Yitro
Can we do it alone?
Reflection by Carrie Watkins, US Community Manager:
"This week, Moshe reunites with his father-in-law, Yitro. When Yitro sees Moshe’s single handed attempt to judge every dispute for the entire Israelite people, he says,
`What is this thing you are doing to the people?! Why do you act alone . . . The thing you’re doing is not good [lo tov]` (Ex. 18:14, 16).
The Torah uses this precise language of `not good,` lo tov, only one other time, in the creation story:
`And God said, it is not good [lo tov] for Adam [the human] to be alone` (Gen. 2:18).
In both of these instances, what is lo tov is being, or acting, alone. In the Genesis creation story, God responds by making a partner for Adam. In our parsha this week, Yitro responds by counseling Moses to appoint judges to help him in his work.
Trying to do it all alone is lo tov.
This wisdom may seem incongruous with meditation practice, which often entails sitting by ourselves, with our eyes closed, paying attention to ourselves alone. On retreats, we avoid eye contact, pointedly don’t pass others tissues or pat each other on the shoulder, and we don’t speak to one another. That sounds about as lo tov as it can get.
And yet, if you’ve been on retreat, you know that sense of camaraderie and kindness that pervades the group. If you’ve practiced in any of our online weekday meditations, you’ve likely experienced the extra sense of commitment and focus that comes from sharing a meditation space with others, even a virtual one. Even when you practice by yourself, scientific studies increasingly show that meditation decreases feelings of loneliness. Perhaps you’ve found that, when you bring mindfulness to bear, you’re better able to connect to and work with others.
In these ways, meditation can help us move not towards but away from situations of lo tov, just as Moses did in accepting Yitro’s help.
May our mindfulness practices this Shabbat be tov, good, reminding us of our inextricable connections to ourselves, each other, and to the Ultimate Oneness.”