It states (18:8) ויספר משה לחתנו את כל אשר עשה ה' לפרעה ולמצרים על אודות ישראל את כל התלאה אשר מצאתם בדרך ויצלם ה', "Moshe told his father-in-law about all that Hashem had done to Pharaoh and the Egyptians on account of Yisrael, and about all the hardships that had befallen them on the way, and that Hashem had saved them."
What did Moshe tell Yisro that he didn't already know? Behold the parashah begins (18:1) וישמע יתרו כהן מדין חתן משה את כל אשר עשה אלקים למשה ולישראל עמו כי הוציא ה' את ישראל ממצרים, "Moshe's father-in-law, Yisro, the chieftain of Midian, heard all that Hashem had done for Moshe and for Yisrael, His people, that Hashem had taken Yisrael out of Mitzrayim." So, what did Moshe tell Yisro that Yisro didn't already know?
One answer is that there are different ways to interpret the news. We can use the present war in Eretz Yisrael as an example. If you listen to an Arab radio station, you will hear an entirely different story than when listening to an Israeli radio station. And if you merit to hear the news from a Yid who has yiras Shamayim, and especially if he is a talmid chacham, you will hear an entirely different report. The story is the same, but it must be deciphered correctly. Yisro heard the miracles that occurred, but now he heard the report from Moshe Rabbeinu. He heard the same story but in an entirely different light. The Torah tells us (18:11) עתה ידעתי כי גדול ה', "Now I know that Hashem is great."
Rashi writes, "I knew Hashem before, but now I know Hashem more..." This is because he now heard the story he knew from Moshe Rabbeinu. The impact is very different.
One of the aspects that Moshe Rabbeinu explained to Yisro, which Yisro didn't perceive before, is that the miracles were done with Hashem's attribute of chesed. Initially, Yisro thought Hashem saved them with His attribute of strict judgment because the Mitzrim perished in the sea. Therefore, the parashah begins (18:1) וישמע יתרו את כל אשר עשה אלקים, "Yisro heard...all that Elokim had done..." He attributed the miracles to Hashem's name Elokim, the name for strict justice. Moshe told him that the miracles were from Hashem's attribute of kindness, as it states ויספר משה לחתנו את כל אשר עשה ה' לפרעה ולמצרים, "Moshe told his father-in-law about all that Hashem, Havayah, had done to Pharaoh and the Egyptians..." He told him that the miracles, and even the punishment to Mitzrayim, were with Hashem's name of Havayah, Hashem's name of compassion. Everything that occurred, including the destruction of Mitzrayim, was because of Hashem's love for the Jewish nation.
The Noam Elimelech (Bishalach) writes, "It states (at the beginning of the ten commandments, Shemos 20:2) אנכי ה' אלקיך אשר הוצאתיך מארץ מצרים מבית עבדים, 'I am Hashem, your G-d, Who took you out of the land of Mitzrayim, out of the house of bondage.' The miforshim ask, why doesn't the pasuk state, 'I am Hashem, your G-d, Who created heaven and earth'? This seems to be a greater wonder! But I think it is a greater miracle that Hashem took us out of Mitzrayim. Creation isn't such a great chidush because it is Hashem's nature to bestow kindness. But yetzias Mitzrayim, that Hashem smote the Mitzrim with wondrous makos, this is against Hashem's natural way. Hashem doesn't perform bad. But, because these makos benefited the Yidden, Hashem acted against His nature and smote them. This is a greater wonder."
