In this week’s parsha, Yitro, Moses’ father-in-law, comes to Moses in the wilderness. After just one day of watching Moses at work, Yitro can tell that Moses has taken on too much as a leader. And really, who could blame him? When God personally tasks you with bringing an entire nation-to-be out of slavery and then sticks you alone with them in the desert for an unforeseen amount of time without a map, you’re going to end up feeling responsible for keeping the liberation
train running. But in his effort to keep everyone cared for, Moses has overextended himself and his scope of work. He has come to see “being responsible and in charge” and “doing it all myself” as synonymous, and as a result he’s become a biblical version of If you give a Mouse a Cookie when it comes to the daily maintenance tasks of running the Israelite camp.
It takes the loving rebuke of family to make Moses realize that taking on too much affects more than just himself. Yitro points out that Moses white-knuckling his way through a way-too-full day is unsustainable not just for Moses but for the entire community. With the blunt sort of love that only family can deliver, Yitro tells Moses “This thing that you are doing is not good. You will become worn out, and you’ll wear the people out with you! For this matter is too heavy for one person to hold, and you cannot do it alone” (ex. 18-19, paraphrased translation). In the chaotic rush of all that he’s been through and all that he feels responsible for, Moses has forgotten that he too is a member of the community and that he too deserves to be cared for. It is from that place of care that Yitro is able to make Moses realize that trying to do it all on our own ultimately makes us less capable of sustaining the work and people we care about the most.
With so much happening in our world right now, it is easy to feel weighed down by the heaviness of all the work it will take to build a better, brighter, safer world. As we turn toward Shabbat this week, I invite you to consider the following questions:
What is one project, goal, or responsibility that you feel weighing on you and you alone?
What’s one way that you could find to share this weight with someone else? (hint: this might look like asking for help, sharing your stress with a trusted friend, identifying additional resources for support, etc.)
Who are the Yitros in your life who, with honesty and love, help you see truths about yourself that you are unable to see on your own?
What might it look like, feel like, and take to let someone take care of you this Shabbat? Who are you willing to let help you carry the heaviness?
May this Shabbat be one where we remember the importance of carrying one another and of letting ourselves be carried and cared for. May it be a safe and supportive Shabbat for us all.
