By Rabbi Russ Resnik

A visit from the in-laws can be a real stressor. Even if we are on the best of terms, we know that the in-laws are distant enough to see things around the house from a different perspective, to notice things that we might overlook, like the peeling paint or the toilet that doesn't flush quite right, but near enough to actually say something about them. So when the in-laws are on their way, we scurry around the house to get everything looking its best, fixing that squeaky hinge on the back door, cleaning behind the refrigerator, and trimming the hedge in the backyard that we'd almost forgotten about.

Parashat Yitro is named after Moses' father-in-law, who comes to visit after Moses has heroically led the people of Israel out of Egypt, and before he has a chance to get everything spruced up, which gives Yitro the opportunity to teach Moses--and us--a few things, in a friendly and helpful way, of course.

The book of Exodus tells how God forms Israel into a holy nation. Even though the people will be in disarray when Yitro pops in, the story has already hinted at the opposite of disarray by using the Hebrew term tsava (or its plural form tsva'ot) to describe Israel. This term is familiar to us from the glorious title Adonai Tsva'ot, the Lord of Hosts. In Exodus, the Lord uses it to tell Moses and Aaron to "bring forth the Israelites from the land of Egypt by their hosts" (Ex. 6:26), and later, "When Pharaoh does not heed you, I will lay my hand upon Egypt and deliver my hosts" (7:4). Again at the climax of the story, "at the end of the four hundred and thirtieth year, to the very day, all the hosts of the Lord departed from the land of Egypt" (Ex. 12:41), and "that very day the Lord freed the Israelites from the land of Egypt, by their hosts" (Ex. 12:51).

The title Adonai Tsva'ot doesn't appear in writing until the time of the Prophets, but tsava appears at the very beginning of the Torah to describe the glorious array of creation, in words we repeat every Shabbat: "Thus the heavens and the earth were completed and all their hosts" (Gen. 2:1). The use of tsva'ot in Exodus reveals that there is a glorious order to Israel, reflecting the Lord's presence among them, even though they appear to be a band of slaves.

By using this term of splendor for Israel, even before Israel escapes the bondage of Egypt, the Torah shows that God sees us not as we are, but as we are to be. Then, as in this week's parasha, he shapes us into what he sees. We can apply this truth to our community today, the Messiah-believing community in all our confusion and disarray: God sees us as we are to be, and then shapes us into what he sees.

With this lesson in mind we are ready for our visit from the in-laws. Yitro comes on the scene and observes the confusion and disarray.

Next day, Moses sat to judge the people, while the people stood before Moses from morning until evening. But when Moses' father-in-law saw how much he had to do for the people, he said, "What is this thing that you are doing to the people? Why do you act alone, while all the people stand before you from morning until evening?" Moses replied to his father-in-law, "It is because the people come to me to inquire of God." (Ex. 18:13-15)

Moses, who, after all, describes himself as the humblest man on earth (Num. 12:3), recognizes that the real issue here is not access to him but to the Lord--"The people come to me to inquire of God." But it's in the next couple of verses that he really gets to prove his humility--"But Moses' father-in-law said to him, "The thing you are doing is not right . . . Now listen to me . . ." (Ex. 18:17, 19).

Yitro goes on to present a plan for bringing order to this unruly situation, and Moses does indeed listen. Moses will focus on instructing the people and communicating the big vision, and will appoint leaders over sub-groups to handle smaller questions and disputes. It's a simple enough plan, but it moves toward the order suggested in the term tsava, an order that reflects, rather than obscures, the Lord's presence. The two key elements of Yitro's plan for ancient Israel have relevance for the Messianic community today.

• Shared leadership. Moses leading by himself becomes a bottle-neck, so he spreads out his power for the sake of the people. I remember how important it was to me as a young Yeshua-believer to be able to ask questions and get input from leaders, and I'm sure it remains vital for young people today. But concentrating power in too few leaders, especially leaders who are self-serving and self-aggrandizing, kills community. Yitro's plan requires humble leaders who are in it for the people and not for themselves.
• Functional forms. A community can't exist without structure, but structure doesn't need to serve power and status. Without God's instructions, we tend to create more elaborate organizations so we can have more office-holders and spheres of power. Or we create more positions so we can recognize all the great people among us. Instead, Yitro remembers that the function of leaders is to help the people hear from God and suggests a form that serves this function.

Yitro guides Moses in creating leadership and organizational structures that help Israel reflect the glorious order implied in the word tsava. The next chapter of Exodus advances this project.

After the in-laws go home, Israel arrives at Mount Sinai and camps out "in front of the mountain" (Ex. 19:2), right around the corner from the burning bush, where Moses had his transformative encounter with God. God had told Moses that this individual encounter was not the point--rather, "this shall be the sign for you that it is I who sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God on this mountain" (Ex. 3:12). In other words, whatever happens at the burning bush is supposed to happen to the whole community. And the community is formed to preserve and propagate that encounter, just as the Messianic community is formed by an encounter with Messiah that we are to preserve and propagate in all aspects of our life together. It is this encounter that grants Israel its status as God's tsva'ot, his glorious array.

Yitro has helped to structure the community so that the people can more effectively inquire after God. Now, at Sinai, the community becomes soaked in God's presence. It is still served by shared leadership, as Moses takes seventy elders up the mountain to see the God of Israel (Ex. 24:9ff.), and functional forms, as God reveals the plan for the tabernacle, which will help fulfill the point of the whole story, "that I may dwell among them" (Ex. 25:8).  A good reminder that it's not really about the visit from the in-laws but the visit from God.

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