PREFACE
We are about to transition from Breishit (Genesis) to Shmot (Exodus) but a review is in order. In Breishit we begin with Creation and it turns out to be a major astronomical and geological success. We then turned to the botanical and zoologic eco systems and things did not go as well. Here we set up an important intersection between the botanical and zoological systems at a local garden facility. But we had some serious problems with some of the fruit, invasive critters, and the long haired creature that cried all the time and was so moody and demanding. And no matter how many “DO NOT WALK ON THE GRASS” signs I put up they just wouldn’t listen. So I decided to evict them from the garden and do a redesign improving the irrigation systems and overall layout.
But this did not help and they continued to raise cane and make lots of problems until I couldn’t take it any longer. So at this point what I did for the big picture was very good but I still had a lots of problem with the small stuff. So I decided to push the master reset button followed by a thorough “Wash and Rinse Cycle” for 40 days which should be enough to clean up the mess. I got a helper Noah to subcontract, build a nice yacht, and invite all the couples for the next stage. Here we would have a smaller control sample and could better monitoring the progress and directing overall sociological construction project.
But this did not help and they continued to raise cane and make lots of problems until I couldn’t take it any longer. So at this point what I did for the big picture was very good but I still had a lots of problem with the small stuff. So I decided to push the master reset button followed by a thorough “Wash and Rinse Cycle” for 40 days which should be enough to clean up the mess. I got a helper Noah to subcontract, build a nice yacht, and invite all the couples for the next stage. Here we would have a smaller control sample and could better monitoring the progress and directing overall sociological construction project.
I picked a specific clan to focus on which showed great promise. We monitored their expansion, mobility, social interactions, along with enormous contributions to linguistic and cultural development. Some of their reasoning and interpretations of complex situations benefited all the people of the region. But good deed are quickly forgotten, people are quick to turn on their benefactors, and socio-economic exploitation can result in horrific injustices and dire consequences.
A NEW PHARAOH, SLAVERY, AND AN ATTACK ON THE MOST VULNERABLE
Pharaoh orders the midwives to kill the Israelite baby boys and they refuse. So thinking that the savage act of murder was too much to ask for Pharaoh lowers the intensity and difficulty of the demand to just tossing the babies in the river and the babies were in de-nile. Having presented a very difficult situation the Torah introduces a couple that have a baby following the anxiety of the situation and hiding the screaming baby for as long as they could. They then follow the thread of the Noah story and build the child a baby arc to save him, float the kid where the daughter of Pharaoh would find him and steal a page out of the Trojan horse playbook. We still don’t know the names of the father, mother, or sister but the plot thickens as Pharaoh’s daughter hires the mother to feed the baby and the sister will watch over him. And Pharaoh can do nothing that would infuriate his daughter. So the stage is set. We will now enter the most important episode with a secret message that will set the stage for the entire rest of the Five Books of Moses.
Exodus 2:11
יא וַיְהִי בַּיָּמִים הָהֵם, וַיִּגְדַּל מֹשֶׁה וַיֵּצֵא אֶל-אֶחָיו, וַיַּרְא, בְּסִבְלֹתָם; וַיַּרְא אִישׁ מִצְרִי, מַכֶּה אִישׁ-עִבְרִי מֵאֶחָיו.
My translation
“And it came to pass in those days. And Moshe (Moses) grew up and he went out to his brothers [literally but really means to his people] And he saw [really means “identified”] with their suffering; And he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew man from his brothers,.” Note that the operational word here with the large letter means “Beating” in the continuous present tense.
Explanation
Moshe had now grown up to the point where he could freely go unescorted anywhere he wanted to go. He also is fully aware that he is a Hebrew from his mother and sister who have been nurturing and caring for him since birth. Next the Scriptures subtley use the word “he saw” twice in two dramatic ways controlled by the preposition. Once was that he identified with the beaten man’s suffer and could not stand by and do nothing. The second time he shifted his focus from the general horror of witnessing the atrocities of slavery inflicted on the people. But personalizing it by focusing on one specific victim being beaten continuously again and again non-stop in the present never ending tense was more than he could bear. And then the Bible closes the verse saying that the man was from his “brothers” to express intense personal connection. But when the Bible uses a word (Brothers) twice in a sentence it wants to stress a very strong point and really bring it home. We now continue to verse 12.
Exodus 11:12
יב וַיִּפֶן כֹּה וָכֹה, וַיַּרְא כִּי אֵין אִישׁ; וַיַּךְ
.אֶת-הַמִּצְרִי, וַיִּטְמְנֵהוּ, בַּחוֹל
My translation
“And he turned here and there and he saw that there was no one [present]; And he struck the Egyptian and he buried him in the sand.
Explanation
This verse is threaded to the previous verse with the continued use of the “And he saw” verb. The Scriptures change from the continuous present tense to the past tense with the large letter as Moshe struck the Egyptian and buried him in the sand. In this form of the original 3 letters in the word struck or “Makheh” in Hebrew only 1 letter, the final khaf, remains. And the other two letter מה meaning “what?” is missing forcing us to dig much deeper to find the missing “what”. We now proceed to the final verse of this sequence – verse 13.
Exodus 11:12
יג וַיֵּצֵא בַּיּוֹם הַשֵּׁנִי, וְהִנֵּה שְׁנֵי-אֲנָשִׁים עִבְרִים נִצִּים; וַיֹּאמֶר, לָרָשָׁע, לָמָּה תַכֶּה, רֵעֶךָ
My translation
And he went out on the following day and there were two Hebrew men quarreling ; and he said to the evil one “Why are you going to strike your friend?”
Explanation
Again when the Bible uses “twice” or two it is trying to make a strong point. So the first lesson is that when you are in the middle of a major existential threat this is not the time for internal strife. You must band together to focus on community welfare and not divisiveness. Next Moshe in his enormously skillfulness takes a complex situation and identifies the instigator and tries to defuse the situation. This reinforces Moshe’s qualifications for his future leadership role. Also note that Moshe is not being associated with the “striking” this time which might have cast a bad light on him. And finally the “will strike” is in the future tense.
SUMMARY
The Scriptures has taken three consecutive verses using the word “strike” in all tenses, continuous present, past, and future. It delicately imbeds a secret message in the first letter of each of the word when put together forms מות or death sending the message that if someone does not break this cycle of death then their entire future existence will revolve around death until someone breaks the cycle. And through his brave actions risking his life to save the Hebrew man Moshe proven that he is worthy above all others to rise to the leadership of the Hebrew people. And the fact that this secret message is built on three consecutive verses delicately threaded together constitute a “3” formation structure meaning this is proven.
SECTION CONCLUSION
Now Moshe is compelled to flee for his life. He goes to Midian where he meets his future wife and father-in-law Yitro (Jethro). From there he goes up the mountain and sees the burning bush, speaks with G-d, and formally receives his appointment to leadership of the Hebrew People directly from G-d with all necessary instructions and his “miracle toolbox” along with warranty and instruction manuals. Next Moshe had to polish his magical skills, presentation, timing, and so forth to get ready for the upcoming Egypt’s Got Talent contest.
THE FALL OF MOSHE FROM LEADERSHIP
In the first part of this episode we learn about Moshe’s rise and appointment to leadership. This occurs in Exodus 2:11. Now we jump to Numbers 20:11 when 20 is 10 times the previous chapter number. Since Moshe’s Rise to Leadership we see his constant love and dedication to the Hebrew People through the entire period of the Exodus, through the 40 years in the wilderness, and more struggles and anxiety than anyone should ever suffer but until now has never faltered. He took the Children of Israel to Revelation at Mt. Sinai (no not the hospital), the Golden Calf, through wars, deprivations, attempted overthrows, wars, and now finally is so close to the Promised Land and the fulfillment of his life’s goals. And we start now at the beginning of Numbers chapter 20.
It is now the anniversary of the Exodus from Egypt and they are in Kadesh a places whose name means “Holy”. And now his older sister Miriam dies. This is the first time in Moshe’s entire life that Miriam is not at his side protecting, guiding, and nurturing him. The grief of the loss of his older sister is unbearable. And at exactly this moment the Israelites find themselves without potable water and descend on Moshe with no mercy. Moshe is in the depths of his dispair and they are yelling and screaming at him. The don’t give him a moment to grieve over his sister, to collect himself, or anything else. And even worse they complain “Why did you bring us to this desolate wildeerness just to murder us?” This on top of all of the emotional trauma is just too much. G-d instructs Moshe to speak to the rock. But for one moment Moshe loses his saintly composure and hits the rock not once but twice. Maybe if he would have just hit it once G-d could look the other way and let it pass. But he hit it twice and the rule of two’s kicks in. This is not just a minor error but a major error and it will cost Moshe the completion of his life’s mission to reach the Promised Land. And he must see his land from a distance. never to set foot in it. And the irony is inescapable that the same word ויך that brought Moshe to the leadership of the Hebrew people now brings him down from their leadership.
CONCLUSION
The enormous contributions from the Exodus through Moshe’s entire life is somewhere between immeasurable to miraculous and hidden is his humility never speaking up or asking for anything in return. But very possibly Moshe’s greatest gift to Hebrews and the world may not even be known of understood. After reading and rereading the Torah countless times I strongly believe that it must have been Moshe that crafted and engineered our Hebrew writing system in essence achieving the greatest revenge against the Egyptians. With the benefit of everything in Pharaoh’s palace while Moshe was growing up he most likely got the absolute best education possible, mastered Hieroglyphics, learned Hebrew from his sister and mother, and was probably the only one who had all the skills and capabilities to craft and engineer the new proto-Canaanite proto-Sinaitic writing system preparing himself for the daunting task of writing the entire Five Books of Moses – a world class and world changing endeavor that extremely few people could even contemplate taking on. And all of this on top of his other duties and responsibilities. No I do not believe that anyone truly appreciates Moshe’s true greatness.
But that really still does not fully measure the trials and tribulations that Moshe endured. First of all there was Korach, Datan, and Aviram challenging Moshe’s leadership. It isn’t fair that Moseh and Aaron get the entire leadership and priesthood. But who said that leadership and priesthood must be fair?. Did they risk their lives like Moshe did. Did G-d speak to them and perform miracles and everything else that Moshe and Aaron did. So who are they to tell G-d how to be G-d and whom to choose for his leadership. And this was only the beginning. There were constant complaining spitting in Moshe’s face “Why did you take us out of Egypt and all the luxuries and glorious life we had there only to die in the desert?” Also imagine the frustration of going up Mt. Sinai, receiving the Ten Commandments and then goes down to find everyone celebrating the Golden Calf. It never ended.
LEADERSHIP IS HELD TO A HIGHER STANDARD
But that really still does not fully measure the trials and tribulations that Moshe endured. First of all there was Korach, Datan, and Aviram challenging Moshe’s leadership. It isn’t fair that Moseh and Aaron get the entire leadership and priesthood. But who said that leadership and priesthood must be fair?. Did they risk their lives like Moshe did. Did G-d speak to them and perform miracles and everything else that Moshe and Aaron did. So who are they to tell G-d how to be G-d and whom to choose for his leadership. And this was only the beginning. There were constant complaining spitting in Moshe’s face “Why did you take us out of Egypt and all the luxuries and glorious life we had there only to die in the desert?” Also imagine the frustration of going up Mt. Sinai, receiving the Ten Commandments and then goes down to find everyone celebrating the Golden Calf. It never ended.
LEADERSHIP IS HELD TO A HIGHER STANDARD
When Moshe killed the Egyptian he was a normal person who rose to the occasion. But once he rose to leadership the standards changed. When crossing the lands of other nations Moshe and the Israelites asked permission and offered to pay for anything they took and used on the way. And the Torah teaches us that a leader must always try the road of peace first. And only after that fails are they entitled to choose the path of war and even then must conduct themselves at the highest standards unlike those who attacked the weakest people from the rear.
But the most frustrating thing for me is the demands of leadership and not giving a break when Moshe reached his abyss as Miriam, his beloved sister, who was always there to look over and protect him his entire life passes away and Moshe is not allowed some compassion and compassion neither from the Children and Israel and more sadly not from G-d served both the Children of Israel and G-d faithfully only to die in anguish with the loss of his sister and despair at not realizing his dreams and reaching the Promised Land only able to see it from afar. So in my opinion we must honor and respect Moshe to the fullest measure possible along with everything he did for all of us.
