Timeless Torah

How many times have you said, “If G-d would only show me a miracle, I would surely believe.” Although I, too, would love to see the Hand of G-d showing us His cards, I maintain that most of us would be impressed, even overwhelmed. But believe? That, my friends, results from internal, mental, and spiritual growth, not external manipulation.

This can be clearly seen from this week’s Torah portion, Yisro. Jethro, the priest of Midian, arrives at the camp of the Israelites after hearing about the miraculous dividing of the Red Sea and the battle with the tribe, Amalek. Why did the combination of these two specific events stimulate Jethro to join the Jews? While it is true that the war against Amalek ended triumphantly for the Hebrews, their victory can hardly be compared in grandeur to the supernatural events of the Exodus itself. Why then did the miracles leading up to the liberation of the Israelites not inspire Jethro to hook up with the Jewish cause while the battle with Amalek did?

One of the commentaries explains that Jethro had, on his own, come to the realization that Hashem is the only authentic G-d. In fact, Jethro had not only experimented with being the priest of Midian, he had flirted with and examined every known religion at that time and found them all to be spurious. Knowing all of the other faiths to be false, Jethro was quite secure in his new conviction. He was also certain that he could maintain his faith without fear that anything would deter him. The wondrous occurences of the Exodus further reinforced Jethro’s belief in G-d, and he therefore assumed that all who had heard of these supernatural events would come to the same conclusion.

However, upon hearing of the attack by Amalek, Jethro reconsidered. Why should anyone challenge the Israelites after such miracles? It would simply be foolhardy to assault the Jews when they were obviously protected from above. That Amole did so demonstrated to Jethro that even after witnessing the Power of the Divine, one can be skeptical. Whereas previously he had been confident that his faith was unshakable, he now concluded that in order to maintain one’s belief one must continue to learn. This prompted Jethro to join the Jews.

This is especially relevant today. Don’t underestimate the insidious forces that weaken your commitment to Torah. Don’t rely on what you once learned or knew. Continue to study, read Timeless Torah, join a class, come pray once in a while…………AND DON’T EVER STOP!!!!