Yitro

Exodus 18:1-20:23

Isaiah 6:1-7:6; 9:5-6

The most popular portion of parsha Yitro is probably the placement of the Ten Commandments. An interesting idea can also be learned from the very first sentence of the parsha. The first sentence introduces us to Yitro as the father in law of Moshe and then continues to say that Yitro heard all of the things that Hashem did for Moshe and the nation of Israel.

Why did the Torah single out Moshe from the rest of the nation of Israel? Rashi tells us that this wording teaches that Moshe was equal to the entire nation of Israel. In other words, if we had a scale and put the entire Jewish people on one side and Moshe on the opposite side, they would be balanced and weigh the same. How are we to understand this?

Perhaps an illustration of this can be seen from the world of sports. On May 6, 1954, a miraculous event occurred in the world of track and field when Roger Bannister ran a mile in under 4 minutes. Reporters claimed that Bannister must have had a lucky day and that is was just a fluke that would never be able to be repeated. But just 46 days later, his record was broken and the original record was broken many times. What will the fastest time be? No one knows, but everyone agrees there is a clear constraint of how fast a human can run. Physical acts and characteristics have restrictions.

In contrast, our spiritual capabilities are boundless. Our souls have indefinite capability. The more we connect to spiritual matters and focus on spiritual progress, the more we can grow and the more greatness we can bring into the world.

A famous example of this was Rabbi Yisrael Meir Kagan, better known as the Chofetz Chaim. The Chofetz Chaim was one of the leaders of the Jewish people in the early 20th century. He was physically very short, yet one of the greatest spiritual giants of his time.

Perhaps what Rashi is saying is that our physical capacities to accomplish have inherent limitations. Moshe, however, perfected himself spiritually and, therefore, his spiritual completeness was so comprehensive that he was able to be equal to an entire nation.

Developing ourselves physically is crucial for a healthy lifestyle, but the more we focus on developing ourselves spiritually, the more we can tap into the limitless potential that is within each of us.

Meir Schwartz of University Heights is a freshman at the Hebrew Academy of Cleveland's Yeshiva High School.

Excerpt from:

Let spirituality guide your potential - Cleveland Jewish News