Parshat Yitro and the power of change

#parsha #judaism #torah
Rabbi Simcha Hochbaum talks about how Jethro, the Priest of Midian was inspired to walk with the Jewish nation. If he can change, we can too.
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This Shabbat we commemorate the anniversary of the death of the famous leader of the Jewish community of Hebron Menucha Rochel Slomin. She was the granddaughter of the great first Hassidic master of Chabad, the Baal HaTanya and the daughter of the Mitteler Lubavitcher Rebbe.
She lived in Hebron in the mid 1800s and she's buried here right behind me in the ancient Hassidic cemetery of Hebron.
This Shabbat we read about the unbelievable revelation at Har Sinai. The Jewish nation and God, so to say, the famous kiss from above, and God reveals Himself to the Jewish people at Mount Sinai.
But before that, we read about Yitro the famous convert to Judaism who abandons all his fame and power and popularity and leaves his life as being a priest of Midian and joins a Jewish nation.
Rashi is troubled. What caused Yitro to want to join the Jewish people? And one of the things Rashi explains is that Yitro heard about the miracle of the Red Sea.
Rav Shlomo Carlebach teaches us when Yitro heard about the sea, how the water was willing to change its nature, how water was willing to transform itself, from water to dry land and then back from dry land to water and was willing to become something else to save the Jewish people, Yitro said, I also have to be open. I have to be flexible. I have to be willing to change my belief system.
Maybe my whole life I worshiped pagan idols but now I want to join the nation of monotheism. I want to join that nation where they believe in God's Oneness.
I want to walk with the Jewish people to Mount Sinai.
We should all enjoy the strength this Shabbat from Yitro to be able to get the strength to make the changes in our life that are necessary to fix and repair our souls.
We should be able to learn from the splitting of the sea. And this time around at Mount Sinai, the whole world should join us
וְהוּא יַשְמִיעֵנוּ בְּרַחֲמָיו שֵנִית לְעֵינֵי כָּל חָי
All the Yitros of the world should join us at Mount Sinai to hear God's voice reveal itself once more.
Shabbat shalom everyone. Looking forward to seeing you here in Hebron and at Mount Sinai.