Parashat Yitro- Correcting the Flaw of Fraternal Strife
Parashat Yitro begins by describing the arrival of Yitro, Moshe’s father-in-law, at Beneh Yisrael’s camp in the wilderness. Moshe greets Yitro, who brings sacrificial offerings to God. Later, Yitro expresses his disapproval at the way Moshe single-handedly tended to the people’s questions, and advises Moshe to appoint a judicial network to help him.
This narrative raises many questions. Yitro had been the priest of Midyan, the chief idolater of that nation. Why did the Torah devote so much attention to him and his arrival in Beneh Yisrael’s camp? Furthermore, why did Yitro feel qualified to give advice to Moshe Rabbenu, and, even more troubling, why did Moshe accept his advice?
We might also ask the general question of why Yitro was worthy of having a Parasha named after him in the Torah. Was he so significant a figure that he deserved this distinction? And, not only did he receive a Parasha in his name, but this is the most important Parasha – the Parasha that tells of the event of Matan Torah – the Giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai!
The Arizal (Rabbi Yishak Luria, 1534-1572) commented that Yitro’s soul contained a part of the soul of a person who lived much earlier – Kayin. Recall from Parashat Bereshit that Kayin felt jealous of his brother, Hebel, because God had accepted Hebel’s offering and not his. Kayin’s jealousy reached the point where he killed his brother for no other reason than envy. The Midrash explains that before Kayin slew Hebel, the two brothers engaged in a philosophical debate. Kayin, seeing that God disapproved of his sacrifice but accepted Hebel’s, concluded that "there is no judgment and there is no judge." Hebel, however, insisted that the world is fairly judged by God.
The Arizal commented that Kayin’s soul required a "Tikun" ("rectification"), and for this purpose it returned within the soul of a number of later figures, including Yitro. Moshe, the Arizal claimed, contained within him the soul of Hebel, Kayin’s slain brother. This explains why it was important for Moshe to marry Yitro’s daughter; the union between Yitro and Moshe signified the "Tikun" of Kayin’s hostility toward Hebel. (In fact, according to the Midrash, Kayin and Hebel had fought over one of their sisters, whom both desired to marry. The Arizal explained that Sipora, Moshe’s wife, had the soul of that sister, and thus by allowing Moshe to marry Sipora, Yitro helped correct the sin of Kayin, who resented his brother’s claim to that sister.)
This process of "Tikun" continues in Parashat Yitro, when Yitro comes to bring offerings to God. Kayin’s offering was rejected because he had brought flax – a cheap material that was inappropriate for an offering to God. Yitro now corrects this mistake by bringing proper sacrifices in the wilderness. Additionally, Yitro establishes Beneh Yisrael’s judicial system – rectifying his mistake of denying the existence of judgment in the world. Finally, Yitro makes his suggestion to Moshe out of concern for him, warning that the overbearing schedule would kill Moshe. Kayin had killed Hebel; now, Kayin’s soul, through Yitro, works to save Moshe – who contained the soul of Hebel.
This explains why the Parasha that describes Matan Torah is named after Yitro. Correcting the flaw of fraternal strife and hatred was a precondition for Beneh Yisrael’s receiving the Torah. The soul of Kayin had to be redeemed through Yitro’s arrival before God could reveal Himself to Beneh Yisrael to give them the Torah. Once this flaw was corrected, and the stain of the first instance of hatred and strife was removed from mankind, God descended upon Mount Sinai to give His Torah to Beneh Yisrael.
