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When Yisro brought Moshe's wife and children back to the Jewish camp, were they merely reuniting with their father—or did they require conversion? The shiur analyzes the awkward flow of the pesukim and concludes that Tzipora and her sons, absent from Maamad Har Sinai, needed some form of giyur distinct from ordinary converts. The discussion explores what it meant to be a descendant of Avrohom who missed Sinai, and whether Moshe's sons retained their status as his children after conversion.
This shiur presents a fundamental analysis of Parshas Yisro, focusing on the opening pesukim that describe Yisro bringing Moshe's wife Tzipora and their two sons back to the Jewish encampment. Rabbi Zweig develops a novel understanding that challenges the simple reading: these pesukim are not merely describing a family reunion, but rather documenting a conversion process that was necessary for those who were absent from Maamad Har Sinai. The shiur begins by noting numerous textual difficulties. Why does the Torah (תורה) introduce Yisro with multiple identifiers—kohen Midian, chosan Moshe—when discussing his coming to convert? Why does the pasuk mention "vayikach Yisro" (Yisro took) Moshe's wife and children in the context of Yisro hearing about the Exodus and coming to join the Jewish people? The flow of the pesukim seems disjointed unless we understand that taking the family is intrinsically connected to the conversion process itself.
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Shemos 18:1-6
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