Miller's Musings Parshas Yisro: Turn Off and Tune In

בס''ד

Miller’s Musings פרשת יתרו 

 

Perhaps the most renowned questions posed about Yisro is why it was that he above all others, was the one to respond to the miraculous events that took place during the Exodus?  A nation such as Egypt thrust from its superpower status into turmoil and then to devastation of cataclysmic proportions.  A nation ravaged by servitude and affliction, breaking free of its bondage, saved at the Yam Suf by a miraculous event contradiciting the very laws of nature and vanquishing a tribe of warriors such as Amalek was.  The accounts of all that had transpired must have shaken the world to its core.  And yet only Yisro responded! Why?

When we look at what we know of Yisro perhaps a picture begins to form of who he was and what characteristic most epitomised what set him aside from all others. Perhaps the reason Yisro was the sole figure who renounced all that he was and all that he had, is the same reason that Yisro spent years devoted to searching for the true path, through all deities and pagan beliefs and the same reason it was only he who was able to discern what was needed after witnessing the great struggle with which Moshe judged the people.  It was because whilst all others saw and heard, he saw, heard, stopped and thought.  Whilst others could plainly see what was in front of their eyes, Yisro took the time to consider what he saw and act in response to those ruminations.

The world we live in screams at us from every direction, refusing to let us stop and think.  We are bombarded from all sides by sounds and sights that beg us to do anything but actually contemplate ourselves and our lives.  We may be given signs and hear teachings that, with a little thought, can steer us onto the path to greatness.  All that is lacking is some deliberation into what we have seen or heard but the noise is so great and so tempting that we are unable to take that step.  Some of this is due to involuntary exposure to modern society but much is due to choices made by our own volition.  Why do we reach for our devices or media just as soon as there is nothing else to do?  Why can we not spend time with ourselves without the need for distractions?  Are there not enough important life decisions to make that require careful thought and reflexion instead of just falling into a set of circumstances by chance?  It is time to turn off the distractions, take control of our lives again and spend some quality time with yourself.  You might be surprised by what you discover!      

May Shabbos help us tune back in to ourselves.

 

לעילוי נשמת לאה בת אברהם