Moses in the capacity of judge, for Moses spent the time from the
day of the revelation to the tenth day of Tishri almost entirely in
heaven. Hence Jethro could not be present at a court proceeding of
his before the eleventh day of Tishri, the first day after Moses'
return from heaven. Jethro now perceived how Moses sat like a
king upon his throne, while the people, who brought their lawsuits
before him, stood around him. This so displeased him that he said
to his son-in-law: "Why sittest thou thyself alone, and all the
people stand by thee from morning until even?" Moses answered:
"Because the people come unto me to enquire of God. It is not in
my honor that they stand, but in honor of God, whose judgement
they would know. When they are in doubt over a case of clean or
unclean, or when there is a dispute between two parties, which
they desire to have settled exactly according to the law, or in
conformity with a compromise, they come to me; and when the
parties at dispute leave me, they part as friends and no longer
enemies. I expound to the people, besides, the words of God and
His decisions."

On the day that Moses again took up his activity as a judge, and
Jethro had for the first time the chance of observing him, came the
mixed multitude with the pleas that they, like the other Israelites,
wanted their share in the Egyptians booty. Moses' method, first
seen by him in practice, [160] struck Jethro as most absurd, and he
therefore said: "The thing that thou doest is not good," through
delicacy softening his real opinion, "It is bad" to "It is not good."
[161] "The people," he continued, "will surely unbraid thee and
Aaron, his two sons Nadab and Abihu, and the seventy elders, if
thou continuest in this fashion. But if thou hearkenest now to my
voice, thou wilt fare well, provided God approves of my plan. This