Parshas Yisro: 18,11:
Pasuk says: יא- עַתָּ֣ה יָדַ֔עְתִּי כִּֽי־גָד֥וֹל יְהוָֹ֖ה מִכָּל־הָֽאֱלֹהִ֑ים כִּ֣י בַדָּבָ֔ר אֲשֶׁ֥ר זָד֖וּ עֲלֵיהֶֽם
Rashi says: כִּֽי־בַדָּבָר אֲשֶׁר זָדוּ עֲלֵיהֶֽם: כְּתַרְגּוּמוֹ – בַּמַּיִם דִּמּוּ לְאַבְּדָם וְהֵם נֶאֶבְדוּ בַּמַּיִם
The previous pasukim [8-10]:
ח-וַיְסַפֵּ֤ר משֶׁה֙ לְחֹ֣תְנ֔וֹ אֵת֩ כָּל־אֲשֶׁ֨ר עָשָׂ֤ה יְהוָֹה֙ לְפַרְעֹ֣ה וּלְמִצְרַ֔יִם עַ֖ל אוֹדֹ֣ת יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל אֵ֤ת כָּל־הַתְּלָאָה֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר מְצָאָ֣תַם בַּדֶּ֔רֶךְ וַיַּצִּלֵ֖ם יְהוָֹֽה
Rashi says:
וַיְסַפֵּר משֶׁה לְחֹתְנוֹ: לִמְשֹׁךְ אֶת לִבּוֹ לְקָרְבוֹ לַתּוֹרָה
אֵת כָּל־הַתְּלָאָה: שֶׁעַל הַיָּם וְשֶׁל עֲמָלֵק:
ט-וַיִּ֣חַדְּ יִתְר֔וֹ עַ֚ל כָּל־הַטּוֹבָ֔ה אֲשֶׁר־עָשָׂ֥ה יְהוָֹ֖ה לְיִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל אֲשֶׁ֥ר הִצִּיל֖וֹ מִיַּ֥ד מִצְרָֽיִם
Rashi says:
עַל כָּל־הַטּוֹבָה: טוֹבַת הַמָּן וְהַבְּאֵר וְהַתּוֹרָה,
וְעַל כֻּלָּן אשר הצילו מיד מצרים;
עַד עַכְשָׁו לֹא הָיָה עֶבֶד יָכוֹל לִבְרֹחַ מִמִּצְרַיִם,
שֶׁהָיְתָה הָאָרֶץ מְסֻגֶּרֶת, וְאֵלּוּ יָצְאוּ שִׁשִּׁים רִבּוֹא
י-וַיֹּ֘אמֶר֘ יִתְרוֹ֒ בָּר֣וּךְ יְהֹוָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֨ר הִצִּ֥יל אֶתְכֶ֛ם מִיַּ֥ד מִצְרַ֖יִם וּמִיַּ֣ד פַּרְעֹ֑ה אֲשֶׁ֤ר הִצִּיל֙ אֶת־הָעָ֔ם מִתַּ֖חַת יַד־מִצְרָֽיִם
Rashi says:
אֲשֶׁר הִצִּיל אֶתְכֶם מִיַּד מִצְרַיִם: אֻמָּה קָשָׁה:
וּמִיַּד פַּרְעֹה: מֶלֶךְ קָשֶׁה:
מִתַּחַת יַד־מִצְרַיִם: כְּתַרְגּוּמוֹ – לְשׁוֹן רִדּוּי וּמָרוּת;
הַיָּד שֶׁהָיוּ מַכְבִּידִים עֲלֵיהֶם הִיא הָעֲבוֹדָה:
So Yisro knew about all that HaShem did. Of course he did, Moshe's goal according to Rashi was to convert him (8). He was aware of the all nissim that occurred to the Jewish people in Mitzrayim from the escape which was itself a crazy feat that so many escaped nobody had ever been escaped (9,10), to the nes of the maana (9). Yet look at what really convinced Yisro that HaShem was real and “גָד֥וֹל יְהוָֹ֖ה מִכָּל־הָֽאֱלֹהִ֑ים”?
The pasuk says “כִּ֣י בַדָּבָ֔ר אֲשֶׁ֥ר זָד֖וּ עֲלֵיהֶֽם” and Rashi explains, בַּמַּיִם דִּמּוּ לְאַבְּדָם וְהֵם נֶאֶבְדוּ בַּמַּיִם. The fact that the way HaShem ended the Mitzryim was with the same “tactic” they had tried to use to wipe out the Jews is what got him. This seems to be mida k'neged mida. I believe that mida k'neged mida is a practice in emes. Ultimately then what got Yisro after all he saw was not the miracles themselves, it wasn't the unbelievable abilities of HaShem to do what other “Gods” could not but it was the emes that he saw in HaShems actions!
Thanks Menash sruls for your comments. Ilike your question...it could be like Menash was saying he was searching and while we dont generally proselytize, we would at least want them to be 7 motzva bnei noach ppl so to keep him from avoda zara might have been only option? Let me know what you think.
I love this. Mida K'negged Midah makes so much sense to me, and it's interesting to see that's what ultimately got Yisro.
As Jews, we don't proselytize. It's one of the cornerstones of our religion. When I was in Ner Yaakov, one of the constant things I would hear from Rabbi's comparing Judaism to other religions was that we don't force our practice onto others, that's what makes us so genuine. In fact, we're supposed to turn potential conversion seekers away a few times before accepting their interest. I wonder then why Moshe was proselytizing to Yisro? Seems unJewish.
I've also wondered why it was okay for Moshe to marry Yisro's daughter, a non Jew/Hebrew, or why he chose to do that. I know that technically we weren't Jews until we got the Torah, but we see earlier in the Torah that it was important for our ancestors to NOT marry into the other nations of the world. Ahron married a Hebrew, and so do Miriyam, so why not Moshe? There's a huge issue nowadays with assimilation, yet the greatest Jewish leader of all time chose to marry from out of the "community," to the daughter of a then nonbeliever (Yisro). Has that ever troubled you?
Really nice Laivy! I always believed that it was because Yisro himself did research with all of the other "gods" and once he heard how Hashem had saved Bnei Yisrael from the Mitzrim (the miracles that He perfomed) that is what turned him towards Hashem. I like this pshat a lot. Thank you for sharing!