"Hello, everyone. Please, please, have a seat.
Now, I want to talk to you about a man named Yitro. Or, as I like to call him, the first 'Consultant-in-Chief.' Because let’s be honest: Moses was a great leader, but the man didn’t delegate. He had a line of people around the block waiting for a meeting - from mornin' till night!! - that made the DMV look like a fast-food drive-thru.
And that brings us to the Torah portion of the week."
1. Welcoming the Stranger
"In this Parsha, Moses goes out to meet his father-in-law, Yitro. Now, Yitro wasn’t an Israelite. He was a Midianite priest—an outsider. But Moses didn’t build a wall. He didn't ask for papers. He bowed down, he offered a hug, and he brought him into the tent.
Why? Because the Torah tells us, over and over again, to welcome the stranger. Now, some folks in Washington might call that a 'radical open-tent policy.' I just call it good common sense. When we welcome those from the outside, we don't just get new neighbors—we get new ideas. We get the advice that actually makes the government work for the people. It’s about building a bigger 'we.' If this ain't open immigration policy in the Holy Bible - I don't know what is!!
2. Unity at Sinai
"Then we get to the big moment: Sinai. The text says something very specific. It says the people camped there 'ke-ish echad, b’lev echad'—as one person, with one heart.
Now, you know I love a good 'One America' speech. At the foot of that mountain, there was no Red State Israel or Blue State Israel. There were no pundits on the sidelines arguing about the font size on the stone tablets. There was just a common purpose.
They realized that the only way to receive something as transformative as the Law was to stop shouting and start listening to one another. That’s a message that—dare I say—might still be relevant today. We are at our best when we aren’t just a collection of individuals, but a community bound by a shared covenant."
3. A Word from Michelle
"Finally, I have to mention—because if I don't, I’ll hear about it on the flight home—Moses’ wife, Tziporah. Now, the Torah is very clear that Tziporah was a 'Cushite' woman. And let me tell you, Michelle loves that. She’s always saying, 'Barack, look at Moses. He’s the leader of the people, he’s got the staff, he’s got the burning bush... but he knew enough to marry a strong, beautiful Black woman from Midian to keep him grounded.'
Moses knew that behind every great prophet, there’s a woman saying, 'That’s a nice Ten Commandments, Moses, but did you remember to take out the trash?'"
"So, as we reflect on Yitro, let’s remember: Welcome the visitor, strive for unity, and always listen to your wife.
Thank you, and Shabbat Shalom."
