Moses - A Man Apart

Shemot

Ex. 1:1 - 6:1

Précis: With this parasha, we begin the second book of the Bible, Exodus. In Hebrew, the title for this book is “Shemot” (names) because the first verses begin with a listing of names of the Israelites who came down to Egypt. A new Pharaoh has arisen who “does not remember Joseph.” He enslaves the Israelites and orders the killing of all male children. A Levite male child is born, is hidden by his parents, and is sent down the river in a reed basket where he is saved by Pharaoh’s daughter. He is subsequently identified as Moses.

            Nothing appears in the text about Moses’ childhood. As an adult, Moses witnesses a taskmaster beating a Hebrew and slays the taskmaster. Next, he witnesses a fight between two Hebrews. When he intervenes, one Hebrew mentions Moses’ killing of the Egyptian. Fearing disclosure, Moses flees. Moses becomes a shepherd in the camp of Jethro, a Midianite “priest.” He encounters the burning bush and receives his charge to free the Israelites. Moses and his brother Aaron go to Pharaoh and ask that the people be freed to worship God in the desert. They are refused, and the burdens are increased on the slaves, who become angry with Moses for his interference. The parasha ends with God telling Moses, “You now will see what I will do to Pharaoh.”

Ex. 2:1-8 “Now a man of the tribe of Levi married a Levite woman, and she became pregnant and gave birth to a son… when she could hide him no longer, she got a papyrus basket for him and coated it with tar and pitch. Then she placed the child in it and put it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile. His sister stood at a distance to see what would happen to him. Then Pharaoh’s daughter went down to the Nile to bathe… She  saw the basket among the reeds and sent her female slave to get it. She opened it and saw the baby… ‘This is one of the Hebrew babies,’ she said. Then his sister asked Pharaoh’s daughter, ‘Shall I go and get one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you?’ ‘Yes, go,’ she answered. So the girl went and got the baby’s mother… When the child grew older, she took him to Pharaoh’s daughter and he became her son. She named him Moses, saying, ‘I drew him out of the water.’’’

             The intricate detail of Moses’ origin appears in these verses, and yet our text tells us virtually nothing of his life before becoming an adult. Compare and contrast this to the stories of Jacob or Joseph and the disparity is stark. With Moses, much is omitted. What was his relationship to his biological family, and to the Israelites? Was he really a “Prince of Egypt”? The Sages added so much detail in midrash that when we read the actual text, we may be surprised to fail to find some of the most famous rabbinic additions (where is the story about the baby Moses reaching for the coal instead of the gem and burning his mouth?).

            The text reveals a man of compassion, helping a Jewish slave being beaten, breaking up a fight between slaves, helping women water their sheep. He is also a man of passion and anger, traits which will reappear later in our text. 

            Moses is part of the Jewish People, but it is an arms-length relationship. He has a  separate upbringing, he spends decades in the of solitude in the desert, and is alone at the Burning Bush and at Sinai. When he comes down from the mountain, his face is hidden, and at the end, his death is solitary and unaccompanied.

            We can view Moses as a metaphor for the Jewish People, living separately and apart  from other peoples, and yet living within their midst.

            Finally, the lack of detail about Moses’ life is a reminder that while Moses was special, it was the message he brought to us which was important. We honor Moses – certainly! But we do not confuse his person with the message he delivered.