"And Yisro, the priest of Midyan, the father-in-law of Moshe, heard all that G'd had done for Moshe and for Israel, His nation, that he took them out of Egypt" (Shemos 18:1). Rashi (combining two views mentioned in Mechilta) comments on the first words of the verse, "Vayishma Yisro - and Yisro heard"- "מה שמועה שמע ובא? קריעת ים סוף ומלחמת עמלק - What hearing (news, events) did he hear (about)? The splitting of the sea and the war of Amaleik." The commentaries ask several questions. If the verse explicitly states that Yisro heard "all that G'd had done," why does Rashi focus only on two of those events. Furthermore, on the phrase "all that G-d had done," Rashi presents a different list: the falling of the man, the well (water from the rock), and the splitting of the sea. Why does this list differ from the first list?
Many note that the verb S-M-A, roughly translated as "hear," has several meanings in its usage throughout Tanach: 1) to biologically hear, 2) to accept or obey (listen to) and 3) to understand.[1] [Yiddish captures two of these meanings with similar words: herr = hear and derher = insight or idea.] Based on these multiple meanings, the commentaries (see Mizrachi, Gur Aryeh) explain that the first Rashi is not explaining what Yisro heard about; this is explicitly stated in the verse that he heard all that Hashem did for the Jews and that he took them out of Egypt. [This last point, referencing biological hearing, is perhaps Rashi's point in his second comment.[2]] Rather, the first Rashi is asking what motivated Yisro to come join the Jewish people, namely, based on the third meaning of "shema," what caused him to understand that something particularly unique occurred motivating him to journey to his son-in-law and ultimately convert to the Jewish religion.[3] Similarly, Zohar (quoted by Sheim Mishmuel) asks: "Did (only) Yisro hear and not the whole world? Is it not written (in the Song of the Sea), 'Nations heard and were troubled!' (Shemos 15:14) Rather, the [people of the] whole world heard and were not broken. [By contrast, Yisro] heard and was broken and submitted to the Holy One blessed be He and drew near to His fear." All others only heard; Yisro heard and understood the implications of these earth-shattering events obligating him to make drastic changes to his life.
The Midrash (Shemos Rabba 27:9) comments on Yisro's "hearing":
"Listen to the word of G'd..." (Yirmiyahu 2:4). This is what is written (Yeshayahu 55:3), "Listen and your soul will live!" How dear Israel is that He [Hashem] encourages them! He said to them, "If a person falls from the roof, his whole body gets bruised. The doctor visits him and gives him a bandage for his head, his hands, his legs and all of his limbs. He is all bandages! I (G'd) am not like that. Rather, a man has 248 limbs and the ear is one of them. If the whole body is sullied with sins, but (only) the ear listens, the whole body receives life." "Listen and your soul will live!" (Yeshayahu ibid.) That is the meaning of "Listen to the word of G'd, O House of Jacob!" (Yirmiyahu ibid.) So you find with Yisro that through listening he merited life since he listened and converted as it is written, "And Yisro ... heard all that G'd did to Moshe and to Israel His nation, etc."
My great Rebbe, the founding Rosh HaYeshiva of Yeshivat Kerem B'Yavneh, Rav C. Y. Goldwicht zt"l (Asufas Ma'arachos, Mishpatim, "Nishma v'Na'ase"[4]) explains the reason that specifically Yisro taught us the power of listening. Rav Goldwicht raises a contradiction between the famed dual commitment of Klal Yisrael at the giving of the Torah of "na'ase v'nishma - we will do and (then) hear" - implying great initial commitment and fear of G-d even before receiving the specific commandments - on the one hand and the phrase "v'shamanu v'asinu - we will hear and do" (Devarim 5:20), in the opposite order: first listening then doing, presented by the Torah in Moshe's review of the events of Mount Sinai, on the other. Rav Goldwicht answers that the commitment present initially at Har Sinai was not something that all would be able to accomplish. Indeed, even the commitment of the generation which received the Torah did not last and was shortly followed by the cheit ha'egel, the sin of the Golden Calf. However, Hashem forgave the Jewish people and gave them a second set of luchos. This represented the kabbalas haTorah of the ba'al teshuva, one who needs inspiration before he can make intense commitment. He needs to "hear" before he can do. Yisro, the first convert to the Jewish people l'sheim shamayim (unlike the eirev rav), serves as the paradigm of the proper use of shmi'a, not just hearing but listening and understanding the implications of world events and/or study leading to transformation and commitment. By parallel, the journey of the ba'al teshuva begins by not only studying and experiencing but being receptive to understanding and internalizing their implications.
Rav Goldwicht further quotes the Gemara (Pesachim 50b) that a person should always engage in Torah and mitzvos even for an ulterior motive since such activity will ultimately lead to learning and performing commandments only for the sake of Heaven. This implies that all Jews, not just baalei teshuva and converts, need a dose of pre-hearing, or inspiration, in order to eventually reach the exalted level of lishma implied by the commitment of na'ase v'nishma. Thus, the ladder of religious growth consists of initial inspiration, followed by intense commitment to the totality of Torah - its values and requirements, culminating with additional study only fully accessible and retainable with prior commitment which in turn continually deepens that commitment.
Hashem is always communicating to us, providing opportunities for inspiration - through the messages contained in Torah and through the messages he sends to us in our individual and communal lives. Our own generation, so used to relative stability, has witnessed massive cataclysms in just the past decade in world and Jewish history. It behooves all of us not to follow the example of the rest of world in the piercing words of the above-quoted Zohar to just hear but not listen and understand but to follow Yisro's example to internalize and understand as well. The call of the hour is certainly to come closer to Hashem Yisborach minimally by making incremental changes for the better in our life's activities and priorities in order to facilitate greater closeness to Avinu Shebashamayim and enhanced commitment to His service![5]
[1] Rav Y.D. Soloveitchik zt"l advocated having in mind the third definition when reciting the Shema twice daily since the accepted view of the Sages - as opposed to that of R. Yehuda who insists that the reciter hear the words of Shema - is that the word "Shema" teaches that its recital may be "בכל לשון שאתה שומע - in any language you understand." (Heard from Mori v'Rabi Rav H. Schachter shlit"a.)
[2] See Mizrachi as to why the war against Amalek is not mentioned in the second Rashi.
[3] See Gur Aryeh, Be'er Yosef and others for insights as to why these specific two events inspired Yisro to join the Jewish people. Also see Mizrachi, Gur Aryeh and others as to why the other opinion in the Mechilta that Yisro heard about the giving of the Torah at Har Sinai was omitted by Rashi.
[4] See there for a magnificent, much more elaborate presentation than the small excerpt presented here. Also see the insightful article by Dr. Benny Gezundheit, an alumnus of Yeshivat Har Etzion, available here: https://etzion.org.il/he/philosophy/issues-jewish-thought/issues-mussar-and-faith/ נעשה-ונשמע-לעומת-ושמענו-ועשינו
[5] See also Inspiration, Application and Preservation for further elaboration on these themes and for techniques for applying inspiration to our lives.