Parashat Yitro 5769 -- Sharing Leadership & Visions of Justice

We still have a long, long way to go before we reach the promised land of freedom. Yes, we have left the dusty soils of Egypt, and we have crossed a Red Sea that had for years been hardened by a long and piercing winter of massive resistance, but before we reach the majestic shores of the promised land, there will still be gigantic mountains of opposition ahead and prodigious hilltops of injustice (“Where Do We Go from Here,” by Martin Luther King, Jr.).

Yes, last week, we stood on the shores of the Sea of Reeds, stepped in and crossed (despite our fears), and arrived safely at the other side. We sang. We drank bitter waters made sweet. We camped. We learned to eat manna from heaven.

And, this week, in Parashat Yitro the Israelites once again complain bitterly. And they are dissatisfied with their lack of water. And they are attacked by Amalek. And they fight back. And as long as Moses can hold up his arms, they prevail in their defenses against Amalek. But Moses’ arms grow heavy. And, it seems that the people will be overcome, yet. And maybe at the root of all that complaining there was truth, maybe they would not see the Promised Land? But Aaron and Hur were determined. They would not return to slavery. And so, they moved to sit on each side of Moses and support his arms. And the people did prevail. Yes, the people prevailed when Aaron and Hur stepped up. And Moses was not left to lead alone.

And I figure Moses must have been very tired by this point. He must have been tired of the complaining and fearful that he would buckle under the pressure. He must have known that he could not continue to hold up his arms alone.

And one day, Moses’ father-in-law saw Moses sitting from morning until evening with people lined up all around him. “Why are these people here,” he asked? Moses explained that whenever people had a dispute, or were seeking justice, they came to him so that he could deliver the just message of God. Yes, Moses was once again holding up his arms alone.

Moses’ father-in-law Yitro saw that this was problematic. And, he suggested a new way of leading to Moses, delegation. Yitro would help Moses. And Moses would appoint chiefs to settle small disputes amongst the people.

And I wonder: Was this only about efficiency? Was this only about delegation? Or, was there a deeper message hidden in Yitro’s words? Maybe the truth is this: Moses alone could not support the affairs of justice in his community. Yitro seems to say, justice is only possible amongst a people when the entire community is invested in it. Justice is only possible when one person stands side by side with another and holds up their arms. Justice is only possible when everyone from leaders to chiefs to people believe in its virtues.

How often do we stand alone and hold up our arms until they shake and shudder with exertion? How often do we stand alone? And how often do we seek out others to stand by our sides and help us with our efforts?

Yes, on this Shabbat, let us learn to be like Yitro. Let us be dissatisfied with singular voices of justice. Let us seek out partners to help us. Let us be catalysts of change and sources of goodness in our community.