View source for Advice and Implementation/2

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<page type="Approaches">
<h1>Advice and Implementation</h1>
<p>There are two basic approaches to understanding the discrepancies between Yitro's proposal and Moshe's implementation. The first approach views the differences as meaningful, while the second minimizes their significance. Each of these main positions can then be further subdivided:</p>
<approaches>

<category name="Significant Omission">
A Significant Omission
<p>The omission of "God fearing, men of truth, who hate unjust gain" (יִרְאֵי אֱ-לֹהִים אַנְשֵׁי אֱמֶת שֹׂנְאֵי בָצַע) in Moshe's implementation is significant. There are two somewhat similar variations of this possibility:</p>
	<opinion name="Not Extant">
Not Extant
	<p>Moshe could not find people who had all of the desired qualifications in Yitro's job description so he was forced to settle for those who were merely "capable men" (אַנְשֵׁי חַיִל).</p>
	<mekorot><multilink><a href="SifreDevarim15" data-aht="source">Sifre Devarim</a><a href="SifreDevarim15" data-aht="source">Devarim 15</a><a href="Sifre Devarim" data-aht="parshan">About Sifre Devarim</a></multilink>, <multilink><a href="ShemotRabbah30-10" data-aht="source">Shemot Rabbah</a><a href="ShemotRabbah30-10" data-aht="source">30:10</a><a href="Shemot Rabbah" data-aht="parshan">About Shemot Rabbah</a></multilink>, <multilink><a href="DevarimRabbah1-10" data-aht="source">R. Chanina in Devarim Rabbah</a><a href="DevarimRabbah1-10" data-aht="source">Devarim Rabbah 1:10</a><a href="R. Chanina" data-aht="parshan">About R. Chanina</a><a href="Devarim Rabbah" data-aht="parshan">About Devarim Rabbah</a></multilink>, <multilink><a href="RashiDevarim1-15" data-aht="source">Rashi</a><a href="RashiDevarim1-15" data-aht="source">Devarim 1:15</a><a href="R. Shelomo Yitzchaki (Rashi)" data-aht="parshan">About Rashi</a></multilink>,<fn>Rashi conflates the Sifre with the <multilink><a href="Eiruvin100b" data-aht="source">Bavli Eiruvin</a><a href="Eiruvin100b" data-aht="source">100b</a><a href="Bavli" data-aht="parshan">About the Bavli</a></multilink>. The Bavli does not mention Yitro's criteria, but in relating to the verses in Devarim 1:13-15, says that Moshe was not successful in finding men of "understanding" (נבונים).</fn> <multilink><a href="Sforno18-25" data-aht="source">Sforno</a><a href="Sforno18-25" data-aht="source">Shemot 18:25</a><a href="R. Ovadyah Sforno" data-aht="parshan">About Sforno</a></multilink>.</mekorot>
		<point><a href="Dictionary:חַיִל" data-aht="page">"אַנְשֵׁי חַיִל"</a> – <multilink><a href="Rashi18-21" data-aht="source">Rashi</a><a href="Rashi18-21" data-aht="source">Shemot 18:21</a><a href="R. Shelomo Yitzchaki (Rashi)" data-aht="parshan">About Rashi</a></multilink> defines this as wealthy men.<fn>However, Rashi in Devarim 1:15 seems to equate אֲנָשִׁים with אַנְשֵׁי חַיִל, and he explains that this refers to righteous men.</fn></point>
		<point><b>Number of judges</b> – See <a href="Yitro's System – A Bloated Bureaucracy" data-aht="page">Yitro's System</a> that according to Rabbinic sources and Rashi, Moshe needed to appoint 78,600 judges. This would explain his need to settle for lesser standards.<fn>See <a href="Yitro's System – A Bloated Bureaucracy" data-aht="page">Yitro's System</a> for a discussion of Ibn Ezra's position regarding the low caliber of the generation which came out of Egypt.</fn></point>
		<point><a href="Appointing Moshe's Assistants/2" data-aht="page">Relationship to Devarim 1</a> – Sifre Devarim, Devarim Rabbah, and Rashi all agree that Shemot 18 and Devarim 1 are two accounts of the same event. In addition, Sifre Devarim and Rashi explain that the criterion of "men of understanding" is missing in the selection in Devarim 1:15 because it too could not be found.</point>
	</opinion>
	<opinion name="Only Hashem Knows">
Only Hashem Knows
	<p>Of the four criteria Yitro mentioned, only "capable men" (אַנְשֵׁי חַיִל) can be readily ascertained by human observation. The other three characteristics are all matters relating to the person's inner soul, which only Hashem can know for sure.<fn>Cf. Mekhilta DeRabbi Yishmael and Rashi who explain that Moshe was supposed to use his Divine inspiration to verify these traits.</fn></p>
	<mekorot><multilink><a href="IbnEzra18-25" data-aht="source">Ibn Ezra</a><a href="IbnEzra18-25" data-aht="source">Shemot 18:25</a><a href="R. Avraham ibn Ezra" data-aht="parshan">About Ibn Ezra</a></multilink>, <multilink><a href="Chizkuni18-25" data-aht="source">Chizkuni</a><a href="Chizkuni18-25" data-aht="source">18:25</a><a href="R. Chizkiyah b. Manoach (Chizkuni)" data-aht="parshan">About Chizkuni</a></multilink>.<fn>Cf. Shemuel I 16:7 – "כִּי לֹא אֲשֶׁר יִרְאֶה הָאָדָם כִּי הָאָדָם יִרְאֶה לַעֵינַיִם וַה' יִרְאֶה לַלֵּבָב".</fn></mekorot>
		<point><a href="Dictionary:חַיִל" data-aht="page">"אַנְשֵׁי חַיִל"</a> – Ibn Ezra interprets this as men possessing endurance and courage.</point>
		<point><a href="Appointing Moshe's Assistants/2" data-aht="page">Relationship to Devarim 1</a> – Ibn Ezra assumes that Shemot 18 and Devarim 1 are two accounts of the same event, and he explains that the qualities mentioned in Devarim 1:15 are also externally verifiable.</point>
	</opinion>
</category>
<category name="Not Fundamental">
Not a Fundamental Change
<p>The omission of "God fearing, men of truth, who hate unjust gain" (יִרְאֵי אֱ-לֹהִים אַנְשֵׁי אֱמֶת שֹׂנְאֵי בָצַע) in Moshe's implementation is not a fundamental change. This position also subdivides into two closely related variations:</p>
	<opinion name="Included">
Included Under the General Term
	<p>"Capable leaders" (אַנְשֵׁי חַיִל) is a general term which incorporates all of the other traits (כלל ופרט).</p>
	<mekorot><multilink><a href="LekachTov18-25" data-aht="source">Lekach Tov</a><a href="LekachTov18-25" data-aht="source">Shemot 18:25</a><a href="R. Toviah b. Eliezer (Lekach Tov)" data-aht="parshan">About Lekach Tov</a></multilink>, <multilink><a href="Ramban18-21" data-aht="source">Ramban's first interpretation</a><a href="Ramban18-21" data-aht="source">Shemot 18:21</a><a href="R. Moshe b. Nachman (Ramban, Nachmanides)" data-aht="parshan">About Ramban</a></multilink>, <multilink><a href="Cassuto18-21" data-aht="source">U. Cassuto</a><a href="Cassuto18-21" data-aht="source">Shemot 18:21,25-26</a><a href="Prof. Umberto Cassuto" data-aht="parshan">About Prof. U. Cassuto</a></multilink>.</mekorot>
		<point><a href="Dictionary:חַיִל" data-aht="page">"אַנְשֵׁי חַיִל"</a> – Since according to Ramban this is a general term, it cannot refer to a specific qualification such as strength, wealth, or military prowess. Thus, Ramban interprets it as describing people capable of leading a large group. See <a href="Dictionary:חַיִל" data-aht="page">חַיִל</a> for further discussion of Ramban's position. Cassuto, on the other hand, explains that it refers to a person possessing many good attributes.</point>
		<point><b>Additional variations</b> – Cassuto suggests that all of the differences between the descriptions of Yitro's advice and Moshe's implementation are merely the products of standard literary variation when repeating information.<fn>Cassuto notes that there are parallels to this phenomenon in Ugaritic texts.</fn></point>
		<point><a href="Appointing Moshe's Assistants/2" data-aht="page">Relationship to Devarim 1</a> – Ramban maintains that Shemot 18 and Devarim 1 are two accounts of the same event, and that the term אַנְשֵׁי חַיִל includes also the traits mentioned in Devarim 1:13-15. In similar fashion, Ramban Devarim 1:12-13 interprets וִידֻעִים as a general term which subsumes all of the necessary judicial qualifications.<fn>Ramban's position is also found in the Northern French Commentary preserved in MS Berlin 121 to Devarim 1:13:&#160; "וידועים לשבטיכם – שהיו בני השבט יודעים בהם שהם אנשי אמת שונאי בצע."</fn></point>
	</opinion>
	<opinion name="Obvious">
No Need to State the Obvious
	<p>The entire nation possessed the traits of being "God fearing, men of truth, who hate unjust gain" (יִרְאֵי אֱ-לֹהִים אַנְשֵׁי אֱמֶת שֹׂנְאֵי בָצַע), and thus it was unnecessary to specify them in Moshe's implementation.</p>
	<mekorot><multilink><a href="Ramban18-21" data-aht="source">Ramban's second interpretation</a><a href="Ramban18-21" data-aht="source">Shemot 18:21</a><a href="R. Moshe b. Nachman (Ramban, Nachmanides)" data-aht="parshan">About Ramban</a></multilink>, <multilink><a href="Abarbanel18" data-aht="source">Abarbanel</a><a href="Abarbanel18" data-aht="source">Shemot 18</a><a href="R. Yitzchak Abarbanel" data-aht="parshan">About Abarbanel</a></multilink>.</mekorot>
		<point><a href="Dictionary:חַיִל" data-aht="page">"אַנְשֵׁי חַיִל"</a> – Abarbanel interprets this term as military commanders.</point>
		<point><a href="Appointing Moshe's Assistants/2" data-aht="page">Relationship to Devarim 1</a> – Abarbanel maintains that Shemot 18 and Devarim 1 are two accounts of the same event, but that Moshe needed to add qualifications to Yitro's list, as Yitro did not have a correct understanding of how the judicial system was supposed to work – see <a href="Did Moshe Need Yitro's Advice/2#ReceiveLaws" data-aht="page">Did Moshe Need Yitro's Advice</a>.</point>
	</opinion>
</category>
</approaches>
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