February 6, 2026 – Dr. Susanna Kokkonen
Yitro 5786 (2026)
Exodus 18:1-20:23; Isaiah 6:1-13
Yitro, the name of this Torah portion refers to the name of Moses’ father -in-law. The portion starts with his name, as he had heard about all God had done for the Hebrews. Moses had sent away his family and Yitro now came to Moses with them. What happened shows the high regard Moses had for this man.
“So Moses went out to meet his father-in-law and bowed down and kissed him. They greeted each other and then went into the tent.” (Exodus 18:7 NIV)
Yitro’s Advice
Yitro was a man of faith.
“Jethro was delighted to hear about all the good things the LORD had done for Israel in rescuing them from the hand of the Egyptians.” (Exodus 18:9 NIV)
He was also a wise man who identified a problem. Not only did he identify it, but he produced a solution. This may be the first time in history that power was delegated and people were trained and ordered to perform specific tasks under a greater leader.
“When his father-in-law saw all that Moses was doing for the people, he said, “What is this you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit as judge, while all these people stand around you from morning till evening?”…”…select capable men from all the people—men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain—and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens.” (Exodus 18:14,21 NIV)
What we clearly see here is that sometimes God speaks to us through people. Moses could have waited to see if God would show him what to do, but instead his father-in-law brought him both the problem and the solution. Moses was humble enough to accept what his father-in-law had in mind. Herein lies an important lesson about leadership. A good leader knows how to delegate 1. so as not wear himself out and 2. to give space for others.
Ten Commandments
The formative event, the event that has come to have great significance to all the Western world, is the giving of Law. What we know as the Ten Commandments form the basis of justice system in each Western nation. What is equally important to understand is that God, at the very beginning of the commandments, identified Himself. He was a God who had already acted for His people. He was also a God who was to be identified with liberty because He had freed slaves.
“And God spoke all these words:
“I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.
“You shall have no other gods before me.” (Exodus 20:1-3 NIV)
The first commandments relate to man’s relationship to God. He is to be identified as their God and there must not be any other gods/idols men worship. His name is Holy.
But the other commandments relate to relationships between men.
So what we understand from this is that to God our relationship with Him is important, but He also values relationships between men. In fact, it means that if we follow these commandments, we, our societies, function well and enjoy peace and prosperity. The same applies to individuals and their families.
Unclean Lips and a Call
In the prophetic portion from Isaiah, we see the process of how he became a prophet. He believed that he was lost because he was not worthy of seeing God’s glory, which he saw.
“Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty.” (Isaiah 6:5 NIV)
But God in His mercy uses the one He wants to use. And Isaiah’s lips were cleansed. After that, Isaiah still had to reply to a question.
“Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!” (Isaiah 6:8 NIV)
The word in Hebrew Hineni means Here am I. It is an answer repeated several times in the Bible by people willing to do what God wanted them to do. It signifies both readiness to do and the person’s understanding that they, and no one else, are the person responding to a call.
In the New Testament, the call is first to salvation, then to a life with God. But there are also specific callings people have. These are based on different giftings and talents and then finally on God’s purpose for each person.
Sometimes we may find ourselves in situations where we do not know what our calling is. We may feel that there is no specific direction. But the Word is truly clear in terms of what to do in these situations.
“And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” (Col.3:17 NIV)
Hannah’s Call
At the Holocaust Garden of Hope, we tell the story of a young girl who came from Hungary to live in the British Mandate of Palestine, now the State of Israel. Hannah Senesh (1921-1944) made a decision and volunteered to go back to war-torn Hungary to help Jews under Nazi regime. She was captured, tortured, and murdered.
Before the end she authored a famous poem which refers to a great calling person may have on their life. This call may invite a person to sacrifice everything.
“Blessed is the match consumed in kindling flame.
Blessed is the flame that burns in the secret fastness of the heart.
Blessed is the heart with strength to stop its beating for honor’s sake.
Blessed is the match consumed in kindling flame.”
Source: Blessed Is the Match by Hannah Shenesh
*For an explanation of the terms see the first The Torah Portion Blog.
And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.
Genesis 1:3 NIV
Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.
Psalm 119:105 NIV
Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you.
Isaiah 60:1 NIV
…let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
Matthew 5:16 NIV
Torah Scrolls were attacked and desecrated during the Holocaust. The enduring images of the Kristallnacht (November 9-10,1938) are those of synagogues on fire and Torah Scrolls burning. Some of these desecrated Torah Scrolls disappeared, others were buried. Some were lovingly rescued and are on display in museums in various locations.
