Yitro – Religious Identity/3

Yitro's Religious Identity

Points of Dispute

These are some of the central points of dispute (נקודות המחלוקת) between the various exegetes:

• What is the meaning of kohen Midyan?See here for the meaning of the term kohen in general.
  • Religious leader:
    • A priest for idolatry – R. Yehoshua in Mekhilta DeRabbi Yishmael Yitro Amalek 1, Tanchuma Buber Yitro 5, Shemot Rabbah 1:32, Ramban Shemot 2:16, and Minchah Belulah 2:18.
    • A priest for Hashem – Ibn Ezra.
  • Political leader – a governor or ruler of Midyan – Artapanus, R. Elazar HaModai in Mekhilta DeRabbi Yishmael Yitro Amalek 1, Targum Onkelos, Targum Yerushalmi (Neofiti), Targum Yerushalmi (Yonatan) Shemot 3:1, Rashi Bereshit 47:22, Shemot 2:16, and Iyyov 12:19, Chizkuni Shemot 18:1.
  • A combination of a religious and a political leader – Ezekiel the Tragedian, Tanchuma Shemot 11, R. D"Z Hoffmann Shemot 2:16.
• Intermarriage – How could Moshe marry Zipporah?
  • Yitro had never worshipped idols – perhaps R. Saadia.
  • Yitro had abandoned idol worship – Tanchuma Shemot 11, Midrash Aggadah (Buber) Shemot 2:16, Shemot Rabbah 1:32, Rashi Shemot 2:16.
  • Only Yitro was an idolater and not Zipporah – R. Mubashir HaLevi.
  • The attributes of hospitality and behavior toward fellow man were more critical than idolatry – R. Avraham ben HaRambam.
  • Moshe knew little of of his Israelite identity – see Ramban Shemot 2:11.
  • No problem of intermarriage before revelation at Sinai.
  • There is no Biblical prohibition of intermarriage – see here.¹
• Did Yitro convert?
  • Yes – R. Eliezer and R. Elazar HaModai in Mekhilta DeRabbi Yishmael Yitro Amalek 1, Sifre Bemidbar 78, Bavli Zevachim 116a,² Vayikra Rabbah 9:6,³ Targum Yerushalmi (Yonatan) Shemot 18:6-7, Tanchuma Yitro 1-7, Tanchuma Buber Yitro 1-5, Shemot Rabbah 27:1-9, Ramban Shemot 18:1,12, Minchah Belulah 18:5,9.
  • No – Shadal Shemot 18:1, Cassuto Shemot 18:10,12.
• The meaning of "Now I know that Hashem is greater than all gods" in 18:11:
  • Yitro was always a monotheist but now understood the methods by which Hashem administers justice – R. Saadia.
  • Yitro had previously forsaken idols but now he converted – Rashi 18:11, Paneach Raza 18:11.
  • Yitro, at this point, transformed from idolater to monotheist – Mekhilta DeRabbi Yishmael.
  • Yitro remained a polytheist and merely acknowledged Hashem's superior power – Cassuto.
• Why did Yitro leave?
  • To convert the rest of his family – R"E HaModai in Mekhilta DeRabbi Yishmael Yitro Amalek 2, Targum Yerushalmi (Yonatan) 18:27, Rashi 18:27, Ramban 18:1.
  • He wanted to return to his own people and religion – Shadal, Cassuto.
• Relationship of Shemot 18 and Bemidbar 10:29-33:Are Yitro and Chovav the same person? How many times did Yitro come? Did Yitro ultimately remain with the Children of Israel or not?
  • Yitro = Chovav:
    • Yitro came twice:
      • Yitro came in the first year and left in the second year (Shemot 18 = Bemidbar 10), but then returned again (as his descendants are with the Israelites in Shofetim 1) – R"E HaModai in Mekhilta DeRabbi Yishmael Yitro Amalek 2 according to Ramban,⁴ Akeidat Yitzchak.⁵
      • Yitro came in the first year (Shemot 18), departed before the Decalogue, returned in the second year (Bemidbar 10), and then remained with the Children of Israel – Ramban, Peirush HaRosh.
      • Yitro came in the first year (Shemot 18) and again in the second year (Bemidbar 10) and returned to Midyan on both occasions.
    • Yitro came only once (Shemot 18 = Bemidbar 10) and did not remain with the nation:
      • Yitro came and left only in the second year – Ibn Ezra, Cassuto.
      • Yitro came in the first year and left in the second year – Rashi, Abarbanel, and Shadal.
  • Yitro ≠ Chovav (and Shemot 18 ≠ Bemidbar 10), each came only once, and Yitro came and left in the first year – presumably Josephus, Biur Bemidbar 10:29, Hoil Moshe Bemidbar 10:29.
• Keinites
  • Part of the Children of Israel – R"E HaModai in Mekhilta DeRabbi Yishmael Yitro Amalek 2, Sifre Bemidbar 78, Rashi Bemidbar 10:32.
  • Not Israelite and allied with enemies of the Children of Israel – Shadal Shemot 18:1.
• Reikhavites
  • Related to Yitro – R"E HaModai in Mekhilta DeRabbi Yishmael Yitro Amalek 2, Sifre Bemidbar 78, Rashi Yirmeyahu 35:2.
  • Unrelated to Yitro – Shadal.

¹ Compare to the parallel case of kohen On by Yosef, and see Zimri's claim in Bavli Sanhedrin 82a.

² This is explicit in the printed editions of the Bavli which read 'and he converted' (ונתגייר). However, most manuscripts (as well as the Sheiltot #166) do not contain that word.

³ Some manuscripts of Vayikra Rabbah are also missing the word nitgayyer and read like Bereshit Rabbah 22:5.

⁴ Ramban Shemot 18:1 cites the Mekhilta as asking rhetorically: "יכול שהלך ולא חזר". All other extant versions and manuscripts, though, read only "יכול שהלך ולא עשה". This leaves open the possibility that Yitro himself never returned but rather remained in Midyan to spread belief in God, and that only his descendants joined the Children of Israel.

⁵ See Akeidat Yitzchak Bemidbar 72.