על השיכרות י׳On Drunkenness 10
א׳
1[36] This last kind which loves the mother, which bows down to the opinions of the multitude and undergoes all manner of transformations in conformity with the ever-varying aspirations of human life, like the Egyptian Proteus, whose true form remained a matter of uncertainty through his power to become everything in the universe, is most clearly typified by Jethro. Jethro is a compound of vanity, closely corresponding with a city or commonwealth peopled by a promiscuous horde, who swing to and fro as their idle opinions carry them.
ב׳
2[37] See how he deals with Moses. He in his wisdom was recalling the whole people of the soul to piety and to honouring God, and was teaching them the commandments and holy laws. His words are, “when they have a dispute and come to me, I judge between each of them and instruct them in the commandments of God and His law” (Exod. 18:16). And then comes forward Jethro the seeming wise, who has never learnt the secrets of the divine blessings, but his concern has been with little else than things human and corruptible. He plays the demagogue, and the laws which he lays down contradict the laws of nature; for his eyes are fixed on semblance, while they relate to real existence.
ג׳
3[38] Yet even on him Moses has compassion, and pities him for his great delusion; he feels that he should teach him a better lesson, and persuade him to depart from his empty opinions and follow truth stedfastly.
ד׳
4[39] We have “removed,” he says in effect, and excised from the mind its empty vanity and are passing over to the place of knowledge, which is ours through the oracles and promises of God. “Come with us and we will do thee good” (Num. 10:29). For you will lose the most harmful of evils, mere seeming, and gain the most profitable of blessings, truth.
ה׳
5[40] But even to words of such charm as these Jethro will pay no heed, nor ever follow knowledge in any way, but will hasten to return to the empty vanity which is indeed his own. For we read that he said to Moses, “I will not go, but I will go to my land and my generation” (Num. 10:30); that is, to the unfaith of false opinion which is his kinsman, since he has not learnt the true faith, so dear to real men.
