Zionist Organization of America, Michigan Region and

Torah Portion

As 'Exodus' Begins, Moses Grows
And Realizes The Suffering Of Others

up in a more fundamental, spiritual way.
He had matured emotionally to the
point when he could see the suffering of
his fellow Israelites, and in a life-defining
moment, Moses chose to link his fate
with theirs.
It is only after Moses had grown in
self-awareness that the biblical text finds
his actions noteworthy. Three incidents
f his week's Torah portion
shed light on Moses' character at this
begins the Book of Exodus and point in his life. First, Moses risked his
the story of our ancestors'
own life to defend an Israelite being
delivery from slavery.
beaten by an Egyptian taskmaster. In the
We are introduced to Moses, our
second incident, Moses interceded in a
greatest prophet, and the wondrous tale
quarrel between two Jews. Finally, Moses
of his birth and survival amid
stepped in to save the daugh-
the reeds of the Nile. We all
ters of the Midianite priest
know the story of how his
from local shepherds who
mother hid him from the
prevented them from water-
Egyptians and placed him in a
ing their flock.
basket to float down the river.
According to biblical schol-
As his sister Miriam observed
ar Nehama Leibowitz, each
from afar, Pharaoh's daughter
occasion represents an arche-
found the infant and decided
typal situation in which
to raise the Hebrew child as
Moses intervened to champi-
her own. Miriam arranged for
RABBI MARLA on the cause of the just. In
a Hebrew wet-nurse; and, of
each case,. Jew vs. non-Jew,
J. FEL DMAN
course, it was their mother
Jew
vs. Jew, and non Jew vs.
Spie act to
who nurtured her own son.
non-Jew, Moses took a risk,
the Det roit News
The biblical text tells us lit-
aligned himself with the vul-
tle about Moses's childhood,
nerable party and courageous-
leaving it to our imagination to fill in
ly interceded. These stories provide
the gaps. We know only this: "When
insight into the character of the adult
the child grew up (vayigdal), [his moth-
Moses had become and foreshadow his
er] brought him to Pharaoh's daughter,
future actions as our greatest prophet.
who made him her son. She named him
Yet, even at this point in his life,
Moses ... Some time after that, when
Moses had not stopped growing. The
Moses had grown up (vayigdal), he went
prophet Moses continued to struggle
out to his brethren and witnessed their
with the demands of leadership; he con-
toil ... " (Exodus 2: 1 0- 1 1)
tinued to learn and grow throughout his
It is interesting to note that the same
120 years.
Hebrew word, vayigdal, is repeated in
Vayigdal, and Moses grew up. He
these two verses to indicate that Moses
had grown into a man who could see
had grown. This repetition begs the
the suffering of others and took on their
question, why are we told twice that
burdens as his own. It is this Moses who
Moses had grown up?
found God in the burning bush and led
The logical explanation is that the
our ancestors into freedom. H
word vayigdal has more than one
nuance.
In the first instance, "when the child
grew up" referred to the time when
Moses was weaned and old enough to
If there are different types of
return to Pharaoh's daughter. In the sec-
"growing up" — physically, men-
ond verse, "when Moses had grown up"
tally, spiritually, emotionally — is
referred to a more mature Moses who
there ever a point at which we are
had grown into adulthood.
all grown up, or are we always
Alternatively, the repetition in the
growing in different ways? Have
text may offer a richer lesson about what
there been life-defining moments
it means to grow up. First, the child was
in your life when you came to a
weaned by his mother and raised by
certain awareness that marked a
Pharaoh's daughter, in the classic sense
turning point in your life? How
of growing up. Later, Moses had grown
are we to emulate Moses, who
defended the weak and the vulner-
able even in situations that did not
Marla J. Feldman is the assistant direc-
directly involve him?
tor of the Jewish Community Council of
Metropolitan Detroit and executive direc-
tor of the Michigan Board of Rabbis.

Shabbat Shemot:
Exodus 1:1-6:1;
Isaiah 27:6-28:13;
29:22-23.

I

Jewish Community Center of Metropolitan Detroit
present

Professor Natan Aviezer

Chairman, Department of Physics, Bar Han University

"Torah, Science and Politics"

Tuesday, January 30, 2001 • 7:30 p.m.

Jewish Community Center • D. Dan & Betty Kahn Building
Eugene & Marcia Applebaum Jewish Community Campus
6600 West Maple Road • West Bloomfield

Dr. Aviezer also will discuss the current Israeli/Arab conflict.
An open Discussion will follow.

For more information, call the ZOA Michigan Region, (248) 569-1515.

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