Yitro: A Lesson from the Midianites

What does it mean to cooperate and compromise? How do two people (or two organizations, religions, or political parties) work together when they don't see eye-to-eye? When you think of the word "compromise," what comes to mind? I ask this because I don't think people ever really stop and define this notion for themselves, and I especially don't think a lot of people know how to put the theory of it into practice. When have you truly compromised in your life? And by compromise I mean that you got some of what you wanted, but not all of it. You weren't thrilled with the outcome, but you were satisfied.

If we look at the world of politics, President Obama recently held his State of the Union address. In it, he used some pretty tough language aimed at Republicans, especially when talking about the lack of bipartisanship. Among other things, he said, "Just saying no to everything may be good short-term politics, but it's not leadership." Two days later, he followed up by speaking directly to House Republicans at their conference in Baltimore, and again he said (in reference to a job package), "just the fact that it's my administration that's proposing it shouldn't prevent you from supporting it."

It's clear to me that neither side feels the other is willing to compromise. Working together has become taboo, regardless of the issue, and it's disheartening to watch. In this week's Torah portion, we see perhaps the world's first interfaith dialogue, and I pray that our politicians soon learn to follow this Biblical model.

We continue our reading about the Exodus, and at the start of our parasha, Moses' father-in-law Yitro (or Jethro, in English) comes to visit. Now Yitro isn't an Israelite, he's a Midianite. And a priest no less! So he's a full-fledged subscriber to the idolatrous practices of the Midianites. When he first arrives, we see the following powerful scene: "And Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, brought a burnt offering and sacrifices for God; and Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to partake of the meal before God with Moses' father-in-law" (Exodus, 18:12). Do we imagine that the Israelite elders and this Midianite priest were in total agreement about issues like religion, culture, politics, or lifestyle? Most likely they were not. Yet they sat together, sharing a sacrificial meal (Kosher certification from Hebrew National? I don't think so.), and without judging one another or arguing.

The most important line, in my opinion, is "before God." This was a Divinely approved gathering, conducted with God's full blessing. Not many other meals in the Bible are described this way; with God having a place-setting at the dinner table. The Torah is telling us that when we work together, accepting one another's differences and learning to co-exist, God will bless our endeavors.

At the end of his State of the Union Address, President Obama said, "And what the American people hope – what they deserve – is for all of us, Democrats and Republicans, to work through our differences; to overcome the numbing weight of our politics." Sometimes our differences can indeed seem numbing and heavy. And when they do, we forget the meaning of the word "compromise." I pray that all of us, politicians, congregants, co-workers, and family members, can all learn to accept people with whom we disagree, and start finding ways to work together. Then we will truly be creating holiness, and we will feel the Presence of God blessing the work of our hands.