Comentario sobre Exodo 18:19

איעצך ויהי אלהים עמך I WILL GIVE THEE COUNSEL BUT LET GOD BE WITH THEE in considering this counsel. This is really what he said to him: Go and consult with the Almighty as regards the counsel I give you (Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 18:19).

AND G-D BE WITH THEE. “I.e., in this counsel. Jethro said to Moses, ‘Go and consult with the Almighty.’” Thus Rashi’s language. And Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra wrote: “‘Listen to me, and G-d will help you to succeed as I have counselled you.’ Further, however, Jethro said, ‘If thou shalt do this thing, and G-d command thee so,⁹⁶Verse 23. which means ‘if you will do this thing — i.e., that you will consult with the Almighty — and He will command you to do it, then you will be able to endure.’ And there is no doubt that Moses did so” [i.e., he first consulted with G-d and received His sanction and then proceeded to make this arrangement].

היה אתה לעם מול האלוקים, be their intermediary to advise the people of the various commandments G’d wants them to perform.

ויהי אלוקים עמך, meaning you will be able to stand the pressure. (compare verse 23)

ויהי ה' עמך, “and may the Lord be with you.” According to Rashi this was an advice to govern the people with fortitude, with confidence in his ability to judge them fairly. Ibn Ezra feels that the meaning of Yitro’s words שמע בקולי ויהי אלוקים עמך, were a prayer that Moses would succeed in carrying out his advice. At the tail end of his remarks Yitro suggested that Moses obtain G’d’s consent for adopting his suggestions. This is what he meant when he said וצוך אלוקים ויכלת לעמוד, “when G’d will give you the requisite instructions you will be able to be equal to the task.” He entertained no doubt that Moses would carry out the suggestions and govern the people with determination.

היה אתה לעם מול האלו-הים, “be you a representative of the people before G’d.” Yitro meant: “you are to present the people’s prayer to G’d on their behalf,” as we find in Psalms 88,2 “when I cry out in the night before You.” The psalmist uses the word נגדך.

(Ibid. 19) "Now, hearken to my voice": If you hearken to me, it will go well with you. "I will counsel you and G d will be with you." Go and consult the Omnipotent. "You be to the people": as a vessel, full of pronouncements. "And you shall bring the matters": The things that you hear, bring and relate to them.

V. 19. ויהי אלקי׳ עמך, mein Rat enthält nichts von Gott zu Missbilligendes, nichts, wofür du nicht auf Gottes Beistand rechnen dürftest. — היה וגו׳, sei du für das Volk Gott gegenüber, d. h. vertritt du das Volk vor Gott, und wenn sie durch dich Belehrung und Hilfe von Gott suchen, so bringe du ihr Anliegen vor Gott. Dies ist eine Funktion, in welcher dich kein anderer vertreten kann. Ebenso

היה אתה לעם מול האלוקים, “be you for the nation an intermediary between them and G-d;” Yitro meant that Moses appoint himself as intermediary due his constantly being prepared through ritual purity and readiness to warn them against trespassing any of G-d’s laws.

היה אתה לעם מול האלהים BE THOU FOR THE PEOPLE TO GOD-WARD — be thou the agent and intermediary between them and the Omnipresent, and be thou the one who enquires of Him regarding the judgments.

BE THOU FOR THE PEOPLE ‘MUL’ G-D. That is, “‘before’ G-d.” Jethro told Moses, “Be thou their intercessor before G-d, to pray to Him.” This is like the verse, I call by day; I cry in the night before Thee.⁹⁷Psalms 88:2.

והבאת אתה את הדברים אל האלוקים, An example of such a case is presented in Numbers 9,8 as well as in Numbers 27,5 where Moses submitted a problem to which he did know the answer to G’d before communicating the answer he received to the people afterwards.

היה אתה לעם מול האלוקים, for those rulings which require Divine revelation you will act as the people’s mediator by listening to what G’d has decided, and you will warn them accordingly. This is the meaning of the words הדבר הקשה יביאו אליך in verse 22. Any other matters the helpers, i.e. the chiefs of ten, fifty, etc. will decide by themselves. The result will be that you will be greatly relieved.

היה אתה לעם מול האלוקים, “you be a representative of the people vis-à-vis G’d.” Nachmanides explains concerning Yitro’s initial reaction to Moses telling him that the people come to him in their search for G’d, that Yitro completely agreed that this was Moses’ function, i.e. to be the intermediary between the people and G’d. He realized that no one else could take Moses’ place in this respect. He also agreed that not only was it Moses’ duty to submit the people’s requests to G’d, but also to communicate G’d’s answer to them. He further agreed that it was Moses’ task to instruct the people initially in all these matters. He did not agree however, that it was necessary for Moses, personally, to get involved in every little judicial dispute between individuals, i.e. in what Moses had referred to as ושפטתי בין איש לרעהו , “I have to render judgment between man and his fellow.” These matters, Yitro told him he must learn to delegate, else he would undo more than he had set out to accomplish. It is also possible that even in matters which did need clarification by G’d directly, Yitro told Moses that this did not need to take place in full view of the people, etc, but that Moses should sit inside the Tabernacle, able to give his full attention to G’d’s answer, etc., instead of being surrounded by a mob of people all the time. He did urge him to exercise extreme caution when handing down decisions so that it would never appear as if he arrived at such decisions arbitrarily. All of this is part of the meaning of והזהרתה, והודעת, etc. You will note that in this connection Yitro did not mention the need to employ judges and law enforcers. He was fully aware that Moses had many officials at his service who would see to it that judgment once pronounced, would be carried out. He allowed that matters beyond the competence of the judges should be submitted to Moses personally for adjudication.

והבאת אתה את הדברים אל האלו-הים, “and you will bring the matters to G’d.” Yitro acknowledged the first of Moses’ explanations, i.e. that the people ask him to intercede on their behalf.

את הדברים [AND THOU SHALT BRING] THE MATTERS — i. e. the matters of their strife.

AND BRING THOU THE CAUSES — namely, which they will ask — UNTO G-D. Jethro conceded the first matter that Moses had said, i.e., Because the people come unto me to inquire of G-d.⁹⁸Above, Verse 16. It is possible that in this too there was counselling on his part. Jethro would thus be saying: “Be thou for the people before G-d, to sit in the Tent of Meeting before Him, ready to inquire of Him [on the matters they bring to you]. And this should not be at the place where you sit in judgment [to adjudicate their disputes].”