Biblical Parallels Index – Shemot 18/0

Biblical Parallels Index – Shemot 18

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Overview

This index is meant to help the reader explore Biblical parallels, be they two accounts of the same event or set of laws, stories with similar motifs and themes, or units of text which are linguistically similar and perhaps alluding one to the other. The page includes links to tools that aid in comparison, primary sources that touch upon the parallels, and summaries of and links to articles which analyze them in depth.

Yitro and Bilam

The Torah records very little about the Children of Israel's encounters with other nations during their forty years in the desert, and even less about their interaction with private individuals who are not the rulers of their nations. Yitro and Bilam, though, are the two significant exceptions to this rule – Gentile personalities (both with ties to Midyan) to whom the Torah devotes a considerable amount of attention.  In many ways the two are a study in contrast.

Tools

• See Makbilot Bamikra for  a list of links to verse which describe non Jews recognizing and praising God for the miracles in Egypt.   Both Yitro and Bilam are among those who do so.

Primary Sources

Many Rabbinic sources draw connections between Yitro and Bilam, some including a third Gentile figure, Iyyov.

• Bavli Sotah 11a, Bavli Sanhedrin 106a, and Shemot Rabbah 1:9 state that Paroh had three advisors: Bilaam, Iyyov, and Yitro.  Bilaam advised Pharaoh to kill the Jewish baby boys, Iyyov was silent, and Yitro ran away in protest.  These three characters represent different non-Jewish ways of relating to Judaism and the Jewish people. 
• Mekhilta DeRabbi Yishmael Shemot 18:1 and Bavli Zevachim 116a describe Bilaam’s response to popular fear and confusion after Matan Torah, which contrasts with that of Yitro. 

Articles

• See Yitro & Bilam for an overview of points of comparison between these two characters. Yitro is a friend who comes on his own initiative to bless the Children of Israel face to face in the first year in the wilderness, and whose descendants become a part of Israel. Bilam, on the other hand, is a foe who is summoned to curse the Children of Israel from afar in the fortieth and last year, and is later killed by the Children of Israel. The contrast between the two  emphasizes the realization of one of Hashem's original promises to Avraham "I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you" (Bereshit 12:1-3).
• In Do You See the World Like Yisro or Like Balak?, R. Efrem Goldberg analyzes why Balak, Bilaam, and Yitro have such different reactions to the events experienced by Am Yisrael and how this insight might inform an individual’s religious life. 

Interactions with People of Other Cultures

Though many of the interactions in Tanakh between Israel and its neighbors are hostile, there are several stories of positive interactions with foreign cultures as well.

Articles

• See Encounters with Foreign Leaders for points of comparison among several stories in Tanakh that describe successful interactions with foreign leaders. In many of these, similar motifs appear:  a Gentile leader initiates contact with Israel, declares his belief in Hashem, blesses Hashem, and then make either a covenant or treaty.
• Nachum Sarna, in Exploring Exodus (New York, 1996): 127, points out that, while it may be surprising that the Torah attributes the establishment of its judicial system to a Midianite priest, in fact there are also other examples in which Tanakh openly gives credit to foreigners for its institutions. David draws on the expertise and wisdom of non-Jews in his government, relying upon advisors and administrators such as Achitophel, Chushai the Arkhite, Obil the Ishmaelite, Jaziz the Hagrite, and Baal-hanan the Gederite. Shelomo similarly makes use of the skills of artisans from Tyre in building the Beit HaMikdash.¹

Yitro and Rachav

Both Yitro and Racahv are Gentiles who come to recognition of God. Comparing the two figures is illuminating in understanding what leads one to abandon old beliefs and embrace new ones.²

Tools

• See Makbilot Bamikra for a list of links to verses which describe non Jews recognizing and praising God for the miracles in Egypt.   Both Yitro and Rachav are among those who do so.

Primary Sources

Several Rabbinic sources connect the figures of Yitro and Rachav:

• Yerushalmi Berakhot 2:8 states that when the Jewish people do Hashem’s will, He searches the whole world for righteous people to bring to their fold.  The two examples given by the Gemara are Yitro and Rachav.  Similarly, Yerushalmi Rosh HaShanah 1:3 states that Hashem judges the nations favorably, remembering for them the acts of Yitro and Rachav.
• Mekhilta DeRabbi Yishmael Shemot 18:1 and Bavli Zevachim 116a explain that Yitro heard about the Splitting of the Sea, comparing him to Rachav, who declares that her people heard about the Splitting of the Sea.
• Mekhilta DeRabbi Yishmael Shemot 18:11 compares the reactions of three non-Jews who recognized Hashem’s miracles: Yitro, Naaman, and Rachav.  Of all of them, Rachav is the only one who declares Hashem’s kingship both in heaven and on earth.  

Articles

• See Rachav and the Spies by R. Michael Hattin for analysis of the motivations and experiences that informed Rachav’s decision to support the Jewish people, and a comparison based on the Mekhilta that indicates that Rachav’s recognition of Hashem was even more impressive than that of Yitro.  
• See ?יתרו ורחב - על גרי הצדק. ועלינו, by R. Yehuda Zoldan, for an overview of the many points of comparison between Yitro and Rahav. He notes Midrashic sources that suggest that each had gone to an extreme of problematic behavior (Yitro had tried every idolatry in the world, and Rachav had prostituted with every official in Yericho), but that each rose from that low point to recognition of God after hearing of His wonders.

Yitro and Amalek

Chapters 17 and 18 recount the diametrically opposite reactions of people from neighboring nations to the Children of Israel's exodus from Egypt. Chapter 17 describes how Amalek came to wage war, while Chapter 18 tells how Yitro came to share peaceful wishes and advice.

Articles

• See Yitro & Amalek for comparison and contrast of the two stories based on Rabbinic and literary sources.  The differing attitudes of Yitro and Amalek is highlighted by the juxtaposition of the two stories in Tanakh.

Appointing Assistants

Three different chapters in the Torah (Shemot 18, Bemidbar 11, and Devarim 1) describe how Moshe was overwhelmed by the needs of the Children of Israel, and needed to appoint assistants to share in the burden.What is the relationship between the three stories? In Devarim, is Moshe recounting the appointments of Shemot or Bemidbar?

Tools

• Use the Tanakh Lab to compare the various stories. Compare Devarim with Shemot here, and Devarim with Bemidbar here.
• For an interactive table allowing for easy comparison and contrast of all three stories, see here.

Articles

• See Appointing Moshe's Assistants for discussion and analysis of commentator's approaches to the above questions.  Some assume that the stories of Shemot and Bemidbar are totally distinct, while others equate them (or suggest that they at least occurred simultaneously).
• See פרשת יתרו, by R. Yaakov Medan, for analysis of the relationship of the three narratives. In Shemot, Yitro, coming with his experiences as a leader in Midyan, thought that the nation simply needed judges, people who would arbitrate cases in court, and for that task, delegating "officers of hundreds" would suffice. Moshe, however, saw his job differently; he understood that "the nation comes to inquire of God", a task which only Moshe could fulfill. For a year he thus led on his own. But in the second year, as the nation complained about lack of food and water, Moshe broke. Hashem suggested that he appoint 70 elders to help carry the burden and then Moshe recalled Yitro's suggestion and implemented it as well. 

In-Law Relationships

In Tanakh there are four stories of in-law relationships in which the husband has a long term relationship with his wife's family: Yaakov and Lavan (Bereshit 29-31), Yitro and Moshe (Shemot 4, 18, Bemidbar 10), David and Shaul (Shemuel I 16-26, and Hadad and Paroh (Melakhim I 11).  Comparing the various stories helps highlight the unique features of each relationship.

Articles

• See  In-laws for comparison of various in-law relationships in Tanakh, including a comparison of Yitro and Moshe's relationship with that of Yaakov and Lavan, David and Shaul, and Hadad and Paroh.  A comparison of these stories highlights the healthy relationship Moshe enjoyed with Yitro (Shemot 2-4, 18, Bemidbar 10), in contrast to the thorny relationships that Yaakov (Bereshit 29-31) and David (Shemuel I 16-26) had with their fathers-in-law.
• See מלכות שלמה – הכישלון וגורמיו, by Dr. Chanan Gafni who notes many parallels between the stories of Moshe and Yitro and Hadad and Paroh, viewing them as part of a broader set of parallels between the stories of Shelomo's treatment of the nation and the enslavement in Egypt. On this backdrop, he posits that the message underlying the story in Melakhim is that Shelomo's downfall came as a punishment for his behaving in similar manner to the Egyptian rulers.

¹ See Melakhim 1, chapter 5.

² It should be notes, however, that despite their recognition of God, it not explicit in either story that either characters actually converted or totally rejected their old beliefs.  See Yitro – Religious Identity for discussion.