When Moses Drew the Battle Lines for Eternity

The moment had finally arrived. After receiving the Torah at Mount Sinai, the Israelites were ready to march toward the land flowing with milk and honey. The Torah portion of Beha’alotcha (Numbers 8:1-12:16) captures the Israelites as they prepare to leave Mount Sinai and embark on the journey to the Promised Land—the culmination of the Exodus and the fulfillment of God’s promises. Yet right before they leave, we find a seemingly mundane conversation between Moses and his father-in-law. Moses turns to his father-in-law Hobab, otherwise known as Jethro, with words that echo through the ages:

Though these words appear to be a simple family exchange, they hold the key to understanding how the world would forever relate to the Jewish people.

Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik saw something far deeper in this moment than a son-in-law asking for practical help—it was Moses, as the representative of all Israel, extending an invitation to the entire non-Jewish world. According to Rabbi Soloveitchik, the message was clear and universal: “Join us in the promised land—provided that you’re ready to subject yourself to the same Divine discipline as we have accepted.”

The invitation came with a condition, but not the kind the world usually demands. It required a willingness to acknowledge the God of Israel as King and accept the moral discipline that comes with that recognition. “There is enough Hessed, goodness and happiness in the Torah to be transmitted to others and to be shared by others. Join our triumphal march, Moshe (Moses) said to Yitro (Jethro), towards our destiny. It may become your destiny as well.”

Rabbi Yonatan Grossman illuminates the profound symmetry that the Torah creates around the Sinai experience. Before the Israelites arrived at the mountain, they encountered two distinct models of how nations could relate to them. First came Amalek’s unprovoked attack—pure hatred seeking destruction. Then came Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, who declared in wonder, “The Lord is greater than all the gods” (Exodus 18:11).

Now, as they prepare to leave Sinai, these same two possibilities emerge again. Moses extends his invitation to Hobab, immediately followed by his prayer as the Ark moves forward: “Arise, O God; may Your enemies be scattered and may those who hate You flee from before You” (Numbers 10:35).

The pattern is unmistakable: Amalek—Jethro—Mount Sinai—Hobab—God’s enemies. The Torah presents us with a choice that every generation must face. You can be like Amalek, driven by inexplicable hatred to destroy God’s people, or you can be like Jethro, recognizing truth and seeking partnership in the divine mission. If you align with Jethro, you are invited to join the eternal march toward redemption, to share in the destiny of God’s covenant people. But if you choose the path of Amalek, you will face the same fate as all of God’s enemies—to be scattered and destroyed, as Moses himself declared: “Arise, O God; may Your enemies be scattered and may those who hate You flee from before You.”

What makes this moment so significant is what it reveals about the original plan. According to Rabbi Soloveitchik, this march from Sinai was meant to usher in the messianic era, with Moses leading not just Israel, but all who would join them, into the age of redemption. The invitation to Hobab represented an open door to the entire world—a chance for humanity to unite under divine sovereignty and march together toward perfection.

The conversation embodied the eternal choice that confronts every individual and nation. Would they join the journey toward a redeemed world, or would they position themselves as enemies of that vision?

The Torah records what happened next. Because of their grumblings, the generation that received the Torah at Sinai never entered the Promised Land. The march that should have led directly to redemption became forty years of wandering. The messianic age that seemed within reach receded into the distant future.

Today, this ancient dynamic plays out with stark clarity. We witness modern Amalekites who seek nothing less than the complete destruction of the Jewish people—not for any grievance that can be resolved, but out of the same inexplicable hatred that drove their ancient predecessors. They don’t want land or recognition or justice; they want annihilation.

But we also see modern descendants of Jethro—individuals and nations who recognize that Israel’s survival and flourishing serves a purpose far greater than politics or geography. They understand that the Jewish people carry something essential for humanity’s future, and they choose to stand with us not despite our mission, but because of it.

The invitation Moses extended to Hobab remains open today. In a world where ancient hatreds have awakened with frightening intensity, the choice becomes ever more urgent. As Israel launched Operation Rising Lion against Iran, it confronted a regime that has amassed enough enriched uranium for multiple nuclear weapons while openly calling for Israel’s destruction—a regime that sponsors terror across the region and seeks to export its murderous ideology worldwide. Israel acted against an existential threat not just to the Jewish people, but to civilization itself. Iran’s theocratic rulers represent the modern embodiment of those ancient enemies who seek annihilation rather than coexistence, choosing the path of Amalek over that of Jethro.

We are now on that march to redemption that Moses began in the wilderness—the same journey, the same destination, moving through the pre-messianic process toward the final geulah (redemption). Every person, every nation, must decide: Will you be part of humanity’s march toward redemption, or will you stand with those who seek to destroy the very people carrying that hope forward? The answer to that question doesn’t just shape individual destiny—it determines which side of history you’ll occupy when Moses’ original march finally reaches its destination and the world he envisioned becomes reality.

For those who recognize the stakes of this real war and choose to stand with the Jewish people against God’s enemies, this is not merely a time for words but for action. Israel today is literally fighting for its survival—rockets rain down on cities, families huddle in bomb shelters, and young soldiers stand guard against enemies who seek nothing less than total annihilation. We invite you to join this sacred mission by supporting Israel’s war effort and helping the families whose lives have been torn apart by this conflict. Your contribution becomes part of that eternal march toward redemption that began with Moses’ invitation to Hobab. In standing with Israel during these days of war, you align yourself with the forces of light against darkness, choosing the path of Jethro over the path of Amalek, and helping to ensure that the march toward the messianic era continues despite those who would destroy it.