(9) And Yitro was jubilant *jubilant: Heb. va-yihd, from hdy, a rare verb. because of all the good that YHWH had done for Israel, that he had rescued him from the land of Egypt.

(10) “Blessed be GOD,” Jethro said, “who delivered you from the Egyptians and from Pharaoh, and who delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians. (11) Now I know that GOD is greater than all gods, yes, by the result of their very schemes against [the people].” (12) And Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, brought a burnt offering and sacrifices for God; and Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to partake of the meal before God with Moses’ father-in-law. (13) Next day, Moses sat as magistrate among the people, while the people stood about Moses from morning until evening.

“And Jethro rejoiced—he had already been glad over the general reports that he heard at the outset, and now he rejoiced even more over the details that Moses told him about all the good that the LORD had done for Israel, etc.

Vayyichad (ויחד) is an expression of joy (ḥedvah). The rendering of the Septuagint, which translates vayyichad as ἐξέστη—that is, ‘his flesh was seized with trembling’—is unfounded. As many have thought, it is not based on an alternative textual reading such as vayyichrad (ויחרד, ‘he trembled’), but rather on the midrash cited in Sanhedrin 94b, that his flesh became covered with prickles (ḥidudin ḥidudin).

“And Jethro said: ‘Blessed be the LORD’—that is, an expression of praise and thanksgiving to the God whom you call by the name YHWH.

(For the meaning of the word barukh as an expression of praise and thanks, compare Genesis 14:20: ‘And blessed be God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand’.)

‘Who delivered you’—you, Moses, and Aaron your brother—from the hand of Egypt and from the hand of Pharaoh, who threatened you with the death penalty (10:28); and likewise, who delivered the people from beneath the burden of bondage imposed by the hand of Egypt.

The threefold repetition of the language of deliverance is intended for emphasis. The omission of the final clause in the Septuagint—although several scholars accept it—is due solely to misunderstanding.”

This mishna, which includes all of this chapter’s mishnayot, contains a series of blessings and halakhot that are not recited at specific times, but rather in response to various experiences and events.

MISHNA: One who sees a place where miracles occurred on Israel’s behalf recites: Blessed…Who performed miracles for our forefathers in this place. One who sees a place from which idolatry was eradicated recites: Blessed…Who eradicated idolatry from our land. One who sees conspicuous natural occurrences recites a blessing. For zikin and zeva’ot, which the Gemara will discuss below, for thunder, gale force winds, and lightning, manifestations of the power of the Creator, one recites: Blessed…Whose strength and power fill the world. For extraordinary (Rambam) mountains, hills, seas, rivers, and deserts, one recites: Blessed…Author of creation. Consistent with his opinion that a separate blessing should be instituted for each individual species, Rabbi Yehuda says: One who sees the great sea recites a special blessing: Blessed…Who made the great sea. As with all blessings of this type, one only recites it when he sees the sea intermittently, not on a regular basis. For rain and other good tidings, one recites the special blessing: Blessed…Who is good and Who does good. Even for bad tidings, one recites a special blessing: Blessed…the true Judge. Similarly, when one built a new house or purchased new vessels, he recites: Blessed…Who has given us life, sustained us, and brought us to this time. The mishna articulates a general principle: One recites a blessing for the bad that befalls him just as he does for the good. In other words, one recites the appropriate blessing for the trouble that he is experiencing at present despite the fact that it may conceal some positive element in the future. Similarly, one must recite a blessing for the good that befalls him just as for the bad. The mishna states: And one who cries out over the past in an attempt to change that which has already occurred, it is a vain prayer. For example, one whose wife was pregnant and he says: May it be God’s will that my wife will give birth to a male child, it is a vain prayer. Or one who was walking on the path home and he heard the sound of a scream in the city, and he says: May it be God’s will that this scream will not be from my house, it is a vain prayer. In both cases, the event already occurred.

The mishna articulates a general principle: One is obligated to recite a blessing for the bad that befalls him just as he recites a blessing for the good that befalls him, as it is stated: “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might” (Deuteronomy 6:5). ...

Alternatively, it may be explained that “with all your might” means with every measure that He metes out to you; whether it is good or troublesome, thank Him.

GEMARA: With regard to the obligation to recite a blessing for a miracle, the Gemara asks: From where are these matters derived? Rabbi Yoḥanan said: The verse states: “And Jethro said: Blessed be the Lord, Who delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of Pharaoh; Who delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians” (Exodus 18:10); a blessing is recited for a miracle.

Gemora - This is how the passage should read: From where do we know that we recite a blessing over a miracle? Rabbi Yoḥanan said: For Scripture says, “And Jethro said: Blessed be the LORD, who delivered you…” (Exodus 18:10).

(Yechezkel Landau, also known as the Noda BiYehudah )

“From where do we derive this?” etc.

The wording “from where do we derive these matters” implies that the question applies to all the blessings listed in the Mishnah. According to this, Rabbi Yoḥanan’s answer would not suffice, since from Jethro we learn only that one recites a blessing over a miracle.

...

Therefore, it seems to me that certainly, according to the conclusion stated earlier—that blessings are rabbinic, based on logical reasoning—the same applies here: all blessings stem from reasoning, including blessings over Torah, commandments, and all other blessings.

However, with regard to a miracle, one might have thought that blessing is counter-intuitive, for it is taught that anyone for whom a miracle is performed has merits deducted from him. Furthermore, it makes sense that one blesses over all the other matters listed in our Mishnah at the moment they occur; but a miracle has already happened. And especially that one blesses even when the miracle did not happen to oneself—this seems entirely against reason.

Therefore the question was asked: from where do we know that one recites a blessing over a miracle?

And the proof is brought from Jethro, who blessed after the miracle had already occurred—and who blessed for a miracle performed for Israel, which he himself had not witnessed at all.

(18:10) "And Yithro said: 'Blessed is the L–rd'": R. Pappis said: Scripture speaks to the discredit of Israel, six hundred thousand men having been there and not one of them having stood up to bless the L–rd until Yithro came and did so, viz. "And Yithro said: Blessed is the L–rd, who rescued you, etc."

Therefore, his descendants merited to sit in the Lishkat HaGazit (the Chamber of Hewn Stone).” [The Lishkat HaGazit—literally the Chamber of Hewn Stone—was the seat of the Great Sanhedrin, the supreme judicial and legal authority of ancient Israel.]

(26) And he said,
“Blessed be the ETERNAL,The God of Shem; Let Canaan be a slave to them.

(19) He blessed him, saying,
“Blessed be Abram of God Most High,Creator of heaven and earth.

(27) and said, “Blessed be the ETERNAL, the God of my master Abraham, who has not withheld steadfast faithfulness from my master. For I have been guided on my errand by GOD, to the house of my master’s kin.”