A message from Rabbi Sara Abrams
As we begin the month of February, we open to the Torah portion Yitro (Jethro), where Moses, now a newly minted leader, finds himself in the throes of a leadership crisis. The Israelites have become his full responsibility—and will be for the rest of his life—and Moses finds himself overwhelmed. The people must begin their transition from an identity of slavery to that of a nation of priests and prophets.
On his own, Moses expresses his overwhelm: how can one man shoulder the weight of 600,000 newly freed slaves who must take on a covenant, reacquaint themselves with the Creator, and become worthy of the legacy in store for them?
Fortunately, Moses has a wise father-in-law, Jethro, who smartly instructs him to delegate his power. First, he observes Moses’ leadership style and questions him:
When Moses’ father-in-law saw all that he was doing to the people, he said, ‘What is this thing that you are doing to the people? Why are you alone seated, while all the people stand around you from morning until nightfall?’(Exodus 18:14)
Moses explains that he acts as judge and counselor to all the people. Jethro admonishes him:
What you are doing is not good. You will surely wear yourself out, you yourself as well as this entire people that is with you, for this matter is too weighty for you; you will not be able to do it alone (Exodus 18:17–18)
From this point, Jethro advises Moses to find trusted elders among the tribes to assist him in his role. Moses does so and learns one of his earliest lessons before delivering the Decalogue to the nation: he cannot do it alone. He must learn to delegate and trust others to lead, to counsel, and to hold the community together.
This lesson holds true for all of us, especially in the depths of winter and the darkness that has descended upon our time. Jethro teaches us to think collectively, to share responsibility, and to recognize that each of us has a role to play in the greater world. His advice encourages us to come together communally, to seek to be part of our community’s leadership—to find a role and lend a hand at a critical time for TBT—and to ensure that, at the very least within this small community, we work together to create good and sustain a safe, warm Jewish community in Central Oregon.
Rabbi Sara