We know Moses, of course. But what about the man who welcomed him into his home, whose daughter became Moses' wife, and who offered crucial advice that shaped the Israelite legal system? I'm talking about Jethro.
According to Ginzberg's retelling in Legends of the Jews, Jethro lived for many years in the city of Midian – a place named for a son of Abraham and Keturah. There, he served as a priest to idols. But something wasn't sitting right with him. He became increasingly convinced of the futility – the hevel, the emptiness – of idol worship. It became repugnant to him.
So, Jethro decided to resign. He stood before his townsmen and basically said, "Look, I'm getting too old for this. You choose someone else to take my place." He handed over all the paraphernalia of idol worship and told them to give it to his successor. But they suspected his motives. They figured he was up to something, and they weren't happy about it. As a result, the people put him under a ban. Nobody was allowed to help him in any way. Even the shepherds wouldn't pasture his flocks. He was on his own. The only option was to put his seven daughters in charge of the work.
Now, this transformation from idolatrous priest to God-fearing man is reflected in Jethro's many names. It's fascinating! He was called Jether, because, the tradition says, the Torah contains an "additional" section about him. He was called Jethro because he "overflowed" with good deeds. He was also known as Hobab, "the beloved son of God"; Reuel, "the friend of God"; Heber, "the associate of God"; Putiel, "he that hath renounced idolatry"; and Keni, he that was "zealous" for God and "acquired" the Torah. Quite the resume, right?
The story goes that because of the town's hostility, Jethro's daughters had to arrive at the watering troughs early, before the other shepherds. But even that didn't always work. The shepherds would often drive them away and water their own flocks using the water the young women had drawn. Talk about unfair!
Enter Moses. When he arrived in Midian, he stopped at the well. And what happened there? Well, his experience mirrored that of Isaac and Jacob. Like them, he found his future helpmeet at a well. Remember, Rebekah was chosen as Isaac's wife while she was drawing water. Jacob first saw Rachel while she was watering her sheep. And at this well in Midian, Moses met his future wife, Zipporah.
But the shepherds' rudeness reached a new level on the very day Moses arrived. First, they stole the water the daughters had drawn and then, unbelievably, they tried to do violence to them, even throwing them into the well with the intent to kill them!
That’s when Moses stepped in. He rescued the maidens from the water and watered the flocks – first Jethro's, then the shepherds', even though they didn't deserve it. True, it wasn't much trouble for him. He only had to draw one bucketful, and the water flowed so abundantly that it sufficed for all the herds. And it didn't stop flowing until Moses left the well. This, according to tradition, was the same well where Jacob met Rachel, and the same well God created at the beginning of the world, revealing its opening on the twilight of the first Sabbath eve. Incredible, isn't it?
When Jethro's daughters thanked Moses for his help, he brushed it off, saying, "You should be thanking the Egyptian I killed. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't be here now."
So, what do we take away from the story of Jethro? Perhaps it’s a reminder that even those who seem to be on the wrong path can turn towards good. That even a priest of idols can become a man of God. And sometimes, all it takes is a little kindness at a well to change the course of history.