Parashat Yitro opens with the story of Yitro coming to Am Yisrael and giving Moshe Rabbeinu advice on how to run the nation. When Moshe Rabbeinu hears his calculated, wise advice, he accepts it and implements it. And the Torah names the parasha after him: when we open the sefer, we see Parashat Yitro, named for Yitro because of the advice he gave Moshe Rabbeinu.
Why So Much Honor for Yitro?
The Or HaChaim wants to know why Yitro received so much respect, from Moshe Rabbeinu and from the Torah, which names the parasha after him. His answer is fascinating. Since Yitro was not yet a Jew, he had not yet converted, the Torah comes to teach us a lesson: when we think about wisdom, or any other good trait, the goyim have it as well. Are there intelligent people among the other nations? Of course there are. Other good traits? They have those too. In the Or HaChaim’s words: כִּי יֵשׁ בָּאֻמּוֹת גְּדוֹלִים בַּהֲבָנָה וּבְהַשְׂכָּלָה, וְצֵא וּלְמַד מֵהַשְׂכָּלַת יִתְרוֹ בַּעֲצָתוֹ… הָא לָמַדְתָּ כִּי לֹא מֵרֹב חָכְמַת יִשְׂרָאֵל וְהַשְׂכָּלָתָם בָּחַר ה’ בָּהֶם, אֶלָּא לְחֶסֶד עֶלְיוֹן וּלְאַהֲבַת הָאָבוֹת (Or HaChaim, Shemot 18:21).
So why did Hakadosh Baruch Hu choose the people of Israel? Not because of intelligence; if it were intelligence, He could have chosen Yitro’s nation, or, in our time, the Chinese, who are also pretty smart. If He were after good traits, other peoples have good traits as well. He was not going for any of those things. Why did Hashem choose us? Because He loved our forefathers, and He loves us. That’s all. He just loves us. There is no other reason you can pinpoint and say: that is why Hashem chose us.
Why Do You Love Your Child?
It is just like a person with a child. He does not love his child because of the good things the child shows him. If he loved him because the child makes him proud, then he would not love him when he causes trouble and makes him angry. It does not work like that. Ask a parent, “Why do you love your child?” He has no reason. It is not because of the good things the child does, because he also does a lot of bad things, and the parent loves him regardless. There is no reason for the love.
This is what the Torah actually says when it looks for why Hashem loves the Jewish nation: לֹא מֵרֻבְּכֶם מִכׇּל הָעַמִּים חָשַׁק ה’ בָּכֶם וַיִּבְחַר בָּכֶם כִּי אַתֶּם הַמְעַט מִכׇּל הָעַמִּים. כִּי מֵאַהֲבַת ה’ אֶתְכֶם (Devarim 7:7–8). Do not think it is because you are many; you are not many. And if you look for reasons, you probably will not find them. So why does Hashem love us? Because Hashem loves you.
The Kli Yakar asks that this does not make sense: נָתַן טַעַם לָאַהֲבָה בָּאַהֲבָה עַצְמָהּ, the question is why Hashem loves us, and the answer is, because He loves us. It does not make sense, but that is exactly the point. When you have a child, you do not love him for any reason. If the child asks, “Tati, Mommy, why do you love me?” the answer is: just because I love you. There is no reason. Even when you make me angry, even when you make trouble, I still love you.
And that is the love of Hakadosh Baruch Hu. Hakadosh Baruch Hu always, always loves us, no matter what.
Based on Rabbi Shay Tahan’s class “Yitro. Hashem Always Loves Us” (Parashat Yitro): watch the class.
