YISRO 1985

In the Torah portion Yisro we learn how Yisro comes to join his son-in-law, Moshe.  We learn something very strange.  The Torah portion says he said to Moshe, and Rashi explains, by messenger, "I am your father-in-law Yisro come to you and your wife and two of her sons with her."  Didn't Moshe know that he had a wife and two sons?  Also, why did Yisro have to send a message saying that he was coming?  The rabbis tell us that originally Moshe had taken his wife, Zipporah and his two sons with him when he went down to Egypt to save the Jewish people; however, when his brother, Aaron, met him at the border he told Moshe, "Aren't there enough slaves in Egypt?  Send your wife and children back and when we are free they will join us."  That's why it says "and Jethro took the father-in-lair of Moshe, Zipporah, the wife, and Moshe after he sent her."  Jethro was not sure what type of a reception he would get from Moshe so, therefore, he sent a messenger ahead to let Moshe know he was coming and he worded it in such a way, the rabbis tell us, so that if Moshe did not want to come out and greet him, he should at least come out and greet his wife, and if he did not want to come out and greet his wife, he should at least come out for his children.  What's going on here?  Was Moshe the type of person who would disown his family?  Was he like those first generation Jews in this country who changed their name from Weinstein to Winston and then pretended not to know any members of their family?  Of course not.  Moshe was not ashamed of his background, and, of course, in the next sentence we learn how Moshe went out to greet his father-in-law, and how he kissed him, and how all the others came out and Aaron and everyone to welcome Jethro.  What, though, could Jethro have been worried about?  What was the problem?  Actually, Jethro's problem was a real problem, a problem with which we are still dealing today: the problem of what should Judaism's position be vis a vis non-Jews and general culture?  Jethro, after all, had been a priest in many of the leading pagan religions of his time.  In fact, the rabbis say that he had seven names because he changed his religion seven times.  He was still not Jewish at this time.  Later on he converted.  The Jewish people had already received some of the commandments and were going to receive the Ten Commandments shortly.  How were they to interact with other cultures and other people?  The rabbis teach us that the truth is the truth no matter where it comes from, and we can see by the very fact that the Torah portion in which we find the Ten Commandments is named after a non-Jew, that we believe that there is much knowledge and wisdom among people who are not Jewish.  In fact, in this week's Torah portion we learn about some of the advice that Jethro gave his father-in-law.  It says, "Vayehee Meemocharas," "and it was on the next day."  The rabbis explain that this means it was the day after Yom Kippur, that it was the day after Moshe had brought down the second tablets of the Ten Commandments.  We see that Jethro's advice was accepted even after the giving of the Torah.  We Jews have always accepted the truth no matter who offered it when it did not talk about values.  Values talk about how to order truth.  Jethro gave Moshe good advice how to organize the people.  When it comes to technology, to science, to techniques we are always open to truth.  

There are certain Jews today, a very small number, who do not want to have anything to do with the non-Jewish world.  They consider the State and flag goyish.  On the other hand, there are many, many more Jews who consider that we must adopt every position of the modern world even when it talks about values.  There are certain groups who will acculturate a little bit in religious values, and others who will completely acculturate even the religion.  We modern orthodox believe in completely acculturating when it comes to everything except religious values and practices.  We realize that we need instruction.  We need our tradition to teach us moral values.  That's why it said, "and the people stood at a distance and Moshe approached to the thick darkness."  When it comes to religious values, when we leave our tradition we enter into murky, dark areas which can lead to many problems and excesses.  

This point is emphasized, too, in the two names of Moshe's children.  His first child was called Gershon which means "he was a stranger in a strange land" while the second was called Eliezer which means "G-d is my help."  We would think that Moshe would call the first "G-d is my help'" and the second Gershon; however, according to the rabbis, Moshe made a deal with his father-in-law in order to marry Zipporah, that he would raise his oldest child as a goy and not a Jew, but that that means he would teach him everything about Jethro's heathen religion first can be debated.  However, Moshe knew that he had to impress upon him that he was different, that he was a stranger.  Unless he did that he may be his father's physically but he would not be his father's spiritually.  We Jews have to always remember that we are different in religious values.  If we are only stressing what we have in common with others we will quickly assimilate.  Our synagogue has always stood for complete integration in America except for religious values.  We believe we should acculturate in matters of culture, etc., but not in religious values.  We maintain the traditions of our people completely.  We applaud all those who have worked the last 80 years to maintain the traditional stance of our congregation.  

This reminds me of the story of a poor fellow who came knock on the door of a man and asked him if he could paint something for him.  The owner of the house felt sorry for him and said, "Yes, you can paint my porch.  A half hour later the man came back and said, "I'm through."  The owner asked, "Are you sure you through?" The man answered, "Yes, I'm sure, but I want you to know you don't have a porch, you have a ferrari."  Too often we have been covering up or saving the wrong things.  Bagels and lox are more important than our religious values.  Bagels and lox we keep.  Our religious values we throw out.  Acculturation is fine as long as it does not touch our religious values.