Religious Tolerance

Yitro
Exodus 18:1 - 20:23

Précis: Following last week’s trip through the Red Sea, Moses is reunited with his father-in-law Jethro (“Yitro”), his wife Zipporah, and with his two sons. Yitro acknowledges God, gives sage advice to Moses about delegating responsibility, and Moses appoints assistants (judges). The Israelites come to the foot of Mount Sinai where, in the definitive transcendental experience, we read the story of Revelation, as the “Ten Utterances” (Commandments) are spoken to the People by the very Voice of God.

Exodus 18:12 “Moses went out to meet his father-in-law; he bowed low and kissed him; each asked after the other's welfare... ‘Blessed be the Eternal,' Yitro said. . . ‘Now I know that the Eternal is greater than all gods’. . . .And Yitro brought a burnt offering and sacrifices for God.”

Many would argue that this parasha is the “most important” part of Torah, containing as it does the Ten Commandments. From this perspective, it is interesting that the parasha is named after a non-Jewish “priest” of a foreign nation. Upon learning about the Exodus and defeat of the Egyptians at the Red Sea, Yitro comes to greet Moses in the verse cited above. Yitro acknowledges the supremacy of the Israelite God and offers a sacrifice to the same God. This incident has much to teach us about how Jews should interact with those of other faiths.


First, we learn that belief in God is not the exclusive possession of the Jewish People. Second, we observe that you don’t have to be Jewish to pray to God. Third, Jews can learn important lessons from others: after all, Yitro teaches Moses important lessons in leadership and delegation of authority. Finally, by separating the beginning of this parasha (with Yitro’s important role) from the conclusion of last week’s reading (about the evil Amalek), we learn that we need to judge non-Jews by what they do, and not by what they are.


Jews have persistently absorbed much from the culture and thought of the societies in which we have lived. For example, one can point to so-called “Hellenist” practices (the use of logic, symposia, “schools” of thought, etc.) as critical in the development of rabbinic Judaism. Later, one can clearly see elements of Greek and Muslim thought in Maimonides’ works. More recently, one can look to American religious denominationalism in the 19th century to help explain the adoption of Jewish American sectarianism.


To borrow a currently popular word from American political punditry, there is nevertheless a certain Jewish “exceptionalism.” We have been “chosen” for (and we have accepted) a covenant relationship with God with unique duties and responsibilities not required of others. All humans all equal in the sight of God, but we are not the same.


To demonstrate this last point, the text tells us that despite their mutual acceptance of the same God, Yitro and Moses go their separate ways. Differences between peoples and religious groups are real and cannot be ignored. Our tradition tells us that the righteous of all faiths share a place in the world to come. Jews have the ability to learn from and interact with others from different faith traditions, and we must treat others with respect and dignity. At a time of rising religious intolerance around the world, it's a lesson we can't afford to ignore.