TORAH PORTION
ADAT SHALOM SYNAGOGUE
presents
LAMAZEL TOV
YOU'RE GOING TO DE A
JEWISH PARENT!
A Six-Part Discussion Series and Certified Lamaze Program
0- -;\ Thursdays, March 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 and April 6 ,
.
7-9:30 p.m.
QJI
7-7:30 JEWISH PARENTING
Couples will explore Hebrew names, brit milah, nam-
ing ceremonies, and the variety of concerns new
parents have about raising happy, healthy babies.
Featuring:
• Rabbis Efry Spectre and Elliot Pachter of Adat Shalom Synagogue
• Dr. Jeffrey Devries, Pediatrician
• Dr. Gail Berliove, Ph.D. and Licensed Psychologist,
Specialist in Family Therapy and Parenting
7:30-9:30 LAMAZE INSTRUCTION
by Sinai Hospital Personnel
A set of six two-hour classes to prepare expectant parents for labor and
delivery. Relaxation and breathing techniques are taught, as well as body
mechanics, comfort measures, birthing options, and post-partum information.
A tour of the Mothers and Infants Center at Sinai Hospital is included.
$50 6-week class
Please R.S.V.P. by February 9
(includes books and manuals)
Mail Your $50 Check (payable to Sinai Hospital) to
ADAT SHALOM SYNAGOGUE
29901 Middlebelt Road, Farmington Hills, Ml 48018
In cooperation with Jewish Experiences for Families
For more information, call 851-5100
THAYER-COGGIN GALLERY
January only
30% SAVINGS
on Floor Samples
SPECIAL ORDERS INCLUDED
COLONY INTERIORS,
Sugar Tree Plaza 6203 Orchard Lake Road W. Bloomfield, MI 48033 626-1999
32
FRIDAY, JANUARY 27, 1989
HOURS: M-S 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
Thurs. 10 a.m.-9 p.m.
Wise Man
Continued from preceding page
ing the people, he was appal-
led. He came to his son-in-law
with a suggestion.
"What you are doing is not
good. You are wearing
yourself out and the people,
too, for all these things are
just too much for one person.
Let me give you a bit of ad-
vice. Then you can do what
you want. I would suggest
that you seek out 'able men
such as fear God, men of truth
hating unjust gain' and
devise a system making
rulers of thousands, rulers of
hundreds, rulers of fifties and
rulers of tens. In that way you
will delegate authority and
let these rulers jusge the peo-
ple on minor matters that
come before them. That will
make it easier for you. On
more serious matters, they
can come directly to you. In
that way you will save
yourself and your life?'
Jethro must have been a
wise man, for the advice he
gave could only be the pro-
duct of mature wisdom.
Moses listened to his father-
in-law and did what he sug-
gested. He went out and ap-
pointed rulers of thousands,
rulers of hundreds, rulers of
fifties and rulers of tens. By
decentralizing authority and
delegating responsibility,
Moses was able to organize
his administration of leader-
ship. By this new institution,
the people were able to obtain
justice more directly and
promptly in their own part of
the camp. For after all, justice
delayed is justice denied.
Decentralization of authority
and the delegation of respon-
sibility were as important
then as they are today.
We see that it did not take
Jethro long to conclude that
Moses was wearing himself
out. Once he advised Moses
on the reorganization of his
judicial system, Jethro
returned to his own land.
From then on, we hear very
little about him. His part is
over.
The narratives about
Jethro raise some textual pro-
blems. Sometimes he is
known as Jethro, sometimes
as Reuel and sometimes as
Hobab. We're not sure how
much of a role he played in
the development of Israelite
religion. Jethro's chief credit
seems to be the advice he
gave Moses about reorganiza-
tion of the judicial system.
The Torah depicts Jethro as
a man of religious commit-
ment, hospitality and
wisdom. It was Jethro who
provided Moses with shelter
when he was a refugee from
Egypt. After Jethro gave one
of his daughters to Moses as
a wife, he came to the conclu-
sion that the God of Israel is
greater than all other gods.
And even after he left the en-
campment of Moses and the
Israelites, he departed to his
own land as a staunch friend
of Israel. His tribe of Midian,
in particular the Kenites, re-
mained close to the Israelites
even though things
deteriorated in subsequent
centuries. In Moses' time, the
relationship between Midian
and Israel was a remarkable
contrast to the enmity of
Amelek.
Louis Ginsberg, in his
classic work Legends of the
Jews, relates how Moses met
his future wife. Jethro's
daughters _were in the habit of
making their appearance at
the watering troughs before
other shepherds came there.
The shepherds would drive
The Torah depicts
Jethro as a man of
religious
commitment.
them away and water their
own flock at the troughs the
maidens had filled. When
Moses arrived in Midian, he
stopped at the well, where he
had the same experience as
Isaac and Jacob: he found his
helpmate there. Eleazer chose
Rebeccah as Isaac's-wife while
she was drawing water for
him. Jacob first saw Rachel
while she was watering her
sheep. And at this well in Mi-
dian, Moses met his future
wife, Zipporah.
The shepherds' rudeness
reached its climax the day of
Moses' arrival. First, they
deprived the maidens of the
water they had drawn for
themselves; next they at-
tempted to do violence to
them. Then they threw them
into the water with the intent
of killing them. At that mo-
ment Moses appeared; he
dragged the maidens out of
the water and gave the flocks
to drink, first Jethro's and
then those of the shepherds.
Jethro's daughters thanked
Moses for his assistance, but
he replied: "Your thanks are
due to the Egyptian that I
killed. On account of him, I
had to flee from Egypt. Had
it not been for him, I would
not have been here now to
help you."
Our Torah portion for this
week honors Jethro by calling
this sedra by his name. The
story is interesting because it
demonstrates the wisdom of a
caring father-in-law for a
great son-in-law. Even Moses
is not too proud to accept ad-
vice and counsel from Jethro.
Ibn Ezra credits Jethro with
advising Moses on "choosing
capable men who fear God."
These will be the true judges,
he said.