This week’s parshah begins with what Yisro, the father-in-law of Moshe Rabbeinu, heard that inspired him to join Am Yisrael: “And Yisro ... heard everything that Hashem did for Moshe and for Yisrael, His people — that Hashem had taken Yisrael out of Mitzrayim.” What exactly did Yisro hear?
The Imrei Chaim ztz”l quotes Rashi who tells us that Yisro heard about Kriyas Yam Suf and the battle with Amalek, and he explains some of the deeper meanings in the lessons Yisro derived. Chazal describe making a living as one of the things that is “as difficult as the splitting of the Yam Suf”; when Yisro saw how, despite the struggles of Klal Yisrael to sustain themselves they still devoted themselves to learning Torah, he was inspired to join them. Similarly, when he saw how, despite their difficulty in enduring in the face of Amalek, (constant attacks from the goyim) the Yidden remained faithful servants of Hashem, he decided to convert.
Yisro was not the only person to see these things but he was the only person to draw the right conclusions. Others saw as well, yet they derived very different lessons.
There is a well-known story of a Jew who survived the Holocaust but became disenchanted with Yiddishkeit. Rabbi Eliezer Silver ztz”l encountered him and asked why. “There was just one Jew in the barracks who had a siddur, but there were lots of people who wanted a chance to hold it in their hands and be able to recite some of the prayers. But the Jew demanded payment! In exchange for a few moments with the siddur, he demanded a piece of bread, a significant amount of the daily ration.
“When I saw that, I thought to myself: If that’s how a Jew exploits the situation to get bread out of starving people, then I want nothing to do with Yiddishkeit.”
“You foolish person!” Rav Silver responded. “I understand that you were disillusioned by what you saw. But what about all the people waiting on line for a chance to hold the precious siddur, so desperate to feel a connection to something holy that they were willing to forgo a piece of their meager ration? How about being inspired by them instead?”
Yisro, like all converts, gave up a great deal in order to join Am Yisrael. Sometimes, it’s hard for such people to understand that those born into Yiddishkeit could ever see it as anything other than a privilege. However, many Yidden see the Torah and mitzvos as burdens, and while adults can adjust their perspective and learn to appreciate their precious heritage, children are not always able to do so.
It can be challenging to know how to respond whenever we are confronted with people who don’t value Yiddishkeit, but it is necessary to know how to relate to them so that we can gradually open their eyes.
