Divrei Mav

Parshas Yisro A Man of Truth “And Yisro heard…” ( Shemos 18: 1) Allow me to introduce you to a man who is truly remarkable. This man is one of dignity and esteem, a minister and former adviser to the world authority, and a man of justice and truth. Our eventful parsha this week was named in his sake. This man’s name is “ Yisro” .  Yisro was not only a prominent figure politically, he was also the father-in-law to our very own Moshe Rabbeinu . What was so special about Yisro that he has an entire portion of the Torah in his namesake? But not just any portion but the very segment that relays the B’nai Yisroel receiving the Torah from Hashem ? As noted above, Yisro was a man of truth. He experimented with every religion and belief in his time, desperately searching for life’s meaning and purpose. He tried to serve the luminaries, constellations, and every inanimate object that was at one time called, “G-d”. Unfulfilled, time and time again. Yet his se...

Parshas Shemos The Unassuming Leader Moshe Rabbeinu would have been a very unlikely pick for a leader of over 600,000 people. Moshe was a man who was exiled from his land with no family and no home. It seemed he would be living as a fugitive his whole life in the desert of Midian . Yet, Hashem picked him to redeem the nation. As it says, “So now come, and I will send you to Pharaoh, and take My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt." (Shemos 3: 10) Why? What was so special about Moshe ?  To answer this, we need to understand what it takes to be a leader then, we can appreciate why Moshe was perfect for the job. Traditionally, a (great) leader is an individual who inspires others to move in the same direction for a specific cause. He is highly principled and committed and he inspires others in a way that is pervasive. Naturally, others tend to have confidence in him and believe in him. In a time of crisis, he will to step up and face the c...