Greetings…

I’ve been reading about greetings in the Bible recently – in particular, a long discussion in The Lost Matriarch (Jerry Rabow) about Jacob’s greeting of Rachel, then Laban.

In Parashat Yitro, the simplicity and relational aspect of Moshe’s greeting with Yitro early in Exodus 18 resonated:

Then Moshe went out to greet his wife’s father, and they bowed (in greeting) and he kissed him, and each one asked after the wellbeing of the other, and they came into the tent.

From there, just as we do with each other after those early moments of checking in with our friends, they exchanged stories, celebrated the good things happening to each other, and advice was exchanged. Yitro gains his reputation as readers have retold this story for offering excellent advice to Moshe about delegating – one of the best skills for a leader to have.

In their greeting one another, Rashi notes that the words in the text do not clarify who bows to whom – yet as we read that Moshe and Yitro each ask after the other, we find the mutuality of the relationship in both the physical and verbal elements of their greeting. Even though Yitro is the elder, the father of Tzipporah, and a priest, the text seems to portray a shared respect in their relationship. As the story unfolds, the establishment of open conversation through shared respect appears to lay a groundwork for Moshe’s openness to Yitro’s advising.

A gorgeous winter day on the Hudson River