Were Yitro and His Daughter Jewish?

Question

Was Yitro/Jethro a Jew? If not, did the wife of Moses – Tsipporah – who was Yitro’s daughter, convert to Judaism before marriage to Moses?

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Answers

  1. The Just Ask! - AskTheRabbi.org Team

    Yitro was not originally Jewish. He converted much later on in life, when he came to visit Moshe in the desert after the Exodus from Egypt. Tziporah converted to Judaism when she married Moshe. Before the Giving of the Torah there was no formal conversion, as we know it nowadays. Rather, it was enough for Tziporah to agree to live her life as a Monotheist and to follow the Word of God as was accepted by the descendants of Jacob/Yisrael.

    Best wishes from the AskTheRabbi.org Team