Shortly after I got married I introduced a friend to my mother-in-law. Hearing the loaded term, my mother-in-law flinched, not wanting the title with all of its negative connotations. Noticing her reaction, I reframed my introduction:...
The Torah portion, comprised of Exodus 18:1–20:23, is named after Moses’ Midianite father-in-law, Jethro. It tells of Jethro's counsel to Moses, and God's revelation of the Ten Commandments to the Israelites at Mount Sinai. Jethro came to...
After killing an Egyptian taskmaster, Moses fled Egypt and ran to Midian where, according to the sages, he lived in exile for 40 years. While in Midian, he married Zipporah, the daughter of Midianite priest Jethro, also known as Reuel....
This week's portion begins with Jethro's historic visit to the Children of Israel in the desert. The story begins in Exodus Chapter 18: "Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses’ father-in-law, heard of all that God had done for Moses and for...
This portion tells of a visit from Moses’s father-in-law, the eponymous Jethro, and of the Revelation at Sinai. It marks a turning point in the narrative, as from this point forward, more of the text is spent on expounding the law than...