Moses and Jethro: A Sad Love Affair
Moses said to Chovav, the son of Re’u’el, the Midianite, Moses’s father-in-law, “We are traveling to the place about which G-d said, ‘I will give it to you.’ Come with us and we will be good to you, for G-d has spoken of good fortune for Israel.” [Numbers 10:29]
On the surface, things are moving well for the Israelites in the Sinai Desert. In our weekly Torah portion of Behaalotecha, literally “cause to ascend, the 12 tribes are preparing for the final push to the Land of Canaan, a distance of three days that G-d will ensure will be completed in one. Think about that: In 24 hours, all of the troubles of the Jews are over.
Naaahh. That can’t be.
The first one to know this is Jethro, the father-in-law of Moses. He had converted to Judaism at Mount Sinai and even changed his name to Chovav, or “loving one.” But on the eve of the odyssey, Jethro says “no.” He won’t continue with the Israelites. He’s going home.
He said to him, “I will not come, for I must go to my land and my family.” [Numbers 10:30]
Moses is stunned. The prophet-king had trusted Jethro more than any other man. He relied on Jethro to establish a network of courts and schools that would provide justice and education to all. Moses knew that Jethro could foresee and solve problems way before anybody else, particularly the leadership.
He [Moses] said, “Please do not leave us, because you are familiar with our encampments in the desert and you have been an eyewitness for us.” [Numbers 10:31]
Why did Jethro walk away on the eve of greatest miracle since the liberation of Egypt? Most commentators assert that Jethro was feeling dejected, seeing that his family would not be given a portion of the Land of Canaan. He decided he’d rather go back to his family in Midian where he was rich and respected.
But Shlomo Yitzhaki, or Rashi, rejects this. The 11th Century sage insists that Jethro had no plans to abandon the Jews. Instead, he intended to return to Midian, convert the rest of his family to Judaism and meet up with the Israelites in Canaan. Indeed, Moses promised Jethro that he would allot a portion of Canaan to his father-in-law’s family in the fertile plain of Jericho. But if Jethro left now, the critics would chortle that his departure reflected his anger over being denied what had been promised to his new Jewish brethren. Indeed, they would add, that was the reason he converted in the first place.
“If you come with us, then we will bestow on you the good land that G-d grants us.” [Numbers 10:32]
More than 400 years after Rashi, Shlomo Ephraim of Luntschitz, Poland filled in the blanks. Shlomo Ephraim, born in 1550, was a disciple of Shlomo Luria, known as the Maharshal, one of the greatest of Talmudists and also based in Poland. Shlomo Ephraim’s most known work is the Klei Yakar, or “Precious Vessel,” a commentary on the Five Books of Moses.
First, the Kli Yakar dismisses the contention that Jethro had a materialistic motive for leaving the Israelites. On the contrary, Jethro was indeed Chovav, who loved G-d, His Torah and His people. But Moses believed that Jethro had another motive: His father-in-law envisioned the immediate decline of the Jews, the change in divine plans, the long and needless sojourn in the desert, the decimation of the generation who left Egypt — and the Midianite judge simply couldn’t face this.
“Because you knew our waystations, that each of them marked an indignation against the divine spirit in that they strayed from G-d. Therefore, I am worried that you will not return to us.” [Kli Yakar. Behaalotecha]
Immediately after Jethro’s departure, the new Israelite nation was hurled into chaos. The rich and prominent, on the pretext of insufficient fish and vegetables, organized massive protests against Moses and Aaron. While the people waited for the order to move out, the elite demanded ‘Meat, now!” The tribal leadership inaugurated by Moses joined in the hysteria. Moses, himself, was in a panic. Where would he get meat to satisfy the gargantuan appetites? Moses was not fooled: He knew this was a revolt against G-d. Like Jethro, he also knew how it was going to end — with the wrath of G-d.
“I cannot carry [the responsibility of] this entire people alone, for it is too hard for me. If this is the way You want to treat me, please kill me first, if I have found favor in Your regard, so that I not see my evil.” [Numbers 11:14-15]
But this marked only the beginning. Over the next few Torah portions, the Israelite elite would repeatedly manipulate the people to rebel against G-d. Money was the tool, but power was the goal. And Jethro could not stand to see this, could not stand to watch his son-in-law suffer at the hands of evil people and their useful idiots.
Jethro also knew what Moses would eventually be told: He would not enter the Land of Canaan. The servant of G-d would finally lose his patience with his people and unintentionally undermine divine will. In the end, Jethro would not meet Moses in Canaan. Instead, his son-in-law would be buried on a mountainside overlooking Jericho.
We don’t hear again of Jethro after his departure. Did he finally make it to Canaan, which became the Land of Israel? Did he rejoin his daughter and grandchildren? What we do know is that Jethro’s family arrived in Israel and settled around Jericho. They would help supply the priests assigned to serve in the Temple. They would help defeat Sisera, the Canaanite general with one of the largest armies on Earth. Today, the Druze nation, the most loyal ally of the Jews since 1948, claim Jethro as their ancestor.
The love between Moses and Jethro didn’t seem to have a happy ending. But G-d has the last word, and the two men will play out the final act when the Messiah arrives and the sad times are over for good.
