Shabbat Parashat Beha'alotecha - 5782

Shabbat Parashat Beha'alotecha - 5782

Rabbi Hal Miller

He said to him, I shall not go, but rather to my land and to my family shall I go.

[Bamidbar 10:30]

In the verse before ours, Moshe asks Yitro to stay with the Jewish people, but here

we see Yitro declining. Why did he decline? And, in fact, did he really separate

from the Jews? We have numerous sources that tell us Yitro converted to Judaism,

so why would he not remain with Moshe and the people? Presumably he had his

immediate family with him on this journey, so was it to go fetch the remainder?

What about the "my land" comment--if he was now a Jew, wouldn't 'his' land now

be up ahead?

Rashi says that Yitro gave alternate reasons for declining. "'To my land and to my

family.' Be it on account of my property or be it on account of my family." Onkelos

seems to think that Yitro was more forceful, "I will not go. I will go instead to my land

and to my birthplace." Sforno gives a more practical reason, "so that in his old age he

would not have to adjust to a different climate and food in a country he had not grown

up in." Ramban disagrees entirely and says that Yitro acceded to Moshe's request

and did not leave the Jewish people at all.

There is a possible argument to be made based upon the difference of opinions

regarding whether the Torah is written chronologically or by subject matter. Did this

conversation occur at this point in time, or some other point? The argument usually

is keyed to whether Yitro was present during the Ten Commandments.

Rav Hirsch brings Shoftim [1:16], "The children of the Kenite, Moshe's father-in-law,

ascended from the City of Date Palms with the children of Yehudah to the wilderness

of Yehudah that is south of Arad, and they went and settled with the people." He then

cites Divrei HaYamim II [28:15], "They brought them to Yiricho, the City of Date Palms

to their kinsmen, and then returned to Shomron." From this, he concludes that Yitro in

fact brought his family to Yehudah, whether he stayed with Moshe or returned later

after he had first gone home.

Malbim gives us another way to read Yitro's behavior. "Yitro refused the benefits offered

by Moshe because it is the way of those who have perfected their character traits to

avoid performing any action merely for the sake of personal gain, rather to do only that

which is good because it is good. Yitro believed he could do more good in his homeland,

publicizing belief in God to more people there than anything he might do with the Jewish

people." Although none of these give a definitive answer to our questions, combined

they provide insight into who this man was and what behavioral lessons we might

learn from him.