Summary Shemot 5762
Introduction: In last week's sedra, we noted that there were hints of the beginning of the Egyptian oppression against the Israelites. As we open the book of Shemot, we find this oppression becoming more apparent. Another point is the apparent absence of G-d in the lives of the suffering Israelites. They would have been perhaps vaguely aware that G-d had communicated with their forebears, but some 200 years later, the Israelites must have felt completely abandoned.

The sedra begins by recounting Joseph and his brothers, their arrival in Egypt, and subsequent passing from this world. Once they were gone, the prestige that they had enjoyed was also gone, and the Egyptians portrayed them as a large alien nation, a faceless mass.

The Torah informs us that Pharaoh was crafty, firstly stirring suspicion and fear of the Israelites, and then acting upon it in stages: increased taxes, then work, leading to slavery. Then Pharaoh requested the midwives to kill all the Israelites' baby boys. Unfortunately we have seen this pattern repeated many times in our history: delegitimisation of Jews as people, followed by incitement against them and then harsh persecution.

The situation of the Israelites reaches its nadir at the end of Chapter one, with the harsh decree that all their baby boys should be cast in the river. As is often the case, salvation then begins in the least likely of circumstances, the birth of an Israelite baby boy! Some three months after the birth of Moses, his mother hid him in a basket on the River Nile, with sister Miriam keeping watch. Pharaoh's daughter discovered the basket, and even though the baby was an Israelite, she saved his life. Miriam 'found' a nursemaid - Moses' mother - to nurse the baby, and when he was older, he was brought up in Pharaoh's palace.

Moses must have had sufficient contact with his family to have a strong sense of identity with his brethren. On one occasion he saw an Egyptian taskmaster beating an Israelite. Moses saw that there was no-one to help, so he killed the Egyptian, and hid his body in the sand. The following day, he tried to stop a fight between two Israelites, one of whom sneered at him and asked him if he was going to kill him as well. The midrash states that the Israelite in question was Dathan, who was to give Moses much trouble in the future.

On hearing these words, Moses fled Egypt before having to face Egyptian justice, arriving at a well in Midian, where he rescued the seven daughters of Jethro from the taunts of the shepherds at the well. Moses married Zipporah, one of Jethro's daughters and he stayed there for many years.

Meanwhile, the king of Egypt had died, but any hope for an easing of the Israelite's bleak conditions were dashed, and they cried out to G-d. Now was the time when G-d would begin to make His presence felt.

Chapter 3 describes in considerable detail, the scene of the burning bush. G-d asks Moses to leave his job as shepherd for his father-in-law's flock, and take on the far more onerous job of bringing the Israelites out from Egypt. Moses is reluctant to take on this mission for several reasons:

• he doubts his ability to deal with Pharaoh, (verse 11)
  
• he is unsure whether the Israelites will have the will to leave (verse11)
  
• how will he persuade them that G-d had spoken to him? (ver 13 & Chapter 4)
  
• how would he manage with his speech defect? (Chapter 4, verse 10)
  

G-d reassures Moses on all these points: He will be with him when confronting Pharaoh; the Israelites will be persuaded by 3 signs, and will leave when they see the great miracles. Finally, his brother Aaron will be his spokesman.

Moses left with his wife and two sons, having first sought permission from his father-in-law. On the way, G-d threatened to kill him, because he had neglected to circumcise his newborn son. Zipporah understood and quickly circumcised the baby herself. Even the highest communal duty cannot be a reason to delay a time-bound mitzvah!

The Israelites were pleased to receive Moses and his message. But their hopes were quickly dashed when Pharaoh declared that he did not believe in G-d and would not let the Israelites go free. Instead, he increased their burdens. The Israelites then turned on Moses and Aaron, and declared that they wished that they would have left things well alone. The sedra end with Moses turning to G-d, complaining that things had not worked out as promised. G-d urged Moses to show patience. In fact He had said that Pharaoh would not let them go so easily.

Points to Ponder.
Why was Moses chosen for leadership? He lived his entire life away from his brethren, first in Pharaoh's Palace and then in Midian. He was eighty when he returned to Egypt! So what qualified him for leadership?

Our sages point to several factors. The first was his concern for justice in the world, and not just the Israelite world. Three examples illustrate this point:

• The slaying of the Egyptian, which involved an Israelite and an Egyptian;
  
• The interference in a fight between two Israelites;
  
• The saving of the daughters of Jethro from the bullying shepherds, involving two non-Israelite groups.
  

Also, the fact that we see that when Moses tended the flocks, he went Achar Hamidbar - right into the desert. Rashi explains that he wanted to be certain that there was no question of grazing his sheep on land that was privately owned.

• All these are necessary, but not sufficient conditions for a Jewish leader. A Jewish leader has to have spiritual sensitivity. Many could have passed by a burning bush and thought nothing of it. Moshe noticed that a miracle was taking place and stopped. The Midrash Tanchuma says that Moshe took three steps at this point; critical to his history and the history of Am Yisrael - the Jewish People.
  

Shabbat Shalom