Hello, friends! Grab your headsets and get ready, because we are diving into the Super Bowl of the Torah, the Final Four of Exodus! We are talking Parshat Yitro, baby! And let me tell you, it is AWESOME with a capital A!
It’s a sensation!
So, we start with Moses. Now, Moses? He is a PTP-er—a Prime Time Player! He is the M-V-P of the Jewish people! But folks, I look at the game tape in the beginning of this Parsha, and I see a problem. I see a major violation of the fundamentals!
Moses is playing every minute of the game! He’s judging the people from morning until night! He’s playing one-on-five-thousand! No bench! No rotation! He is gonna fatigue, baby! He is gonna hit the wall! You cannot win the championship playing solo ball!
Enter Yitro!
Now, Yitro is Moses’s father-in-law, but in this situation, he’s the Hall of Fame Coach coming out of the locker room. He takes one look at Moses and screams, “GET A T-O, BABY! CALL A TIMEOUT!”
Yitro says, "Moses, what you are doing is not good! You are gonna wear yourself out, and you’re gonna wear the fans out! You need a GAME PLAN!"
And here comes the greatest assist in history. Yitro draws up a play on the whiteboard. He says, "Delegate, baby, delegate!" You need to find some Diaper Dandies, some rising stars! You need Captains of Thousands, Captains of Hundreds, Captains of Fifties!
He’s telling Moses: BUILD A DEEP BENCH! You can’t handle the full-court press alone! You need a squad! You need teamwork! Because teamwork makes the dream work, baby! UNBELIEVABLE!
So Moses listens to the coach. He sets up the system. And now that the organization is solid, we are ready for the Main Event. The Big Dance. The Show!
MOUNT SINAI!
Folks, this isn't just a regular season game. This is the big one! The thunder! The lightning! The shofar blowing louder than the buzzer at Cameron Indoor Stadium! The whole mountain is smoking like a barbecue grill!
And God comes down to give the Ten Commandments.
Now, think about it. The Ten Commandments? These are the Fundamentals of Life, baby! You can’t slam dunk if you can’t dribble, and you can’t build a society if you don’t have the Rules of the Road!
Let’s break it down, Vitale style:
I am the Lord your God: That’s the Head Coach! You listen to the Coach, or you ride the pine!
No Idols: Don’t be chasing the highlight reels of the other teams! Stay loyal to the jersey!
Don’t take the Name in Vain: Watch your mouth! No technical fouls for bad language!
Keep Shabbat: REST DAY! Even the pros need recovery time! Load management, baby!
Honor your Father and Mother: Respect the veterans! Listen to the old school!
Don’t Kill: Flagrant 2 foul! Immediate ejection!
Don’t Commit Adultery: Stay in your lane! Defense, baby, defense!
Don’t Steal: No turnovers! Protect the rock!
Don’t Bear False Witness: Don’t flop! Don’t fake the charge! Be honest with the refs!
Don’t Covet: Don’t look at your neighbor’s stats! Play your own game!
Ooooh, it’s beautiful!
When the Jewish people heard this, they said, Na’aseh V’Nishma—We will do and we will listen! That is 110% effort! That is leaving it all on the floor!
So, in conclusion, Parshat Yitro teaches us two things:
First, you gotta have a good Assistant Coach like Yitro to help with the rotation.
And second, you gotta stick to the Fundamentals given at Sinai!
If you do that, you’re not just making the playoffs... you’re going to the PROMISED LAND!
It’s awesome, baby! Shabbat Shalom!
