This week we learn about the birth of the most important biblical character Moses. His traditional title is Moshe Rabbeinu which means “Moses our Teacher” and every detail of his life recorded in the Torah is relevant to us all, everywhere and in all times.
The circumstances of his birth were remarkable. His father Amram was the Israelite leader in Egypt and was so revered by his millions of brethren that they followed his example and instructions unquestioningly. When Pharaoh decreed every Jewish newborn boy be killed and Amram divorced his wife to stop having children, every Jew in Egypt followed his lead. When he remarried his wife because his daughter Miriam admonished him and prophetically foretold the birth of the redeemer, every Jew remarried as well and Moshe was born soon afterward.
Although he was named by his parents at birth, he got his famous name Moshe three months later. When his parents were forced to set him sailing in a basket in the Nile River to protect him from Pharaoh’s vile henchmen, Batya, the Egyptian princess noticed the basket as she bathed in the Nile, rescued the vulnerable baby and called him Moshe. In a fascinating turn of events, Moshe was returned to his family until he was finished nursing. His mother delayed weaning him as much as possible and, according to some accounts, Moshe was closer to seven or eight years old when he was adopted by his benefactor Batya. By then the brilliant child was already trained in the intricacies of Torah study, capable of delving into the depths of Monotheism on his own, and was never distracted by the hedonistic lifestyle of Egyptian royalty. When he reached maturity he was given the royal mandate to run matters of state. On his first day on the job he intentionally visited the work sites where his brethren were enslaved in the most inhumane fashion to see how they were doing. He noticed an Egyptian taskmaster mercilessly beating a Jewish slave to an inch of his life, killed the vile man, and buried him in the sand. This heroic act almost cost Moshe his life and through a series of miracles, he narrowly escaped the executioner's sword and fled from Egypt only to return as G-d’s messenger approximately sixty years later. The Israelite slave Moshe saved from the taskmaster’s whip was from the “Jewish riffraff” and the entire altercation was the result of immoral behavior in the family. Nevertheless, even though Moshe had until then lived a sheltered life of spiritual and material bliss when the opportunity to help his fellow Jews presented itself, he risked his life even for one who had the worst reputation. This is the profile of a true Jewish leader and a lesson to all. Notwithstanding one’s personal spiritual achievements or social status, when moral darkness or ethical corruption threatens even the most vulnerable Jew, we must be ready to risk it all to protect and preserve their connection to Judaism.