RAV KOOK PARSHAS YITRO (YISRO)

(PLEASE LEARN FOR A REFUA SHELAMA FOR HARAV YOSEF SHALOM BEN CHAYA MUSHA)

Translated and abridged by Rabbi Chanan Morrison Parshat Yitro When Moses's father-in-law Jethro heard all that God had done for the Jewish people, he rejoiced and said: "Blessed be God, Who rescued you from hand of Egypt and the hand of Pharaoh, Who liberated the people from Egypt's power. Now I know that God is the greatest of all deities: the very thing they plotted came on them!" (Ex. 18:10-11) The Talmud derives from Yitro's blessing the rule that we should recite the blessing "Who made miracles for our fathers in this place" when seeing the place where a miracle occurred for the Jewish people. (Berachot 54) Yet, this is difficult to understand. Jethro did not say his blessing when visiting the Red Sea, but when he met the Israelites in the desert. How could he serve as an example for this bracha, said specifically when viewing the location of a miracle?