Now, Moshes' father-in-law, Yisro, the chieftain of Midian, heard all that Hashem had done for Moshe and for Israel, His people that the Lord had taken Israel out of Egypt. Rashi quotes the Mechilta: This “that the Lord had taken Israel out of Egypt” was the greatest of them all. Rashi was bothering a great difficulty in the posuk, as it starts that Yisro “heard all that Hashem had done for Moshe and for Israel”, which already includes that Yisro heard that “that the Lord had taken Israel out of Egypt”. If so, why does the Torah exclude this and names this great feat again? Therefore, Rashi answers that Yisro heard this too, but this feat was the greatest feat.
However, there are more difficulties in this Posuk: It says “Yisro, heard all that Hashem had done for Moshe and for Klal Yisrael”. Well Moshe was part of Klal Yisrael, therefore, it would have been enough to write “Yisro, heard all that Hashem had done for Klal Yisrael”?
Another question: Why does the Torah need to mention in this verse that Yisro was Moshe's father-in-law when we already know from Parshas Shemos that Moshe married Yisro's daughter Tziporah and Moshe was Yisro's son-in-law? Another question: How did Yisro know about the miracles that God did for Moshe and Klal Yisrael, considering that Yisro lived in Midian and only came to Moshe now?
The Gemara Sota 11a says that Pharaoh always consulted three important people to decide on how to deal with the Jewish people. They were Bilaam, and Yoev, and Yisro. This proves that Yisro knew the ongoings and what would be the outcome of torturing the Jews with the punishment being the ten plagues. Yisro was also aware of the miracle involving Moshe. When Moshe had his second son Eliezer, Moshe explained the reason to Yisro for the name
and one who was named Eliezer, because Moshe said, "The God of my father came to my aid and rescued me from Pharaoh's sword." Rashi says “and rescued me from Pharaoh’s sword”: When Dasan and Aviram informed Pharaoh about the incident of the Egyptian whom Moshe had slain, and Pharaoh sought to slay Moshe and his neck became as hard as a marble pillar. From this we derive that Yisro knew a long time ago about these miracles. If so why does the Torah repeat this again in this Posuk?
However, the word Yisro heard holds a deeper significance, as we can see from another Posuk (Devarim 6:4) the Targum Yonasan explains the words as in the previous Posuk. This implies that the entire nation of Klal Yisrael should accept and be absolutely certain. The same was by Yisro: He had heard all the Miracles that happened to Moshe with Pharaoh, and the miracles to Klal Yisrael with the ten plagues, but he couldn’t be sure that it really happened as these were heavenly miracles. However, when he heard, Hashem took out Klal Yisrael from Egypt, and this great miracle was readily available to see and hear that it really happened.
This miracle persuaded Yisro to be clear within himself that Hashem made a great miracle. Once he was clear in himself, then this miracle proved to him that the other miracles that happened to Moshe and Klal Yisrael were true, and this brought Yisro to want to convert to Yiddishkeit. That is why is says now and Yisro heard, meaning that only after this miracle of Klal Yisrael exiting Egypt, did it became the truth and a fact and he accepted it.
With this insight we can now understand another Posuk 18:9 Yisro was happy about all the good that Hashem had done for Israel, that He had rescued them from the hands of the Egyptians. Why was Yisro so happy that Hashem had rescued them from the hands of the Egyptians? Also why does the Torah have to tell us this fact? The answer maybe according to Mishlei, 15:30 and Metzudas David explains this with a known expression:
"What brightens the eyes". “The light of the eyes is the clarity of a doubtful thing that gladdens the heart, because in the world there is no joy like resolving doubts”.
Hence, since Yisro had been searching for clarity and now that he had found it, his doubts were resolved, which brought him great joy. Thus, the Torah reveals that Yisro was delighted after hearing that Hashem had saved the Yidden. When we would have the true Emunah in Hashem, we would be full of joy and Simcha, as our doubts would be resolved.
(Yehuda Z. Klitnick)
