1. (18:1-12) Jethro comes to visit his son-in-law Moses, bringing Zipporah, Moses’ wife and his two sons. He rejoices at the rescue of the Israelites and acknowledges the greatness of God.
2. (18:12-27) Jethro advises Moses to appoint officers and judges to help him lead the people, and then returns to his home.
3. (19:1-25) Preparations for the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai. God reveals himself to His people, accompanied by thunder and lightning, thick clouds and the sound of the shofar.
4. (20:1-14) The Ten Commandments.
5. (20:15-18) The people are terrified by God’s power, and they beg Moses to mediate between them and God.
6. (20:19-23) Further commandments concerning the altar.
The Art of Delegation Darshan-Aleeza Abramovitz
“You shall caution them regarding the decrees and the teachings, and you shall make known, to them the path in which they should go and the deeds that they should do. And you shall discern from among the entire people, men of accomplishment, G-d-fearing people, men of truth, people who despise money, and you shall appoint them leaders of thousands, leaders of hundreds, leaders of fifties, and leaders of tens.” Exodus 18:20-21
“Yitro’s advice was unique in that he showed Moshe how he could delegate while maintaining the integrity of the original, with no compromise. And the secret of doing so is by infusing in the delegation a spiritual standard of integrity that will always keep the delegatee on course.” Simon Jacobson, “Yitro: On the Nature of Leadership & the Art of Delegation”
“Yitro’s counsel is sensible, yet it is also counterintuitive. If the role of Moshe is to bring people close to G-d, and if he’s the most qualified teacher, then why shouldn’t he do it himself? Yitro’s insight is that this monopolization of spiritual leadership actually distances the people from G-d, since it makes Moshe their exclusive mediator. This passage demonstrates the necessity of training a generation of religious leaders–no individual teacher, not even Moshe, can suffice to teach the ways of G-d. It is this basic task of education–of learning from his mentor and creating structures of justice for his people–that sets the stage for revelation.” Rabbi Daniel S. Nevins, the Pearl Resnick Dean of the Rabbinical School of the Jewish Theological Seminary
“Moshe’s leadership style until this point has been one of independence, and Yitro identifies the need to transform that style to one of interdependence, to an integration of the public with the private. …the lessons brought by Yitro are critical for us to integrate into our own work, and to model for our students. We are able to be effective teachers and mentors only when we have developed a relationship based on trust and mutual connection. As we can only be effective leaders in the broader community when we recognize our interdependence, beginning with our intimate relationships of family and friends, and moving outward toward larger circles and broader missions in the world. In following Jethro’s advice, Moshe builds an initial infrastructure for the people of Israel that begins the process of nation building. Through sharing in the process of decision making and sharing the leadership load, the whole community is strengthened, both the people and the institutions.” Michael Simon, Harvard Hillel