Yeshiva
Beit Midrash
- Torah Portion and Tanach
- Shmot
- Yitro
This act of fleeing Paro – in essence distancing himself from the Egyptian holocaust – served Yitro quite well. He became a respected priest of Midian, acquired great wealth & prestige, & gained the most illustrious son-inlaw, Moshe Rabbeinu (a fact repeated over & over in the parsha). His reward, mida k’neged mida, was spectacular; it seems that running away was clearly a good move.
But TOO much of a good thing is often not very good at all. For later, when Moshe pleads with Yitro to stay & become part of the nascent nation about to enter Eretz Yisrael, Yitro (according to most sources) runs once more, returning to Midian, never to be heard from again.
His shot at eternal glory is gone; not only does his name vanish from history, the name "Yitro" rarely, if ever, is bestowed upon a Jewish child (Jethro Bodine of Beverly Hillbillies fame notwithstanding!).
Contrast this with Rut(h). She is implored by Naomi to run away, to distance herself from the Jewish nation. And yet, she stays put, refusing to leave. The result is that she has a privileged place in Jewish life, gives rise to David HaMelech and Moshiach, & can claim thousands of other "Ruths" named for her. All because she knew when not to run.
For 2000 years, Jews excelled in the art of running. We specifically chose businesses (diamonds, artisanry, banking, etc) that allowed us to flee when forced to do so, to pick up the pieces elsewhere & make a living. Thus we survived when our hosts turned against us, as they invariably do. So, for example, when the Shoa broke out, wise (and lucky!) Jews fled to far-flung "cities of refuge," like Cuba, Curacao, Bolivia, Shanghai. There they "set up shop" until the danger subsided, & they could return once again to "normal" life in more accommodating surroundings.
And that was fine, that was necessary. But we live in a new & blessed age. An age when Diaspora Jews no longer have to keep their suitcases packed & at the ready. Now there is only one place left to run – to Israel, a land that beckons to all Jews with open arms, a land
"watched over" vigilantly by G-d. Here, the race finally ends, & the "smart money" that stays, wins the race.
Rabbis in Midrash
Lessons
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Various Events FOR WHOM NOT TO VOTE
Rav Zvi Yehuda Kook stressed that Israeli politics is G-dly, so I have no problem answering this common question on a Torani blog. Also, Free-Will is a G-d-given right and obligation, to "destine one's fate" (R. Soloveichik, Kol Dodi Dofek, 67), so I obviously don't tell others how to vote. But once not a few (especially young) have already asked, a couple of personal words from experience and thoughts from chazal & Rav Kook which may be of help to others, mainly for whom NOT to vote.
P'ninat Mishpat Fallout from Failure to Install Elevator – part II
based on ruling 85007 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts
