In Parshas Yisro we read about Matan Torah — how the nation heard the Aseres Hadibros and how the Torah was given to Moshe Rabbeinu on Har Sinai. A tremendous event, the greatest day in our history.
But before all that happened, there is an introduction, a minor Matan Torah, so to speak, and that’s the story of Yisro. Yisro was an idealist, and even though he had been a kohen, a priest in Midyan, but as time went on, his mind developed and he became disgusted with that kind of idol worship, he threw it all away. He was ostracized by his people, but he continued to follow his idealism. And then, as a result, Hakadosh Boruch Hu rewarded him that a refugee from Egypt came to his city — it ‘happened’ to be Moshe Rabbeinu — and he took him in. Yisro invited him into his home, gave him his daughter as a wife, and he became forever connected to Moshe. In the course of time Yisro became great. He became great!
And now Parshas Yisro begins with Yisro coming to Moshe Rabbeinu, to the encampment of the Bnei Yisroel, after they had gone out of Mitzrayim. He came to Moshe to visit him, and he saw that all day long questions were being put to Moshe Rabbeinu by the people. It says הָﬠָם ̇∆‡ פּ ֹט¿ׁ ̆ƒל ׁ∆ ה ̆מֹ ׁ∆ ב ̆≈ּוַי – Moshe sat down in the morning to judge the people,הָﬠָם „ַֽﬠֲ מֹּוַי הָﬠָֽר∆ ב „ﬠַ ∆ר ֹּ̃הַב ןƒמ ׁ∆ ה ̆מֹﬠַל – and the people stood around Moshe from the morning until evening (Shemos 18:13).
Now you know what it means to be a judge between people? They’re arguing among themselves and you have to quiet this one and quiet that one and there’s always excitement, nervous irritation. After one hour, the judge is ready to retire. But here he did it all day long הָﬠָר∆ ב „ﬠַ ∆ר ֹּ̃הַב ןƒמ. All day long he was quieting them; he was patient with them and he was telling them what the judgment should be, teaching them the right way in dealing with their fellow man.
But when Yisro saw what was doing, he made a protest. “Moshe, my holy son-in-law, you shouldn’t do it this way. You cannot bear such a big burden all the time. The nation can only succeed if there is an established system of judges to clarify all the dinim of bein adam l’chaveiro.”
