This is a free translation of a talk by the Rebbe from 1965. Likutéi Sichot, vol. 11, p. 74.
1.
Regarding what is written in our Torah section: "And Jethro said: Blessed be the Eternal who has delivered them," our Sages of blessed memory said: "It is a disgrace to Moses and the six hundred thousand [Israelites] who did not say 'Blessed' until Jethro came and said: 'Blessed be the Eternal.'".
This requires understanding: what is the meaning of "that they did not say 'Blessed,' etc."? After all, Moses and the Children of Israel sang a hymn to the Eternal One after the miracle of the Parting of the Sea! And it cannot be explained that the dishonor was because they did not say "Blessed" regarding the Exodus from Egypt (but only regarding the Parting of the Sea), because if that were the case, "the main point of the text is missing.".
This can be understood by prefacing what is written in the Zohar: that until Jethro came and acknowledged the Holy One, blessed be He, the Torah was not given to Israel. And when Jethro came and said, "Blessed be the Eternal One who has delivered you, etc.; now I know that the Eternal One is greater than all the gods, etc.," through this he effected that "the Holy One, blessed be He, be exalted above and below, and afterward He gave the Torah in its fullness.".
Apparently, this is difficult to understand: how is it possible that all the great spiritual stature of Moses, Aaron, and the six hundred thousand of Israel before Jethro came was still not enough for the Torah to be given to Israel, and that they only deserved it after Jethro also acknowledged the Holy One, blessed be He, and said "that the Eternal One is greater than all the gods"?.
2.
All of the above will be understood by first introducing the following question: At the beginning of the section it is written: "And Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses' father-in-law, heard all that God had done." One must understand: what is the verse teaching us here by emphasizing that he was a "priest of Midian"? Apparently, it would have been sufficient to inform us briefly: "And Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, heard.".
Furthermore, regarding "priest of Midian", there are two interpretations:
- a) "Priest" in the sense of a minister, meaning that Jethro was the chief (or prince) of Midian.
- b) A priest of idolatry (see Rashi below: "for he was familiar with every form of idolatry in the world, etc.").
According to the second interpretation, that he was a priest of idolatry, this is extremely perplexing: does the Torah here relate something derogatory about Jethro, Moses' father-in-law? Especially when, based on the content of our section, the intention seems to be the opposite: to recount the praise of Jethro.
The explanation is as follows: in truth, the verse does not use the title "priest of Midian" to diminish Jethro's importance, but on the contrary, to describe his former greatness and honor (in the land of Midian), through which his virtue is further emphasized when he came to convert to the point that "his heart motivated him to go out into the desert, a place of desolation, to hear words of Torah.".
Even according to the second interpretation of "priest of Midian" (who was a priest of idolatry), this indicates Jethro's greatness in terms of knowledge and intellectual understanding. For the root of the error of those who went astray and were drawn after idolatry stemmed (primarily) from their understanding and intellectual reasoning. As Maimonides writes: "They said: Since God created these stars and spheres to govern the world, etc., they are worthy of praise and glorification and of being honored. And this is the will of God, etc.".
In other words, although it is certainly true that the flow of Divine vitality descends into this physical world through the stars and constellations, it is nevertheless forbidden to honor them, etc., for this reason. For they possess no independent choice or will of their own; they are merely "like an ax in the hand of the woodcutter," carrying out the will of the King of kings, the Holy One, blessed be He.
And just as there are intermediaries in this world—the stars and constellations—who are truly nullified in their own existence, so too are there intermediary angels in the World of Formation and the World of Creation. Even there, in the highest worlds, the warning remains that they are only like an axe in the woodcutter's hand. On the contrary: the higher the level of the intermediaries, the greater the likelihood of error in this matter.
This is the meaning of the statement that Jethro "was familiar with every form of idolatry in the world, etc.," that is, he possessed knowledge and intellectual understanding of all the intermediaries in all the worlds, even up to the highest levels. (However, when he was priest of Midian, he erred and regarded them as intermediaries with independent power and authority, and this constitutes idolatry.) From this, the magnitude of Jethro's intellectual achievement becomes clear.
This explains why, when the verse describes him as a "priest of Midian," the intention is to recount his praise as a minister and an honorable figure in the land of Midian. At the same time, he was also "a priest of idolatry," exceedingly great in intellectual understanding. And yet, he relinquished all his greatness and importance and came to repentance.
3.
According to this explanation—that Jethro was great in wisdom and knowledge—we can understand what is written in the Zohar, which states that the Torah was given specifically through his recognition. For the Zohar states regarding the verse, "And I saw that wisdom is superior to folly," that the "advantage" of holy wisdom is specifically derived "from folly," that is, through the refinement of wisdom from "the other side" (the unholy), which is called "foolishness.".
It follows that when Jethro—who was a great sage in the wisdom of the "other side"—came to study Torah and declared, "For the Eternal is greater than all the gods," this brought about a refinement of the wisdom of the "other side," to the point of transforming it into sacred wisdom. Consequently, something was added from it (from "foolishness"). itron or, a higher increase of light in sacred wisdom.
Therefore, it was specifically the recognition of Yitro—since it brought about this higher increase of light—that effected the giving of the Torah below. For it is well known that the preparation for any matter must be of the same nature as that for which it is being prepared.
If so, this very thing requires explanation: how is the refinement of wisdom from "the other side" a preparation for the Giving of the Torah? The explanation is as follows: it is explained in many places that before the Giving of the Torah, the Holy One, blessed be He, decreed that the heavens belong to the Lord and the earth to man; but upon giving the Torah, He annulled the decree and said: "The lower realms will ascend to the higher realms, and the higher realms will descend to the lower realms.".
In other words, the Giving of the Torah involved a unification of above and below, where the "lower" ascends and is encompassed within the "higher." Similarly, the wisdom of the "other side" (representing the lower level) is refined and elevated to the higher wisdom. Therefore, this effectively serves as preparation for the Giving of the Torah.
4.
This preparation (through the refinement of the wisdom of the "other side") possesses an advantage even over the preparation effected by the Parting of the Sea. For it is known that the Parting of the Sea also involved the concept of uniting higher and lower realms, through the union of the "hidden world" (the sea) and the "revealed world" (the dry land).
However, this preparation was not enough, and the Torah was not given until Jethro came and acknowledged—until even the wisdom of the "other side" was refined. The reason can be explained thus: although the union at the Parting of the Sea encompassed all the worlds, this union included only the "lower" within the levels of holiness itself. It did not extend to a refinement and elevation of the "lowest of the low" within the realm of the "other side." (For the fact that the Egyptians drowned in the Sea does not mean that they were refined; rather, their existence was destroyed and annulled.) .
For this reason—that the "other side" had not yet been refined at the Parting of the Sea—it was still possible for Amalek to come and wage war against Israel. Since the very essence of the "other side" had not been refined (there was only a rupture of its external manifestations), the essence of the Kelipa He remained in opposition to the Divinity; therefore, Amalek was able to come and fight.
This explains why the Torah wasn't given until Jethro came and acknowledged that "the Eternal is greater than all the gods." It was specifically through his declaration that the "foolishness" of the "other side" was refined and purified. This union of the lowest with the highest constitutes the true preparation for the Giving of the Torah.
5.
Based on the above, we can understand Rashi's comment: "What report did he hear and come? The Parting of the Sea and the war with Amalek." The familiar question is: Jethro had heard about all the miracles of the Exodus, so why was he moved to come specifically because of this report? Furthermore, why is the wording precise in saying "the war with Amalek," emphasizing Amalek's act of war and not Israel's victory?.
However, according to the previous explanation, this is understood: specifically these two matters—that Jethro heard "the Parting of the Sea" (that the union of above and below is possible) and "the war with Amalek" (which proves that the union was not complete, since the Kelipa (He still opposed it)—it was what moved him to come. That is why he came and "recognized the Holy One, blessed be He," to rectify and complete the union by refining the "other side.".
6.
The general principle that the order should be one of "ascending in holiness" is well known (ma'alín ba-kodeshApparently, the war with Amalek caused a great spiritual decline in the Children of Israel. But according to the above, this is resolved: since the war with Amalek is what brought about the refinement of the "other side" through Jethro, it turns out that this war is, ultimately, part of the higher ascent and the most immediate preparation for the Giving of the Torah.
7.
Based on all of the above, we can also explain what our Sages said: "It is a disgrace to Moses and the six hundred thousand who did not say 'Blessed' until Jethro came." The word ""Baruch"" ("blessed") relates to the idea of bringing down (mavrijThus, "Blessed be the Eternal" signifies the descent of Havayá (the Divinity).
The revelation of Divine light brought by the song of Moses and the six hundred thousand, though sublime, was not yet a complete descent to the lowest level. Only "when Jethro came and said, 'Blessed be the Lord,'" was the supreme revelation of the light effected through him. Havayá, reaching even the lowest level, which was refined by its recognition. And then the Torah was given—the union of the upper and lower realms.
8.
The practical lesson: The concept of the Giving of the Torah must occur every day. The preparation for this is the service of "In all your ways know Him": that one must be connected to Havayá not only in matters of holiness, but even in worldly and optional matters.
However, before this must come the service of the Parting of the Sea—service in matters of holiness. This grants the strength for the "war with Amalek," the refinement within the mundane. A person's daily order is: first, their service "immediately upon waking" with the general acknowledgment of"Modé Aní (I give thanks before You, etc.). After that comes the order of the prayer service and Torah study. Only then comes the morning meal and worldly affairs.
Service in any of these forms constitutes a preparation for the revelation of the Giving of the Torah—which"Anoji Havayá""become "your God", your strength and your vitality.