Dear CBO family,
The Parsha Yitro is best known for the giving of the 10 Commandments at Sinai. In the beginning of Parsha Yitro, Moses’ father-in-law, Yitro, brings Zipporah and Moses’ two sons, Gershom and Eliezer back to Moses. Yitro observes that Moses is overwhelmed by the needs of his people. Moses has been sitting as a judge all day and settling disputes among his people. Yitro, who is an experienced leader in Midian, gives Moses good leadership guidance. He advises Moses to delegate the role of judge in minor cases to capable men, and for Moses to judge only the major cases.
An interesting question arises in this Parsha. Where are the women?
When Moses chooses men to be judges, he does not consider any women. Miriam would have been an excellent choice as a judge. She had already assumed a leadership role during the Exodus from Egypt, and she had also been instrumental in saving Moses’ life when he was an infant. Why was she not considered for a leadership role as a judge? This highlights the lack of inclusivity in leadership, as women were not considered, despite having shown themselves as dynamic leaders, and potentially valuable members of the leadership team. Although rare, there were women rulers in ancient Egypt, but in general societal attitudes reflected the general opinion that men were the leaders.
When Moses is reunited with Zipporah and his sons, why is there only a brief mention of his family, and no exploration of his interaction with his wife and sons? This is a big departure from the family stories in Genesis, where family interactions (very much including the patriarchs’ wives) are so important to the narrative. Although Moses is the central figure in the Torah from Exodus on, his family life is not part of the story, and we never learn anything about Zipporah as a person. Genesis is more about people and personal relationships, a microcosm of society at that time. Exodus is more of a macrocosm of society, with the focus being on societal events and achieving a goal for the Hebrew people as a whole.
Fortunately, there is an inclusive part to the Parsha. All the women are present for the giving of the Ten Commandments at Sinai. They are included and are honored (as are the men) by having the Word of God given to them. The women were empowered, as they, too, had a voice as they answered with the men, “All that Adonai has spoken we will do” (Exodus 19:8). This episode of inclusivity was very important to the people Israel, as they needed to coalesce as one people to form a new nation and be strong in the face of the many adversities they would have to face together.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rebekah Alpert Miller
