Parasha Thoughts
By Rabbi Yosef Khakshoor
This week’s parsha is one of the most famous Torah portions. Hashem chose the Jews to be His Chosen Nation by giving them the Torah and the Ten Commandments, which was the ultimate goal of the Exodus. The Jews also accepted Hashem and His Torah. However, the name of the parasha does not manifest this theme. Surprisingly, it is called “Yitro,†which does not allude to the Ten Commandments or the Torah. Yitro was a former idol-worshiping priest who later became Moshe Rabbenu’s father-in-law and converted to Judaism. What did Yitro do to merit having the most important and famous parasha of the Torah named after him?
The Midrash tells us that when Hashem destroyed Egypt, the most powerful country in the world, brought the ten plagues, and split the Red Sea, the entire world heard and was awed by Hashem’s power and greatness. Yet they did not react to it and continued their mundane lives. The only person who proactively decided to change his life and leave the comfort of his royal lifestyle in order to follow Hashem’s ways and live a meaningful life was none other than Yitro.
Hashem named this parasha “Yitro†to teach us that we need to learn an important lesson from Yitro. Yitro teaches us that it is not enough to feel inspired and study the Torah for intellectual purposes. The Torah is a way of life and not just a science. Studying Torah must help us improve our middot and become better people – to make changes in our lifestyle and values.
May Hashem help us study His Torah properly and make positive and meaningful changes in our lives in order to grow as individuals and bring out the light of the Torah and Hashem’s glory to other people.