Reading Exodus with Leon Kass: What Is the Covenant?

God’s proposed covenant does not look to men of virtue or point to rule by philosophers or kings or prophets. The covenant is made with each and every person.

Once a week for the next few months, Mosaic will be publishing brief excerpts of Leon R. Kass’s new book on Exodus, Founding God’s Nation. Curious about one of the foundational texts of the Jewish tradition? Read along with us. To see earlier excerpts, go here.

This week, Jewish communities all over the world begin their study of Exodus 18:1-20:23, a portion of the text known by its first significant Hebrew word, “Yitro.” Yitro is the name of Moses’ father-in-law, the Midianite priest who visits the Israelites in the wilderness. He advises Moses on the administration of justice for the people, counseling him to appoint men of valor to dispense justice.

Three months after the Israelites depart from Egypt, they arrive at God’s mountain in the wilderness of Sinai, where God offers the people of Israel a new mission:

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