah zarah that existed in his time and was a high-ranking priest. Yet he came to the desert and received the Torah. This teaches us that the Torah is for everyone; no one should think it isn't for him.
