In this week’s Torah portion, Moses receives some much-needed counsel from his father-in-law, Yitro. Yitro notices how Moses sits for hours upon hours meeting personally with individual Israelites, offering them instruction, as well as adjudicating disputes and making legal rulings.
These tasks take up his entire day.
What of Moses’s other duties? What about time for reflection or his own study? And what of Moses’ family? Is there time for him to be with his wife, Tziporah, and their children, Gershom and Eliezer?
Yitro tells Moses that if he continues this way, he will wear himself out, doing a disservice to both himself and the people who are forced to wait in line for hours and hours to hear his counsel. He advises Moses to set up a judicial system with magistrates and judges who will collectively take care of these important matters.
Why does the Torah include these details? It could simply have told us about the judicial system that is ultimately put into place without the back story about Moses’ initial, flawed leadership approach or the wise counsel of his father-in-law.
Our tradition is not afraid to show us that Moses is imperfect. He is a human being who sometimes loses his temper, fails in his leadership, and lets his own family down. And, more importantly, he is aware of this. He knows that he is flawed and therefore that—as a leader, a spouse, and a father—he can grow. He is open to the possibility that there is a better way of acting. When his father-in-law tells him, probably after another long day of his ceaseless efforts on behalf of the people he serves, that his approach is, as Yitro puts it simply, “not good (לֹא־טוֹב),” Moses doesn’t respond defensively. Instead, he hears the good suggestion and acts on it immediately.
Most of us probably have at least one or two people we trust who can offer us such counsel. Maybe it’s a family member or a friend or colleague. As we reflect this Shabbat on Yitro’s advice and Moses’ response, perhaps we can find a way to remain more open to the wisdom of others, receiving their suggestions with generosity instead of defensiveness. It will make us better leaders, better co-workers, better friends, spouses, and parents.
Shabbat shalom,
Rabbi Yoshi
