YISRO

Shalom, Shalom. This week’s Torah PORTION is termed YISRO. YISRO is the father of the NAVI MOSHE’S wife Zipporah. YISRO is a priest of MIDIAN who doubtlessly had a profound affect on MOSHE’S perspective of SPIRITUALITY. In this portion, he is seen in the outset as rejoining the family of MOSHE after the LIBERATION of BENEI YISRAEL. After being royally received by AM (nation) YISRAEL, he observes the system that MOSHE had set up to counsel the people and advises him on how to set up SPIRITUAL PROTOCOL that would effectively administer HALACHA.

The foundational approach for effectively administering HALACHA within a CORPORATE BODY must be one that will create and maintain unity. The CORPORATE BODY must be exposed to DEVARIM (words) and GEBURAH (judgment), that is, the SAME in order to be UNIFIED. The failure to administer the SAME DEVARIM and GEBURAH will give rise to DIVISION and ultimately the DESTRUCTION of the CORPORATE BODY.

DIVISION may be described as the dividing of a VISION. The VISION for BENEI YISRAEL is to become a GREAT NATION. Thus when DEVARIM and GEBURAH is in opposition within a CORPORATE BODY, the destruction of the VISION is inevitable. With HALACHA coming from one SOURCE, the VISION will unfold; on the other hand, opposing VIEWS, while providing an atmosphere for LEARNING, will hinder the UNFOLDMENT of the VISION. MOSHE alone giving HALACHIC DECISIONS could maintain the UNITY, but the number of people that needed the counsel would soon wear him out. The instructions on how to establish SPIRITUAL PROTOCOL from YISRO would enable MOSHE in an effective way of administering HALACHIC decisions that would maintain UNITY.

The counsel of YISRO was for MOSHE to DUPLICATE HIMSELF. The process of DUPLICATION REQUIRED that he would select a group of potential leaders that would meet certain qualifications. Once the selection was made, then to teach them DECREES, TEACHINGS and THE PATH TO GO AND THE DEEDS TO DO, and to place these LEADERS over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens, appointing them to judge the people at all times bringing only HARD MATTERS to HIM. In other words, to establish PROTOCOL.

What transformed the PROTOCOL into SPIRITUAL PROTOCOL is what occurred in NUMBERS 11:16,17,24,25. “HASHEM said to Moses, Gather to Me seventy men from the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and its officers; take them to the Tent of Meeting and have them stand there with you. I will descend and speak with you there, and I will increase some of the spirit that is upon you and place it upon them, and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, and you shall not bear alone. Moses left and spoke the words of HASHEM to the people; and he gathered seventy men from among the elders of the people and had them stand around the Tent. HASHEM descended in a cloud and spoke to him, and He increased some of the spirit that was upon him and gave it to the seventy men, the elders; when the spirit rested uno the, they prophesied, but did not do so again.” In this passage of Torah, we are told that HASHEM increased the RUWACH that was on MOSHE and then placed it upon THEM. Therefore the HALACHIC decisions that they would make would not simply rest on SCHOLARSHIP but also on ONE SPIRIT. This would give rise to the administration of the SAME DEVARIM and GEBURAH.

Likewise we as Jewish People must strive to not only employ SCHOLARSHIP in making HALACHIC decisions, but also to be CONSCIOUS of the RUWACH. This will aid in the UNFOLDMENT of the VISION of BECOMING A GREAT NATION.