A fellow passenger on a flight told me he would like to meet someone who adopted full Torah observance when life was going well. “Most people I know became religious during a crisis or after some type of personal tragedy,” he said.
Although I had a long list of names for him, I realized that was beside the point. He had just articulated a perspective all too prevalent in our society. Faith and religion is viewed as crisis management tools and religious leaders as de facto social workers.
This week’s parshah teaches us the truth about Judaism.
The legitimacy of our glorious heritage rests solely on Matan Torah, the Revelation at Sinai. Maimonides writes that it is the only reason we believe in the truth of Torah and its traditions.
It is striking therefore, that the Torah prefaces the story of the events at Sinai with the arrival of Yisro, Moshe’s father-in-law to the Israelite camp. This reunion was so significant, that the entire parshah in which we read about Matan Torah and the Ten Commandments is called “Yisro”!
Yisro was a man of great accomplishments and had an impressive resume. Aside for being a former trusted advisor to Pharaoh, he had served as the highest ranking priest in every institution of idolatry known to man at the time. He was a deep thinker and his approach to idolatry stemmed from his vast knowledge of nature. Considered the foremost intellectual powerhouse of pagan traditions, he was accorded many honorary titles and enjoyed a life of wealth and privilege.
But above all, he was a man of integrity, genuinely searching for the truth, which inevitably led him to acknowledge the fallacy of idolatry and to embrace the belief in the One G-d, Creator of the Universe. Together with Moshe’s wife Tzipora, and his two grandsons Gershom and Eliezer, Yisro left Midian and his prestigious position among the family of nations to convert to the brand new religion called Judaism, headquartered in a barren desert.
This event puts Judaism in proper context. It was not only embraced by the Abrahamic family who had recently been rescued from two centuries of persecution and slavery. By what can be perceived as a nomadic tribe wandering in a wilderness, dependent solely on miracles to survive.
Yisro broke all the stereotypes and myths about Torah and Mitzvos. They are not crutches to lean on when life is tough, rather conduits through which we connect with G-d and celebrate life.
Every stage in life is the prime time to focus on our relationship with G-d by increasing in Torah study and doing another Mitzvah. Of course, in hard times it will provide strength and direction. But it is during the good days and successful moments that our divine relationship is best nurtured and cemented.