Yitro, Now Seeking Qualified Men!
I was driving the other day and the commentator was talking about former President Barack Obama. Granted, I am a only a hairdresser, but even I can see the changes that have taken place from that moment when The United States of America inaugurated its very first black president.
In his 2009 inaugural address, Former President Obama so eloquently spoke,
"On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of
purpose over conflict and discord. On this day, we come to proclaim an
end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and
worn-out dogmas that for far too long have strangled our politics. We
remain a young nation. But in the words of Scripture, the time has come
to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our
enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that
precious gift, that noble idea passed on from generation to generation:
the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve
a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness."
He sure did talk the talk! At the time, I can remember remarking on two 'stand out' qualities of Former President Obama: 'He really is a good speaker' and 'he has good hair' (these may have been his only good qualities). The commentator on the radio related that "President Obama had the opportunity to unite this country like no other". Seeing that he was our first black president, he could have brought together all races and erased diversity.
It was during Obama's EIGHT YEARS in office that that "unity of purpose" and the "freedom" he spoke of seemed to have gotten thrown out the window. Those eight years left us more divided than ever. Over Obama's charge, "trust" in government sank to an all time low, cost of living rose and jobs decreased, our federal employees' pay increased as did their benefits, and our national debt seemed to really take a jump during Obama's time as president. Nothing Obama did created harmony or promoted peace. To top it off, the things that are holy and sacred to Our Creator, G-d, those things seemed to be deemed as less significant.
This weeks Torah Portion Yitro (Jethro, in English), Moses' father-in-law (Jethro) comes to 'visit'. [ -- seriously there is way more to the story than this, but for the purpose of the article we are going to focus on some pretty great 'fatherly advice' Jethro is going to give to his son-in-law Moses --] Moses sat as the Sole Government over all the Children of Israel as they resided in the Wilderness. The people, when they had a problem arise among themselves that needed resolved, they would go to Moses and he would sit and hear their "cases". Once he was finished hearing the case he would help them to resolve it by making clear G-d's words. It just so happened that Jethro witnessed this happening one particular day. "The next day, Moses sat to judge the people, and they stood around Moses from morning till evening."~Exodus 18:13 Jethro then tells his son-in-law, “you cannot continue to keep this up, you will wear yourself out, this is not a good thing, you have got to have some help. If G-d says it's alright, appoint some capable leaders. You will still be the one in charge and you will enlighten your leaders. If it becomes that one of your leaders cannot handle the matter then they would bring the matter to you." (My own paraphrase Ex.18:14-18) It seems as if Jethro's advice is pretty good. It will definitely ease up the work for Moses. Jethro's advice is said to be the foundation of what became the Sanhedrin and a model for government. But let's look at the qualifications for these leaders. If there were to be a job posting for the 'new' government leaders it might have looked like this: (from Exodus 18: 21-23)
Now Seeking Qualified Men
Men of Accomplishment: Are you a man of action, means, and skill? Are you able to resist the pressure of those (man or woman) who would attempt to influence your judgement? Do you possess good judgement? Do you have a good knowledge of the Holy One's Torah? Do you have the ability to recognize the truth in a conflict?
G-d Fearing Men: Are you the type of man who would never be swayed by the flattery? Would you hold fast against bribery? Are you the type of man that could never be bent by the threats of another man?
Men of Truth: Are you a man who lives for Righteousness? Is truthfulness your guiding principle?
Men Who Despise Money: Are you one who would never be swayed by financial considerations (even if you were to suffer loss)? Do you despise the very idea of accepting money from others or bribes in an attempt to influence? Would you rather serve The L~rd your G-d than to have money of your own?
Every year, Portion Jethro comes around, I think about what a different world it might be if we had government officials that worked for us under these guidelines. People over us who would actually serve us. Peaceful men, who rule justly, who are free from resentment and frustration, and capable men who can easily cope with problems and poverty.
In the Shemoneh Esrei (Amidah~central prayer of Jewish liturgy), the blessing that asks for the restoration of justice includes the request that G-d restore our system of justice. Restoring our legal system would be the first step in returning us to a Torah-based society that functions in the service of G-d. After asking for our restoration of judges and advisors, we ask that G-d remove from us our grief and our sighing. You see, if we have Torah leadership, then we have peace. Shalom!
Happy Day,
Hallelujah Girl