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Why did Yisro's suggestion to establish a judicial system merit adding a section to the Torah (תורה)—yet Moshe criticized the people for accepting it? The shiur reveals that judges aren't appointed just to resolve disputes; they exist to give people relationships with wise individuals, which is the only real path to growth. Yisro understood that connection to role models, not philosophical study alone, transforms character.
Rabbi Zweig addresses a fundamental contradiction in Parshas Yisro: Yisro receives tremendous praise for suggesting a judicial system, even having his name changed to reflect that he "added a section to the Torah (תורה)," yet in Devarim, Moshe Rabbeinu criticizes the Jewish people for accepting this very same suggestion. The people should have insisted on learning directly from Moshe rather than from his students. How can the same suggestion be both praiseworthy and worthy of criticism? The shiur also examines textual difficulties in the parsha itself. When Yisro arrives, he sends a message to Moshe: "I am coming with your wife and children—if not for my sake, come greet them for their sake." This seems like an inappropriate attempt to extract honor. Additionally, Rashi (רש"י) identifies Yisro's hosting of Moshe as occurring in Parshas Yisro itself, at the party where "Yisro brought burnt offerings and sacrifices," yet the Maharsha questions this, noting that the obvious case of hosting was back in Parshas Shemos when Yisro invited the fugitive Moshe into his home and gave him his daughter in marriage. Finally, before presenting his administrative solution, Yisro gives a lengthy speech about teaching the people laws of kindness, visiting the sick, burying the dead, and going beyond the letter of the law—topics seemingly irrelevant to the administrative crisis at hand.
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Shemos 18:1-27, Devarim 1:13-14
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