Comentario sobre Exodo 18:16

כי יהיה להם דבר בא WHEN THEY HAVE A MATTER THEY COME (lit., “he comes”) — “He”, viz., who has the matter comes to me.

כי יהיה להם דבר, when someone among these people who hold positions of public trust has a disagreement with one of his colleagues he brings it to me,

Whoever has the matter comes to me. Rashi is answering the question: Why does it begin in plural: [ להם ], but conclude in singular: בא אלי ? Thus Rashi explains: “Whoever has. . .” [In vs. 15-16,] Moshe is answering Yisro, who thought that Moshe’s sitting is [inappropriate] princely behavior. [The thrust of] Moshe’s answer is only, “I judge between man and his neighbor.” I.e., Moshe is answering that the people stand for judgment, not for his honor. [The thrust of] Moshe’s answer is not, “I impart to them Hashem’s statutes and His laws,” [which, taken on its own, could] mean that he is teaching them [and not judging them. This would not answer Yisro] because [in the early generations] both master and disciple stood while studying. Due to the fact [that everything revolves around, “I judge between man and his neighbor,”] Rashi explains that [everything] refers to judgment — even כי יבא in v. 15, and כי יהיה להם דבר in this verse. This is against [the simple understanding of] Onkelos, [that v. 15 speaks of teaching, not judgment].