Yitro: Flying High On Eagles’ Wings

Torah is poetry. Parshat Yitro contains one of the most beautiful examples of the sophisticated metaphorical language of our Torah: “You, yourselves, have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on kanfei nesharim — eagle's’’ wings — and brought you to Me” [Exodus 19:4].

High artistic form allows the content to rise above simplistic decoding of its parts. If a beautiful phrase could be fully translated into simpler words there would be no reason to be cryptic in the first place. Poetry, like all art, rises above any explanation of it. And yet we need to try to understand both content and form, particularly when we are speaking of the word of God.


The eagle flies higher than any bird; no one can prey on it other than man. When threatened by any predator, it can pounce, protecting the young it carries on its wings. If man tries to attack the eagle, she will take the arrow for her children. That approach (taken by Rashi) reflects the way God did everything for us as we left Egypt, and beyond, taking care of our welfare in all ways. We may sometimes feel burdened by the weightiness of our existence. God’s statement that He carried us on eagles’ wings is meant to help us feel less burdened as we travel through life. One of our greatest tasks in this world is to learn to be grateful for God’s kindness to us, hidden in the revealed; He flies us first class, each day of our lives.

On the other hand there is a concept of Imitatio Dei-- following the model of the Divine. This is expressed in the command, “Vehalachtah be’derachav” [Deuteronomy 28:9] — “Follow in His ways.” As the Talmud [Sotah 14a] puts it, “Mah hu, af atah,” we are expected to emulate all that God does. As He acts kindly, compassionately, etc., so should we.

The eagle image models for us the loving and passionate way that we are to protect and provide for our loved ones.
Seforno says that just as the eagle flies to the highest place in the sky where no other bird ventures, so God has taken us where no man has spiritually gone before. He separates us from other people in order for us to be differentiated from all nations and their pursuits and to be devoted only to God. This fits well with the conclusion of the verse [Ex. 19:4], in which God says, “I brought you to Me.”

This poetic phrase is joined by God saying that if we listen to His word and keep His covenant then we will be His am segulah - treasured nation. Then we are told that we are to be a mamlechet kohanim - a royalty of priests. In interpreting the image of eagles’ wings Rashi and Seforno each rely on a later poetic phrase. Rashi focuses on the segulah element- God treasuring us. Seforno focuses on mamlechet kohanim v’goy kadosh- we are separated as a nation in order to work on ourselves and constantly grow in holiness.  Seforno says that this is the reason why God carried us away from Egypt, as reflected by the metaphor of the high flying eagle.


The Chidushei HaRim, the first rebbe of Ger, cites the Midrash that says that when the Jews left Egypt an antagonistic voice within Heaven came at God decrying, “These and those are both idol worshippers, why should these people be freed?” God’s answer is not revealed. We know that God was not deterred by the question and continued redeeming the Jewish people.

The Chidushei HaRim posits that the image of the eagles’ wings suggests that God took us to a place that was safe from the question of why we deserved to be chosen. God absorbed that question for us like a parent taking the bullet for their child.

The Chidushei HaRim’s application of the eagle image to the idea of God protecting us from external antagonism is a beautiful one. And yet it does not answer the question of why we deserved to be taken out of Egypt. The approach of Seforno addresses this remaining issue. We are separated in order to refine and purify ourselves. Like the fire in the bush that would not burn out, God saw within us undying embers of holiness that could be fanned until they flourished.

We were chosen because of what we were destined to become. It is upon us to elevate and sanctify our lives, and when we do so we answer the question raised by the image of God poetically carrying us out of Egypt on eagles’ wings. This is why we are told that we, ourselves, have seen; must continue to see and learn from our having been taken to a high and separate place.

May we be so blessed.