by Rabbi Jeffrey H. Miller
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here are that of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of the Union for Traditional Judaism, unless otherwise indicated.
The Torah tells us nothing at all about Moshe’s formative years growing up in Pharaoh’s palace. Our first genuine encounter with Moshe occurs when he is already an adult (Shemot 2:11-12):
Now it came to pass in those days that Moses grew up and went out to his brothers and looked at their burdens, and he saw an Egyptian man striking a Hebrew man of his brothers… He turned this way and that way, and he saw that there was no man; so he struck the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.
RASHI, citing a midrashic story from Shemot Rabbah, informs us that in turning “this way and that way”, Moshe was not just looking around for witnesses but also searching the future genealogy of Egyptian taskmaster to see whether he would have any worthy offspring. Having concluded that nothing worthwhile would ever issue forth from this man, Moshe quickly dispatched him to his Maker.
I suggest that there are two aspects of this midrash that deserve our attention. Firstly, we lack Moshe’s ability to turn “this way and that way”, to see into the future and to determine the consequences of our actions many generations later. As a result, we tend to judge people and situations in the moment only. Whether in politics or personal relationships, it behooves us to look as deeply as we can and to search as fully as our limits permit before condemning others. After all, many are they whose forebears were less than righteous.
Secondly, while he exhibited great courage in protecting a single Hebrew by felling the taskmaster, Moshe also abandoned his people immediately afterwards as he sought asylum in Midian. It took Moshe another forty years to see the burning bush and to finally accept the charge to return to Egypt to challenge Pharaoh. If indeed, as the midrash suggests, Moshe had a prophetic vision so early on, then his decision to flee to Midian must be seen as a forty-year refusal to accept his mission.
Perhaps Moshe’s punishment for turning his back on his people was that he had to spend the final forty years of his life shepherding an often ungrateful nation through difficult terrain. And perhaps Moshe’s reward for finally rising to the occasion – albeit reluctantly and belatedly – was to spend the final forty years of his life teaching God’s Torah to God’s people.
Shabbat Shalom!
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Rabbi Jeffrey H. Miller earned a Master’s degree in Jewish History and S'micha (rabbinical ordination) from Yeshiva University in 1988. He then served as the rabbi of Congregation Sons of Israel (Manalapan, NJ; 1988-1991) and Marathon Jewish Center (Douglaston, NY; 1991-1998). In 1998, Rabbi Miller graduated from St. John’s University School of Law and began practicing law full time. Rabbi Miller has served as a legal advisor to the Union for Traditional Judaism and its rabbinical arm, Morasha. He has lectured on a wide array of topics concerning the intersection of secular law and the rabbinate. In February 2017, Jeffrey was accepted to serve on the American Arbitrtaion Association’s panel of commercial arbitrators. Rabbi Miller has been married to Enid (they met as counselors on USY Wheels) since 1985, and they are the proud parents of Rabbi Avi (and Sarah) Miller, and grandparents of Samson, Avika and Rafi.
For more information about Rabbi Miller, including links to some of his published articles, visit him at his website at www.millerlawofficespllc.com.