PA Schools, the Unvarnished Truth, and Yisro

by Rabbi Yair Hoffman for the S’fas Tamim Foundation

The unvarnished truth is that any society that deifies a Charles-Manson-like mass-murderer instead of seven murdered victims including a 14 year old child has so turned morality upside down that it should no longer be entrusted to educate children.  The reaction of schools throughout the entire educational system of the Palestinian Authority in the aftermath of the Nevei Yaakov murders has been widespread celebration and adulation of a Charles Manson like individual.

How can the world stand by in silence as thousands of children are being indoctrinated that mass-murdering sociopaths are heroes?  Unvarnished truths need to be called out, or they become acceptable.

Why is this week’s parsha called, “Parshas Yisro?”  This week’s parsha contains the Ten Commandments, the greatest exposure of Divine revelation that had ever occurred.  And yet the parsha is named after “Yisro.”  This, in and of itself shows that there is much we can learn from Yisro.

Rabbi Moshe Pivovitz zt”l was one of the Alter Mirrers and one of the greatest students of Rav Yechezkel Levenstein zt”l the Mashgiach of the Mir Yeshiva in Shanghai, China.  Rabbi Pivovitz zt”l was a Rav in the lower east side of Manhattan and the Mashgiach of the Chasan Sofer Yeshiva in Brooklyn.  His shmuessin have been enshrined in a sefer entitled Siach Moshe (121-123).  The Sefer earned a remarkable approbation from Rav Dovid Feinstein zt”l.

Rav Pivovitz writes of Yisro’s initial encounter with his future son-in-law Moshe.  Moshe had arrived in Midyan after he had run away from Pharoah, for killing a Mitzri who was abusing a Jew.  The Midrash tells us One Mitzri was a task-master over ten Hebrew task-masters, who were over one hundred Hebrew slaves. Dasan and Aviram were Hebrew task-masters who reported to the Mitzri on a daily basis, except on this second day Moshe found them fightin and tried to make peace between them. Dasan mockingly said to Moshe, “Who made you a man, a prince and a judge over us? Do you plan to slay me as you have the Mitzri?”  Eventually, Moshe was taken to Pharoah’s system of justice, and were it not for a miracle in which his neck turned to marble, Moshe would have died.  That involvement in the affairs of others didn’t really turn out to be particularly advantageous.

Rav Pivovitz explains that one would think that after that experience, Moshe would have been a bit more reticent in becoming involved in another unfair situation – particularly being a stranger in a strange land.  And yet once again, there is another injustice that is occurring.  The other shepherds drove away the daughters of Yisro.  Moshe sees the injustice and stands up for them.  Yisro sees a true Ish emes, a man who stands up for justice no matter the implications.  This is something after Yisro’s own heart.  He was a priest of the religions, and yet when he perceived the utter futility of it all, he stepped down from these high offices of other religions on account of truth.  And he paid for this character trait of truth to the extent that he could not even find a shepherd to tend to his flock to the extent that his daughters had awkwardly fill that position.

And now, in this week’s parsha, he perceives the truth of Torah and Moshe’s leadership.  In sheer and pure humility, he comes to Moshe Rabbeinu and presents himself.  He sends a message to Moshe telling him that if he, Yisro, is unworthy, that Moshe should come for the sake of Tzipporah.  His unpretentiousness and modesty are genuine.    And yet, within a very short time, this meek and humble individual sees somewhat of another injustice.  The way Moshe Rabbeinu is managing the affairs of the people seem quite inneficient.  Everyone that is seeking a ruling in judgement is waiting around the entire day.  Yisro, a man so unpretentious, comes before the leader and redeemer of the nation of Israel and sees something that undermines the kavod of Klal Yisroel. The honor of the Bnie Yisroel is in a state of bizayon.   He speaks up and says the unvarnished truth, unafraid of any repercussions.

“Come and see,” says Rav Pivovitz.  “A person who is ready to forego truth and remains silent to one who is conducting himself improperly only because he is afraid of him and thinks, “Why, just yesterday he was friendly to me and now I give corrective instruction?  This would be uncomfortable to me in the extreme,”  is wrong and he must  that one is forbidden to forego the truth.  Difficult though this may be, [and socially awkward too], such behavior is a sign that the person does not truly value emes.”

We see that valuing emes is so precious a character trait that it even trumps the giving of the Ten Commandments in terms of naming the parsha.

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