Ohr HaChaim Yomi: Yitzhak Levi’s weekly question and answer on Parashat Yitro, drawing on the Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh, Rabbi Chaim ibn Attar.
Question
Let’s get something straight. Yitro’s advice to Moshe did not happen before the Ten Commandments.
It happened after.
Moshe had already:
- Spoken to Hashem
- Received the Torah
- Stood at Sinai
And then his father-in-law watches him work and says: “This setup? It’s not going to last.”
Which is almost shocking.
The Answer: Torah Does Not Cancel Humility
If anyone could say, “I think I know what I’m doing,” it was Moshe Rabbeinu after Sinai.
And yet — when Yitro speaks, Moshe listens.
No ego. No defensiveness. No “I just got instructions from Heaven.”
Just: “You’re right.”
That’s not small. That’s enormous.
Reality Check
Let’s be honest.
Most of us hear one good shiur and suddenly we’re experts.
Moshe receives the Torah from Hashem Himself —and still accepts operational advice from his father-in-law.
If that doesn’t humble you a little, nothing will.
Why the Torah Changes the Order on Purpose
The Torah could have placed this story later.
It doesn’t. It puts Yitro right before Matan Torah to teach us something essential:
Receiving Torah does not mean you stop listening.
Spiritual greatness does not mean you stop learning.
And leadership does not mean doing everything yourself.
If Moshe needed advice after Sinai —we definitely do.
Lesson: Wisdom Is Not About Credentials
Yitro at the time, was a newly Jewish convert.
He previously had served every form of idol worship known to man.
And still — he saw something Moshe didn’t.
Because wisdom isn’t owned by background, résumé, or title.
As Pirkei Avot says:“Who is wise? One who learns from every person.”
Especially when it’s uncomfortable.
Modern Application: “I Already Know This”
We all say it.
“I’ve learned this already.” “I’m past this.” “I don’t need advice.”
Yitro walks in and says: “Great. Now apply it.”
Sometimes the advice you need most
comes after your biggest achievement —not before it.
Final Thought
The Torah rearranged history to make a point:
Even after Sinai, Moshe listened. Because the greatest leaders aren’t the ones who stop learning.
They’re the ones who never stop listening. Even to their father-in-law.