UMJC RSS Feed| Yitro 5769 |
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There are three features of this portion which amaze me and which challenge some of the traditional theological paradigms that scholars like to formulate and impose upon both the text and the practices of the Bible. Firstly, Jethro, Moses' non-Jewish father-in-law was a priest of the Almighty and it is he who leads the elders and Moses in their first ritual, communal meal in the presence of Adonai (18:12). The meal is preceded by ceremonial burnt offerings and sacrifices which were conducted under the direction of this gentile holy man. While Yitro has never attained the same exalted status in popular theology as Melchizedek, his participation was very significant in the initial setting up of the community of Israel, both in terms of leadership and liturgy. He is one of the righteous prophets of G-d who minister outside of Israel, but whose impact on Israel and on the generation which came out of Egypt is significant. The existence and impact of these kinds of righteous people among the nations may be part of what Rav Sh'aul was referring in Acts 14:16, 17 in his address to the crowds at Lystra. Could we then not admit that Abraham's double call might include both the existence, at various times and in various places, of other righteous prophets among the nations, and the redemptive activity of G-d, at various times and in various places, among these pagan peoples? In other words, while we understand that the both the revelation at Sinai and the advent of Messiah supersede any other sources of revelation, they do so without precluding the existence and even the validity of such ancillary sources - because this is what the Torah and the Brit Chadashah testify to (i.e. Acts 10:34, 35). When I talk to people about faith, I realize that the Spirit of Adonai is at work in their hearts and lives and I want to look at the issues and at the pictures (metaphors) which form the core of this process of spiritual awakening and to use them as bridges to bring people to biblical truth and to biblical spirituality. Secondly, Moses afforded his father-in-law a position of preeminence and the Scriptures say that Moses heeded Jethro's advice concerning how to judge the people by prioritizing their concerns on a scale of importance so that only the major issues would be dealt with by Moses. There never has, not never will be a prophet like Moses and yet he listened to good advice which was not directly revealed to him. He didn't have to receive it or think of it in order to use it. The Scriptures remain our primary source of revealed truth, but if we feel that we have a corner on the market, when it comes to truth and wisdom, to the point that we disparage any lesser sources, then our arrogance might deprive us of useful advice which Moses did not ignore. We may be guardians of the truth of the Torah and of the Gospel, but there are still many things we can learn from other sources that neither compete with, nor diminish these primary sources. Hearing from the Almighty means we have to recognize His advice, even if it is from someone whose spiritual credentials we may rightly consider vastly inferior to our own, be they Canaanite, Midianite or any other donkey which Adonai brings into our lives. All of this is part of the organizational pre-amble to the majesty of the smoking mountain which trembled at the voice of our Creator. Our Messiah already settled the question which gives the Ten Words a place of preeminence over all and any subsequent jurisprudence and contextualizing which all and any subsequent commandments functionally constitute (Matt. 5:17-20 and Matt. 22:36;40), however there are aspects of the smoking mountain experience which occur subsequently in a number of places. Elijah's flagging determination was bolstered by a return of the wind, the fire and an earthquake which the community of Israel experienced on the same mountain centuries earlier. The crowd of 120 disciples which gathered in the Upper Room experienced both a mighty rushing wind and flames of fire. We are not told that the room shook, though this phenomenon was experienced later by the apostles shortly after Peter and John were arrested and threatened by the Sanhedrin (Acts 5:31). The crowd which gathered to hear Peter's explanation of the event was not initially attracted because of the noise which the 120 people made once they were filled with the Ruach HaChodesh. It was the noise of the wind and perhaps the sight of the fire and perhaps even the shaking of the house that caused them to come running to investigate. They may also have been motivated to be outside in case another tremor should occur which might damage the houses and trap them inside dangerous rubble. In any event the huge crowd was attracted by a supernatural occurrence which was manifested by meteorological events which usually accompany storms. This is one other event where the light and sound display of Sinai may also have been repeated - in a location which I might describe as the Gentile Upper Room. Acts chapter ten records how the experience of the Ruach was also made available to the Gentiles, as those who came with Peter discovered. While no storm like phenomena are mentioned directly, Peter does say that the Gentiles received the Ruach in a similar manner to the Jews gathering at Shavuot. Lastly, this portion ends with a firm admonition to never allow any of the practices of paganism to infect the true worship of the true Creator. However, the Torah has also always allowed and even encouraged a high degree of liturgical flexibility, which subsequent tradition has tried to suppress as part of an attempt impose a highly standardized, stylized, rigid worship on the House of Jacob. As we enter the 21st century, and as we begin to see our revitalized movement gain momentum, our primary concern must always be to maintain high standards of Torah observance, which prevent even subtle pagan influences from infecting our liturgy or any other aspect of our faith. We must also be concerned to listen to the Yitros whom Adonai will bring among us to help us organize our growing generational camp more efficiently. And while I am grateful for the almost fathomless resource we have in the Talmud and other rabbinic writings, we also have to be careful to give preeminence to the teachings of the Torah. We must also formulate and implement subsequent jurisprudence so that neither the spirit nor the letter of the Ten Words is violated. The words that Adonai spoke aloud from the mountain remain the ten essential core covenant principles which together form the foundation of all the subsequent stipulations that we cherish as the Holy Law. Our Messiah took exception to any departures from both the spirit and the letter of this integrated Holy Law (Mat. 5:17-20 and 21-48). We need to be guided by this same zeal, both for the truth and for the determined flexibility which will always be necessary to implement biblical righteousness in the almost limitless array of modern circumstances which were not an issue when the Bible was first penned. May we welcome the Jethros who come alongside of us and may we seek for and respond to the supernatural encounters with which Adonai has always succeeded in getting our initial attention. And finally, as Messianic Jews and Gentiles, may we cherish both the essence of the Law and our inalienable right and need for a flexible approach to jurisprudence (which is what halacha should be considered as) as we set straight paths for our feet and walk with authenticity and maturity in the paths of Adonai in our generation.
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by J. Michael Terrett
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