Jethro, Moses’s father-in-law, arrives and sizes up the situation. He sees that Moses has taken a lot on himself. He gives some constructive criticism for leadership. Moses realizes that this is all meant for the good and accepts it.
Parashat Yitro is fascinating because it contains what you might call Judaism’s core creed—the Aseret HaDibrot, the Ten Commandments. But what’s striking is how the parashah begins.
Before Sinai.
Before revelation.
Before thunder, lightning, and commandments carved in stone—
The Torah reintroduces us to Yitro, a non-Jew, who comes to observe what is happening with the Jewish people and with Moshe.
And Yitro doesn’t come with theology.
He comes with constructive criticism.
He sees Moshe judging the people from morning until night and says, in effect:
“This won’t last. You’ll burn yourself out—and worse, you’re not training the next generation. What happens when you’re no longer here?”
That insight is extraordinary. Yitro understands that leadership without delegation is not strength—it’s fragility.
Moshe listens. And that may be the most important leadership lesson in the parashah.
He accepts the advice and establishes a layered court system: lower courts handling routine cases, higher courts addressing more complex issues, and only the most difficult matters reaching Moshe himself. It’s a model we instantly recognize—very much like a modern court system, where only the most significant cases reach a supreme authority.
And here’s the key Torah point:
Before Sinai, we build structure.
The Torah deliberately places this episode before revelation to teach us something fundamental:
You can be deeply spiritual—but without structure, spirituality collapses.
Everyone becomes “spiritual in their own way,” norms dissolve, and society breaks down.
This is why, going all the way back to Noach, among the seven universal laws, the one positive commandment given to all humanity is to establish courts. A society cannot survive without law, order, and shared authority.
Only once that foundation exists can we go to Sinai and receive true holiness.
We see this in daily life as well. People often say, “Who are you to tell me what to do?”
The answer is simple: the law. Structure matters. Authority matters.
And finally, Moshe’s delegation teaches us another timeless lesson:
The most successful leaders—biblical or modern—are those who know they can’t do everything themselves. They share power, develop others, and prepare the next generation.
That’s not weakness.
That’s leadership.
Something very worth thinking about.
Leave a Reply