Changing the Theory, Not the Facts: Yitro 5786

This piece was first published in the Hanassi Highlights, Thursday 5 February 2026. You can also read it in Hebrew, via AI, by clicking here.

At first glance, Parshat Yitro can feel like a collection of unrelated episodes. The arrival of Yitro, an administrative restructuring, and the thunderous revelation at Har Sinai do not obviously belong together. Yet when we look more carefully, a unifying thread emerges—one that speaks powerfully to human growth, leadership, and faith.

There is a quote attributed to Albert Einstein: “When the facts don’t fit the theory, change the facts.” This line captures a very human tendency: to protect our assumptions even when reality challenges them. Parshat Yitro presents the opposite model. Three times in this parsha, we encounter individuals or a nation willing to revise their “theory” in the face of compelling truth.

The first is Yitro himself. The Torah tells us that Yitro heard, and he came. Chazal describe Yitro as someone who had worshipped every form of idolatry known to the ancient world. He was not ignorant, naive, or sheltered; on the contrary, he was experienced and worldly. And yet, when he heard what had happened to Bnei Yisrael—the Exodus, the miracles, the survival against impossible odds—he  did not explain it away. He listened, he processed, and he changed. In a world where most people doubled down on their beliefs (much like our world today), Yitro was willing to say: I was wrong.

The second example is Moshe Rabbeinu. Yitro observes Moshe judging the people alone, from morning until night, and offers unsolicited advice: this is unsustainable. Moshe could easily have rejected the suggestion of the outsider. Yet instead, the Torah emphasizes that Moshe did everything Yitro suggested. For the greatest leader and prophet in history to accept guidance from an outsider is not a small detail—it is a profound statement about humility and openness. True leadership is not threatened by new perspectives; it is strengthened by them.

The third, and most dramatic, transformation is that of Bnei Yisrael at Ma’amad Har Sinai. We often forget just how revolutionary this moment was. In the ancient world, gods were visible, tangible, and embodied—statues, images, faces carved into stone and metal. To worship an invisible God, with no physical representation, was not only new; it was deeply counterintuitive. It is small wonder that throughout Tanach, the struggle against avodah zarah continues incessantly. Seen in this light, the commandment immediately following the revelation at Sinai—“Do not make with Me gods of silver or gods of gold”—is not incidental. It is a deliberate reinforcement of a radically new way of relating to God.

Parshat Yitro challenges us to ask ourselves: where might we be clinging to old patterns, assumptions or habits that no longer reflect the truth we know? Do we change the facts to fit our theories, or do we have the courage to revise the theory itself?

May we learn from these examples: to listen honestly, to remain open, and to live our lives guided not by inertia or convenience, but by what is right and true.

Shabbat Shalom!

Truth comes down to earth: Bereishit 5785

The Midrash teaches us that when God, so to speak, consulted in Heaven as to whether to create humans, four representatives presented their views to the Almighty. This Midrash is an instructive way to begin to understand the role of Midrash generally in rabbinic writing.

The rabbis generally seek to express deep philosophic ideas, conundrums and contradictions that we constantly face in daily life in a manner that, on the surface, appears as a story or a fable: oversimplified and almost naïve in presentation. Each student of Midrash must ferret out its intended deeper message and its relevance to our lives, society and situation. This is because Midrash is a living document, pointing towards current guidance and thought—not a book of stories about the past.

But let us return to the debate in heaven as to whether humans should have ever been created in the first place. Truth and Peace objected. Said Truth, since humans tended not to tell the truth, they could never be trusted and therefore had no useful function. Peace agreed. There would never be a time in human history when war, violence and dispute were absent. So, again, there would be no constructive purpose in creating such beings and in having them populate the world only for them to destroy one another.

Kindness stated that humans should be created: there will always be a streak of goodness and compassion within human beings. They will build schools, hospitals, orphanages and day care centers. They will search for medical cures to disease and raise vast amounts of wealth to help those who are less fortunate and truly needy. Overall, they would be worthy of being created. Justice agreed, Humans possess an intrinsic sense of fair play. They will establish courts of law and attempt to adjudicate disputes between themselves. They will create police forces to make for a secure society. Again, overall, humans could be a positive force in the world.

The Midrash continues by saying that God, so to speak, considered all four protagonists and their arguments. They were evenly balanced at two against two. In order to reach a decision, He threw Truth down to earth so that now the “vote” was two to one in favor of creating humans, which He then proceeded to do.

The great Rabbi Menachem Mendel Morgenstern (Halperin) of Kotzk asked: “If God was only looking to break the tie vote, so to speak, why did he throw down Truth? He could just have easily thrown down Peace. With Truth remaining alone, the vote would still be two to one.” He then answered: “Truth can never be outvoted. No matter what the vote is, no matter how many speak against it, Truth remains at its core, which is eternally true. Peace may be compromised and manipulated. Not so Truth. It is a value that is all or nothing. Something which is ninety-nine percent true is still not Truth. It does not adjust to ever changing mores, fads or current correctness. So, Truth had to be disposed of before a vote could be taken.”

The Jewish people have always been outnumbered. God promised us that we would be a small people numerically—and that promise has certainly been fulfilled. The human race consists of billions of people who disagree with us and outvote us regularly. Sometimes they do this peacefully, but most of the time with hostile intent. Other faiths have, for centuries, attempted to convince us that the majority rules and that, since they prevail, we should give up and join them. But we have not wavered as a nation in our belief in truth as revealed to us by God at Sinai. We cannot be outvoted as we represent Truth in its essence and sincerity. And that is the secret of the creation of humans and the existence of Judaism throughout the ages.

Shabat shalom, Rabbi Berel Wein