In this week’s parsha, Yitro, the Torah tells us that Moshe’s father-in-law Yitro (Jethro) heard of all the greatness that the Almighty did for the Jewish people. He then decided to join the Jewish people.
When he arrived, he declared (Shemot/Exodus 18:11), “Now I know that the L-rd is greater than all the deities, for with the thing that they plotted, He came upon them.”
What in particular convinced Yitro that the one invisible G-d of the Jewish people was greater than any other deity?
Rashi, based on the commentary of Onkeles and the Talmud, explains that the Egyptians planned to destroy the Jews with water (by throwing the babies into the Nile River), and they themselves were destroyed with water (by drowning at the Splitting of the Sea).
Why is this miracle the one that convinced Yitro that G-d is greater than all the deities? And why does G-d exacting revenge in the same manner as they had plotted proof of this greatness?
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Many of us imagine G-d punishing us for our shortcomings, or rewarding us for our merits. If we are good we will gain a lot of reward. Behaving terribly will earn us severe retribution. This reward and punishment might be material or spiritual, but G-d is keeping track and will ultimately take care of business. G-d is the ultimate referee and never makes a bad call.
Sadly, this understanding of reward and punishment is very shallow. Indeed, we Jews do believe in reward and punishment. It’s written all over the Torah.
But it works very differently.
According to the mystics, G-d is not waiting to do us any favors for behaving nicely. Rather, we will be doing ourselves a favor by living a life replete with mitzvot. The good deeds that we do have natural consequences. The same applies to sin. Transgressions are not merely something that G-d doesn’t want us to do. They are unhealthy for our souls.
A mother tells her child to avoid unhealthy food because they will likely produce undesirable consequences. And she encourages exercise because it helps maintain a healthy body. The results are not arbitrary. They are direct consequences of the actions.
Similarly, when we live a life of holiness, our souls are naturally fortified with sanctity. When our bodies no longer impose a veil to the soul – it is able to appreciate and benefit from that holiness. Sin, conversely, damages the soul and it will therefore suffer the consequences.
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When G-d punished the Egyptians in the exact method that they had plotted, it was evidence that His penalization is not something external from their sin. It is part and parcel.
Yitro concluded that if G-d’s actions mirror the reality of the Egyptians, it must mean that G-d is absolutely everything. There is nothing apart from him.
As we study the parsha of receiving the Torah, let’s remember that G-d’s gift to us is inseparable from G-d Himself. If we are close to Torah we are close to G-d.
And, naturally, that’s good for us.