Moshe’s Conundrum | Rabbi Neil Winkler

and I was left out last week and I may have to go back a little bit to remind you so we're talking about this whole concept of uh Miriam giving the britne LA who would did God really want to kill and why it had what was so on and so forth um and I left off I think if I didn't leave off exactly at this point but um I did begin but I'll start with it anyway it's a good and that is if you recall I told you that when God Appears to Moshe okay to tell him at the burning bush that he has a mission for for Moshe Moshe I want you to take your people Ben Israel I want you to take the people of Israel out of Egypt that's what he says to now a little before that when um we told that God sort of realized the the depth I hate to say that it's because God always knew it you know but it's mention that he understood what's happening with Israel and it realized what it is so it says there it says that clearly God had seen oh should be giv this sorry um you find it will be as soon as I give out these sheets that um um yeah on in the fourth Source on the fourth Source good to see um here okay right you have this still no good goodbye okay yes all right can't sleep now um so there it says that before mosha comes into the to play at all in the Torah the death of the first pharaoh of parro happens giving a little bit of time for the the slaves to take a breath um it's clear obviously when a new Tyrant comes up until he gets to he gets uh in place till he finds his own uh uh assistance if you want to call that there's a little bit of time for the slaves and they had time that's exactly what it says that they were they sawed and they were able to breathe a little bit from all of the uh labors they had been doing and there it says on the fourth in the fourth um source as I had there uh that uh after many years had passed and the Pharaoh had died king of Israel B Israel moaned from the bondage they saw it over their heavy their work and they cried and their cry went up to Hashem Hashem heard their groaning and remembered his Covenant with Abraham Y and yob he saw the people of Israel and he took cognizance of them which is a nice way of saying you know he plans what he's going to do nice um it is that second verse there actually it's verse kdal 24 that are the most crucial part of what I want to tell you there here you see God has two basic reasons why he's going to help Israel Hashem heard their groaning he saw their pain he saw their difficulties he saw the for terrible situation they were in and anybody who SE God who sees people suffering is going to save that doesn't matter who they are right number two you remembered the Covenant with Abraham yes and yob so as I pointed out last week this is exactly the two reasons God has why he's going to save Israel one because they are victims and they need to be saved they are suffering uh needlessly too much and two because after all I promised Abraham yob I said it in I repeated to the after to that they would be taken out so I have to respond to them okay um God's God's natural Mercy on people and his breit of vote is what we call it the Covenant he made with our forefathers um and when speaking to Moshe when he finally says to Moshe I'm G to take you I need you to take you out of Egypt you'll see as I get to it he never mentions Abraham is and yob he never said says that second reason I you know I made a I made a deal with AB is and yob you know that's a great great great great grandfather let's go back you know mosha was a son of amam who was the son of Kat who was the son of Ley who was the son of yakob you know so those generations and you I made a promise to Yo over and uh and therefore he doesn't say that it seems in the beginning the first time we've seen see and he mentioned of the Brit of Abra andov is not gim but in the beginning of it say there it says um you know I was that myself I revealed myself to abov and and um I I'm giving you and I gave them a covenant a promise uh uh that I'm going to give him ER is okay um that I'm going to give him ER Isel I'm sorry okay that's what he says there but he says that in per you in per V in the sixth chapter not the third one when he's talking to Moshe the idea of cor at B and after he say I made a covenant to Abraham and Y and yob he ends that phrase with and I remember that Covenant meaning I'm going to now act upon that so that's way after he speaks to Moshe but Moshe is not told that in fact as I've pointed out before but I shall repeat when Moshe is born we don't know his name right it says there Ted ban and that woman meaning the um sorry the wife of um the levite whose names are not mentioned either the father or mother she g g she was pregnant and gave birth a state that's what it says there and it doesn't say what his name is he know he's not given the name and I've pointed out to you when the sons of yov are born you look in v and it says whoever was born whenever that person was born the mother called the name of or the father called the name right after the birth and they called him this it's almost all that way he was Y mosha and he was born yeah I guess for a couple of we it was called it was called the kid you know he had no name you know how it is how's the baby well call him the name yeah I guess he's the baby he was a baby for a long time he had no name Twi seene and um that that fact the fact that he was given a name was given not at his birth but when when was he given his name when we read that he had his name okay very good when the the prin the Egyptian princess as it's called is takes him out of the water on the sides of the I should say the reads on the side of the river and that's what he's called Moshe because again um you know because he was taken out of the water now who calls him that clearly as we would sayot that of course was her because she's the one who took him out of the water okay but um there are different opinions uh um did I bring it down here no okay uh I think I did when we discuss when we discussed his uh no maybe not I don't know but anyway I guess when discussed his birth or anything you see there I I told you that the the barel uh who says that uh it's either from the Hebrew as it says in the Torah M who I draw I drew him out of the water or that actually it was primarily an Egyptian name which was herraiz uh you know it's like listen to the news today where you'll find all the beautiful Hebrew words that something to be the you know like uh cabinet know primaries all these wonderful Hebrew words you never knew they were Hebrew right they were anglicized into Hebrew Hebrew so and I told you the others I'm not going to go back um but so who was it uh because did you know Hebrew how you know the same was she Hebrew speaking but she went to P somehow there's a princess of Egypt she know so say well she had people around her and maybe had told her this is Hebrew or maybe it was Egyptian and she we the Torah hebra azed it that happens very very I say commonly but most people don't know for example in the midbar when you had the story of B the whole story of bam and bak and so on and so forth they actually have found oh the 20 40 or 50 years ago uh archaeologists found the book of balam Bal that's why in English they call it balam bam and it was written there and in in moabite or viite they had this story in different ways and it's given in uh Hebrew in the Torah what exactly was said back and forth now I don't know I've never read it it but how clear how close it is to the torah's story I I'm sure they don't use the word of Hashem uh when they talk about God they they use their god um but so this happens the Torah was written in Hebrew oh yeah so therefore it is in Hebrew although the language could have been at the time when were talking to foreign nations in different na that's okay that's okay um so that that's that's not uncommon so therefore they said but nonetheless as I pointed out last time also not last time but before that it does say and this young child that she took out of the water became like a ban a son to her much as it says by his the the mother the biological mother where it says she gave birth to the fact that both called this child Ben our son clear something but all of this just is an introduction and this is really I think the the essence of what y gr was trying to make a point when we read this and that is underscoring the this whole thing is moshe's struggle Who Am I who am I who will I become my Israelite like my mother biological mother taught me am I Egyptian like my uh stepmother had T me let's see I don't know L who my mother is but what what language did he speak did he speak Hebrew did he speak Egyptian probably both if he's like most of the um children born here from American parents and born born in Israel uh I go to school they know Hebrew perfectly and uh I taught children like that in school when I was a teacher in elementary school and I was amazed at these kids who were really quite I would say um fluent in English couldn't read a thing in English couldn't spell couldn't read they knew the language but they didn't know about it parents were fully you know American or or British or Australian they were anglos but the children may have known the the the speech but it didn't necessarily know English as something they could read so so this is really what happens hope WR um so this what happens so who is Moshe Moshe I imagine you know so yeah the parents gave you sustenance so MOS was with his biological mother for a couple of months then she put him in the water and then so most of his life he was raised by non-jews yeah fortunately he didn't get the Torah about until later on um what do they say is it I forget the the phrase that Ed English is it um the the local what what's the most impactful thing on Growing Up is it the parents or is it is it the um what's around you Society that's it nurture nature or nurture yeah that's right so the question by the way is not only mosenu somebody who has you know Shalom who mother passes on I mean nowadays these terrible things are happening and now they're taken in by step so they have the the the obligation of if they're not biological parents you know right it's not a big question we know what the we know what Pak is but it's not the Arisa yes okay that's exactly a very good thing um that the med has it they they take it from I believe it is in um and and it's based upon where it says V the mother when he was born he was good they said ah to is his name because you know what rabis were asking the same question but that's how smart they were they knew what you were going to ask um that and that's exactly right why she named him something now can we assume she did name him Tor didn't think it's important enough the important thing is that mosa which by the way as I've mentioned is a tremendous um bowing to to B Paro who had done this remarkable thing um but either way that that's a good question did she and where and I keep on asking you here someplace where's Daddy you read nothing about the father at all I told you story of of Moshe is the story of women and impact so no I wasn't there but I don't know um I I would imagine therefore not that he wasn't the Torah didn't find it crucial to include that but the fact that they did find it crucial story of bat Paro and of aim Moshe that that says a lot too so at any rate um we wonder if he's wondering that who are you MOS see what should I do so in the beginning of the story of Moshe we think the thing we got it ah we got the answer why it says by Moshe first thing that says he grew up Ma Yeah by Mitzvah I'm sure they had some chopped liver I'm not he grew up next words and he went out to his Brethren ah Twi seem that to Moshe Lord of his Brethren he saw himself as an Israelite see says didn't say didn't say he went out to see slaves or he went out to see somebody else or even to who went out to see Israelites it says his Brethren which would seem fairly strongly to indicate that indeed he saw himself as an Israelite good so what happened why am I saying what happened after he went out to the Israelites and saved the Israelites from being killed by the beating um Egyptian what the second day and the very second day it says he goes out and much does he SE that second day anyen remember two Jews who are arguing almost hitting each other and he says why why you PL but he hit anothera your friend another Jew and what was the response huh are you going to kill us like you killed the Egyptians very good yeah who may you judge who do you think you are big shot you know Baron Trump just because you have a father who was a fair you think you can do this stuff that's exactly when he I would argue Moses says uh oh yeah I thought these were my brethren and wait right after that says now it's already been spread that I killed the Egyptian well who spread it the Israelites are there and he looked around for he saw no one and here's this Israelites saying ah you killed him yesterday so who who told him who who tattletail who was The Whistleblower oh I'm so happy I'm in the 21st century who is it an Israelite so now maybe he's not an Israelite maybe he's better off being an Egyptian okay what happens after that next verse he hears that the Pharaoh daddy wants to kill him he's now rejected by the Egyptians he has to run away from them he's rejected by the Israelites he's rejected by the Egyptians now and he runs away to spend the rest of his life where where where where where where did he go midan maybe I'm a Mion right now he's going to end up being a fluorescent light everything is a got an Israelite the Mion night he's and and that's where he grows up to we discussed how he's impacted by midan too he he's impacted by that that is the Moshe that's going to meet God at this Burning Bush beyond that he's living in midia now rejected by Egyptians rejected by his Brethren Israelites living pretty nicely if you're like she you know in in Mion is a shepherd He has a child with seor so Tippi and he have a have a first son what does he name him you know why he's called the I am a stranger a foreigner in a foreign land I was what are you talking about Mo wasn't oh uh Tora yeah yeah as far as I know je name makes Son Well the question is is Tora Jewish name or because she was called seora we made it a Jewish name yeah but the Torah wasn't given so good of course exactly exactly think about we talk about I'll talk about think about but every one of yo Sons you know P bako girls come on they were living on and didn't didn't y say go and get a wife from my family from my from you know family were they Jewish Lan Whitey he wasn't a Jew so we're talking about the ancient world it's a different thing come on uh real huh I mean if I that Jew so it's Yuda son of course Jud Judah hence the name Jews right no but you're asking me who was the first Jew uh it's not Jew was only given on later on in history when the judeans who you know actually so they when they I should say the northern kingdom of of Samaria they were exiled and therefore the I should say remaining here here as the remnant of the Israelite tribe was just really primarily I should say Judea and therefore they were regarded by The Outsiders as Jews as judeans actually which became Jews later on Ro Roman times so I I don't know the first guy I haven't met him I really want do we have the first person who was called Jew I'm sure I'm sure the first anti-semite called her Jew yeah well that's how they're called fair that you're part of the abrahamic tribe that's why even when you get a br as a Jew from the it's yeah wasn't Abraham's well see you're calling you're calling the term you're calling the term I I know but you're calling the term Jew and I'm telling you it's not a good term to use therefore I use the term in those days Israelite which means the same thing from the word Israel yako so yes these people were abramites for two for two or three generations then they became Israelites because when they became a nation rather than just a family they were known as Israelites Hebrews fine why because it's Abraham his last nameb what I means we have different discussions about it in thear otherwise whether because he's from AAR from the other side or because of one of the forefathers one of the preceding was name was a Shem a also could be from that thing whatever but he was a Shem and anyway um so there here we have him and call him GE I'm I'm a foreigner in a foreign land this is a a quotation you might very well know from fer on the roof it was using F roof yeah I am a I am an a foreigner in a foreign land so who's the foreign land living was it was it so do he regard midan as the foreign land that would be the most logical one because that's where the kid was born or was it referring to I was a foreigner in a foreign land which is Egypt but if he saw himself as a foreigner in Egypt that means he regarded himself as what an Israelite because otherwise I'm been F yeah yeah again these are big question marks poor Mo mosha I told you last time you have to really appreciate mha it wasn't just I'm perfect so therefore I'll can do all of this he was struggling strugg with well who am I he was not some Thou shalt be a Jew T God doesn't do that and because he is struggling because he's not sure am I Israelite or anything what do you think let me just go back I no no no no no no no I I stopped to breathe not to let you know what you think have to think back that if the other thing that he was a foreigner in midan not in Egypt which is the most obvious thing far enough from where where should he be if he says well midan is really not my my my place what is his place that's right Egypt maybe he was thinking himself as an Egyptian that's why these are so remarkable things that we're struggling with and that he struggled with all right and if you understand that you understand the Fairly wellknown [Music] um kazal it's actually found in Z RAB M Raba as to why that's Source number five that said when he died where was mosha um buried anyone know right but not in is very good correct mosha um yoseph died where was he buried and he died way before Moshe where was Mo was yoseph buried yes first in Egypt where was his final La resting place no yeah care your no ysep wasn't there mob may have been there ysep was not ysep was buried in his own po that was given to his son in that's why when you have people getting bombed I don't know years and years ago great Rabbi who was there there was K they had a little a little Co over there and they having that's one of the places where we sure that was the K that was we don't really know where Ra was we we believe we have it but we don't know for sure y we know for sure abob we know for sure not exactly where perhaps but we know basically where it is we're not sure no h as long as you were putting it Wen putting it there don't worry look look at the place and take it that way there is a tradition it's there God knows mosha um what's his name Moses montaur you know felt it was there that's why he built the k thing but if we have trouble enough to read in Al when um sh know looking for his donkeys around here there's plenty of donkeys to find anyway um he was looking for his L Los his father's lost donkeys and he goes to Shmo and that's when Schmo tells him guess what some good news and some bad news you're going to be a king that's both um and um he said I'll give you the sign one of the signs is you're gonna go back to home you're gonna pass by umat ra yeah bamin bamin is north of Yehuda where is K ra south of it's north of south of I said no he says that we have now is in Yehuda south of so now we know the right place no we don't know because is K ra ra or was it no was it ra it could it could be ra Schwarz Bakery and she died there we don't know so near the bakery it the point is we don't know what means that you know archist and other D debate that my point is there are many places a lot of these places that tell oh this is K so and so K so and so don't know that you think RAB AKA is RAB a that was done by the great because of this great Mystic the arizal who went around and he said this is where it is and because the AR says you don't mess around with the AR he says it the assumption is we accept it but we really don't know historically archaeologically that that is where it is in fact just to it's important for me to confuse you more um they have I something I told you this once I was up in um inaria so you have the r bom's grave there that we know because they took it out of M put it there um and I have AA and then down down from the there K ra and I saw this I said give me a break and a third K Rael to my friend who is he loves it he good one this is Kev ra Rael the wife of but it says ra so you know it is anyway so there theab as I said there says that Moshe argued with God he said Hashem yose's remains will enter the land they'll be he'll be buried in the Holy Land I will not I wasn't good enough how come I'm not so God answered him God answered your own mouth did it for you you see when he came to sorry have step when yoseph um was uh in jail and everything he was known as Nar I uh the um the attendant to the king Pharaoh when he had to tell him that oh I had a young man who was who was imprisoned with me he was a he was a a Hebrew and he was known to be a Hebrew you know that when he was that was Yosef he was a Hebrew uh he even says he when Moshe is now accosted and meets the daughters ofro and yro asked the father well how come you came back so early well no traffic jam I you came back back so early from the well said yeah because we were help a foreigner helped us who was it he said is MIT an Egyptian helped us oh say you define yourself or others Define you as an Egyptian but yoseph defined himself as a Hebrew he'll go to Isel you will not but you begin what what do I say this because when I'm telling you that Moshe was struggling with his very identity and kazal whether directly or indirectly or in fact saying yes that's true why was he known as an Egyptian oh he was clo that way whatever you know why didn't why wouldn't he if he's in midan he's in midan he's in he's in midan why should he say he's he's a Hebrew so what they don't care in jail that's your y said that he was a Hebrew Moshe ask him when you see him because how many Hebrews were there we're not talking about a nation I'm B Israel that they were a nation is not told us until the book of schot opens up at the time he was part of a clan they he was known to be a group known as the I and okay I'm sorry you this the point the point is that whereas perhaps you be in trouble perhaps not Yos said I'm an Moshe who seem to have been a part never say that I'm an IR or I'm an Israelite he said mitria because he's afraid of being killed why would Moshe living in midan afraid of being wasn't afraid of chasing away all the medite things he didn't yeah and and maybe there was a a something Scott yeah you're making up things just because you want to try to figure out the simple shot that's what we do here he did whether he said it or whether he was recognized he is an Egyptian yph was known he's a Hebrew could be but they know him he's the HEB the Jew he's the Jew boy you know and and mosha was not known as that and that's what I'm saying here that's the struggle he has he himself doesn't know what he is and you didn't know you're an Israelite or you didn't feel like you wanted to let people know that Egypt you know he walked Like An Egyptian you what's so I I take myself back years not that I even knew what it was but anyway um so that one so that's it and given all of this background of mosha consider this it was born to an Israelite brought up by an Egyptian rejected by the Israelites pursued by the king of Egypt of Egypt and therefore by Egyptians taken in and marrying into the milites who am I and now finally this is only to give you a reasoning when God meets Moshe at the burning bush he doesn't tell him I am the god of your father Abraham is and yob because mosha didn't really care about being may not have been care we don't know so what if I'm an Egyptian I'm a midi God understood the problem that he has Moshe and therefore he will not give that as an argument what argument does he use to let a convinced Moshe trying to convince Moshe to take B Israel out of Egypt not because they're B Isel not because they're your brethren your aim that's not what he gives him what's the one he gives one of the two um reasons he had what was that one of two death suffering why does they say why is that for moso a powerful thing to convince him exactly the whole stories that we read about Moshe before this whether is saving the Israelite whether it is trying to make peace with the Israelites whether to save the milites whatever it is that's who he is it's a nice guy he is someone who is caring about victims caring about those who are suffering said God that's a good thing to tell him Co when you see donkey needs help help I don't know which was his donkey but either way uh you being nice to donkeys yeah said's Ben in Hebrew and in Aramaic or whatever moabit it was bar barar now that's what now and just as yes it says there that Moshe had the first day goes out of his to his that's the strong thing you see his brothers and it says that he saw them suffering it was the suffering that makes Moshe respond not the familiar familial connection a powerful thing no understand Moshe and where he is at the time that's I I get moved with get emotional I get emotional about everything but look at this do you understand the greatness of this man he struggled yeah great people struggle it's such a terrible I think it's a wrong thing to present this coloring book um uh uh depiction of this great man who was always great you know know people who were born um um as as a God is not part of our religion period we believe in human beings being able to actually lift themselves up and to go through struggles not to say well you're God that's okay there are people who were born with definite missions God has for them whether it's or it says God said you say before I even made you I made you a Nai I'm gonna have you na'vi whether it's be yaho you know but yes he has some designated not everybody uh made it we only know the ones who made it do we know how many people that God had missions for or had them but they didn't carry it out or didn't didn't uh were not capable of doing what they did then it's not concluded in the T because the guys who who failed that test wouldn't be included we have the ones that are included so understand that these human beings who yes therefore they therefore have struggles it isn't that well because you were chosen by God no sweats you're doing everything you want you do you're fine and M a tough yo had an easy life come on the terrible so what I'm gonna say um he wasn't chosen by God God chose him to have a tough time yeah so of the Jewish Nation yeah yeah yes I'm not saying not it's a human thing and and when we see Heroes they aren't Heroes because they were perfect from the beginning they were Heroes because they overcame overcame their imperfections that's nice should remember that but I probably won't uh they they really they overcame their good news gravity is still working what's worse is that for some reason I didn't put down the p no pagination as we would say so if you find me and going to the first page now or the last page you'll know that's because not good all right so remind me when I get home I gotta redo this in my computer and put pages on it okay good good that's WR good good good all right um all right fine so there is by the way in case you forgot I'm still talking about the bris this this I promise this will uh eventually talk answer this okay no no no no I'm not finished yet what you running out already on me what time is it I got five minutes I got five no I I said it's falling down because this thing here I said if I put like this it won't fall down so that is it that is mosha now struggling and God chooses not to tell him please go and help your brethren he doesn't mention that he said go because they're suffering and you you're a man who wants to help people who are suffering um and then as I told you we find in the sixth peric per the beginning of that God tells them all about the Brit that he made with them and I remember the Brit so the question is all right I went from peric gimble to peric do peric and per what happened in between if he is struggling in peric gimble why peric was God able to tell him that you are I had a promise with abov your forefathers why two things happened and the two happenings happen to tie into one word by You Me God tells Moshe to go and Moshe reluctantly as we see really accept I don't know how to say accept the mission but has to go on the mission and he says he says go you go to your brother Aaron okay and indeed he does that and when he goes to Aaron it says they had they they had they met at Elohim the same burning bush means I'm here and he kissed him Moshe reunites with his brother wonder how long that was the first time we read of Aaron in in the Torah we didn't even know he had a brother we knew he had a sister who took him out right doesn't mention Aaron but when at the burning at the burning bush God tells him trying to convince him you will go and you will meet with your brother Aron and he'll be very happy to see you so he does go and he meets him he meet him he met up with him and huh what's that that should be in I believe so yes it's on the here H it's on the h no it is not I ran out of ink no I don't I just put it down there um I believe it is imper it is no that's actually that's not exactly what I'm talking about but that Pro no it proves that it is imp after these it's um he does meet so it isn't par doll I believe unless it's in hey I believe it's at the end of peric do towards the end it says God said when you go there he said what did they do they put invitation know obviously had connected to Aram whether in a dream or whatever and they did meet at and again that's another point that harim was known in the ancient world even before har before that it was a very special last week he mentioned that one of the reasons mosha didn't want to take his job was because he didn't want to embarrass his brother very good don't blame me that's what kazal said that's why God had a that very good 100% that's exactly correct that's exactly because I'll say why he said why did he say this and that's how they came up with the idea that because Moshe felt very bad about it okay so anyway that's number one and I'm Gonna Leave You Now with number two I have 30 seconds but I'll speak fast like I always do [Music] um maybe a little more than 30 seconds that's where mosha realizes I am part of a family I'm part of the Israelite Nation this is my brother he's a la Maly that I mean how long did he not see him maybe I don't know you know it's a good question was he going back and forth that he sneak in did Aron other times meet him at harim which was not part of his Tri I don't know we don't know this but that meeting with ar and him but there was another meeting that actually was right before that that made him realize you are an Israelite and that's what we started with God met up Moshe he wanted to kill him because he had no Brit that's the second one that he said I guess I am an Israel I'll go through with that next time about that Turn Around from emo the Brit why that was so significant for for em Mo um and that becomes the realization that I guess I'm a Jew M we're going to next time I'm sorry he won't be here I hope to be able to do it [Music] okay no as we said before all of had