A Thought on Parshas B'ha'aloscha

"...v'hayisa lanu l'eynaim..." "...and you would be eyes for us..." (10:31) Moshe Rabbeinu negotiates with his father in law Yisro, asking that he accompany the Jewish nation on the trek towards Israel where they will settle the land. The idiom of "eyes" takes on a number of interpretations in the eyes of our noted commentaries. Most see the expression as "you will be (or, you have been,) our guide. Yisro was a wise and perceptive man, and the idea seems to be that Moshe urged him not to abandon the people but rather to offer his insights and foresight. Given that Moshe was capable of his own insights, and given that his foresightedness was through the prophetic instructions given to him from Above, it is not at all clear to us why the vision and acuity of Yisro's eyes would have seemed so important at that point in time. The Panae'ach Raza offers four different glimpses into the idiom of "be our eyes." He suggests that the term "eyes" might mean "the foundation", as we see in the prophet Zecharia (3:9) whose vision of the building of the Bais HaMikdash is the seven faceted (eyed) foundation. where "eyes" means "major facets" or foundational heads. In other words, Moshe was asking Yisro to enter Israel in order to hasten the building of the Mikdash. The verse's idiom means "you will contribute to the founding of the Temple." The Panae'zch Raza offers the interpretation of Rabbeinu Yosef who understands "eyes" as the enlightening of the people's eyes through his wise counsel. The verse's idiom means "you will brighten our eyes for us." In the name of Rabbeinu Eliezer, the Panae'ach Raza offers that "eyes" means vistas and pathways. Moshe was asking Yisro to serve as a seasoned guide and scout for the people, in that he knew the terrain between the desert and the Promised Land. The verse's idiom means "you will envision the journey ahead and point out the important places." The Panae'ach Raza seems to prefer another interpretation, wherein "eyes" actually means "l'maraos ha'ayin" - for appearance sake That is, Moshe suggested to Yisro that by staying with the people, everyone would conclude that there must be true merit and greatness in HaShem's benevolent bond with the Jews, for otherwise the noble Yisro would never have forsaken his own kingdom with its homeland and wealth. Thus, "you will be there for the eyes of those who look at the Jews" and will be a "public relations" agent for Shomayim. The verse's idiom is "and you will be there for the eyes of those who look at our nation", promoting a sense that we are HaShem's nation, and that you too value and recognize that this is more important to you than your own wealth and prestige. All of us are the "eyes" of the Jewish people: wherever we go, the nations of the world (and our fellow Jews) gauge the role that HaShem plays in our lives by how we conduct ourselves. If we act in a manner consistent with the values which we assert, we appear accepting of and content with our role as avdei HaShem. When there is a disconnect between our professed standards and our actual behavior, that is evident to others as well. Keep an eye on that. Good Shabbos. D Fox