Why Moshe? (Part 1) By Rabbi Shai Finkelstein

okay hello everyone so uh this Sho is dedicated sponsored by the family of mavid by his da and son-in-laws okay so we start a new uh a new subject just few weeks before PES so it's about time to study a little bit about someone who is not mentioned in the but mentioned a lot in the T okay so we will need to try to understand a little bit what are the reasons at Le according to the m most what are the reasons for Moses chos why was he Chosen and what can we learn about it for obviously about leadership so take a look at the first first M the First Mid says the following says the mean every time you see in the so you know that he was born ready Born Ready it says regarding and he was really what to be like God Ian not God God but to be someone very spiritual the serpent was so he was worthy was ready for what for Calamity he was ready to bring calamity he was was ready to bring to bring Redemption to his generation also with it says so he was what he was ready he was born to bring to the world to sustain the world was was ready to what to bring Salvation so the world might be interpreted in different ways worthy worthy yeah you should be worthy or basically when he was born he was already ready for it or that he had some kind of what we call some kind of an inclination or Tendencies to do it so according to this mid it's not only about Moshe it's about others as well but the idea is that M was chosen already from what from Earth and we know world the major debate about leadership it's just about you know successful people is nurture versus nature okay so that begins with the mid in was Moshe already ready for leadership or that he had to what to work hard to work a little in order to what to get to where he wanted to be so according to this you have a list of people basically they were already out does not mean by the way couldn't find himself not as a leader it was still his choice but in terms of characteristics Talent maybe even cognitive abilities he was already what he was ready so he definitely had it some people just don't have it so he had it but he still had to want to be developed okay so this is the first mid second m with M he was also tested with what with how he led the flocker shepher so one of the the lamb one of little lambs he ran away and he ran after he sh a of water and the lamb drank from reached that place I did not know that you R just because you were and thirsty put on his shoulders and he walked away says you have compassion and mercy toad my so this is a different perspective that has nothing to do with Moshe B to be a leader this is an act of kindness and very much as David who will see that in the next did something with the FL so you know what I'll ask you a question how many of you tried to be a Shepherd like a real one how was it um well I did it as part of an anthropology program when I was studying something and went to the Indians the Navajo Indians oh in America you could either go toan theose no else we would meet every two weeks and uh it was amazing I went with a grand and so we went out sheep and way out in the desert out there in Arizona and it was unbelievable and I said to myself now I understand okay why the big ones were shepher okay so I want to ask you about what was the most difficult thing like in a sentence what was the most difficult thing to lead the flock uh they do whatever they want yeah but you have to some dogs anyway um for me it was to know that we were going to be killing them slowly to eat oh okay so I I am that's not what why was moosen but but the thing is is that basically anyone here I tried one I think it's whatever there is can try to shepher it is more difficult than ever those sh so you need to a you need to know who is the leading sh from the FL or the leading ma whatever in the FL and then also it's not that easy you don't just go with your like little M your STA and say okay follow me okay it doesn't you really need to understand them and you also need to understand that they are different agents in that CL so but basically Moshe basically what Moshe showed here and this is I think how many people misread the midash I don't think that Moshe Was a Good Shepherd why he didn't understand that the lamb was TI than thirst I don't know maybe they waited I don't know but the thing is is what I want to understand from this mid is D that he was not a good leader as a shepher but did show was what compassion and to admit his mistakes this is what a leader can do meaning he understood what happened he could be Cru and say and take this uh lamb and chase him away or not let him drink or whatever it was punish him for leaving the FL instead what does he do he say I didn't know so a to admit that I made a mistake and he took the SL on his shoulder showing what compassion there is no leadership here so to speak in terms of what R leadership know he led them through the desert he them through the mountains no that's not what this m said this mid has basically Mo was able to admit these mistakes and to compion to The Entity to the creature that taught him that he made a mistake now a third mid leads us little bit to to Moshe being a good shepher which is basically it says what does it me m was a shepher we are on the third source everythings is to go toic okay which means you go through some kind of a test you go through some kind of Fire God is a shi for people who trust so he says not give greatness to a person to a person test him with something minor and then you can appoint him you have two great people two great leaders that test them and you find them to be trustworthy appointed great he tested and took the to the desert why to the desert because he was afraid that they will go to other fields and will eat something that does not belong to them by the way it was also the struggle between Abraham and meaning their Shepherds very good says to you basically prove that you do not want your flock to eat or to cheat on someone else so you are you are a trustworthy Shepherd therefore you will lead my you will lead my flag so what has had anything to do with didn't want will eat someone else's field so he took them to the desert to lead the Jewish people so you L your flock in the hands of why was that was the second one second M honesty very good now this is very interesting this is not anything to do with leadership qualities in terms of how to lead but whether what not very good one of the things that we have with leaders is obviously what that they sometimes forget what is gazel and what is what is not there is sometimes confusion between what is mine and what is not mine so the idea is that from the get go mhe and David are basically sh away from what from and when you see that by the way with when he basically said says when he had this thing with K he basically say I didn't even you know I didn't even take a Get Taxi you know to go from Metro to Egypt even though all my expenses should be paid by the nation I did it on my own expens the idea of to basically to go as far as you can from a this is one of the characteristics of who else in t was very proud of not taking anything from the people true when the people wanted to have a king took all the people and he says what I didn't even take a donkey didn't a thing and he says if anyone here think that I'm bling raise your hand if I took something from you raise your hand and obviously and the people answered him this is I think only once in tanak that the people say to a leader you didn't steal from us you didn't cheat US you didn't deceive us you were honest I mean in front of everyone and by the way the people around him that the small gathered were not uh you know embarrassed to say that if he did so they testified it's not about you we just want the king okay so now we have already three different aspects to what why mosha was Chen the first one was from birth second one is compassion and admitting his mistakes third is shying away froming being this is the last Source on the first page Why would MOS go to the desert so we already answered it by the third because of the so here we have a different [Music] opinion so before we continue you know just finish up this sentence which means what what does that mean who is this nation that comes out from the mid which means Moshe went to theid not necessarily geographically but rather conceptually do that mean which means when he went to the midbar he didn't go to the midbar to the desert he went to the place where he thought the Jewish people will emerge as a nation which means Moshe already had some kind of a prophetic Vision that he is going to what to lead the Jewish people now this mid unlike the other mid does not say that it was because of characteristic not because of bir not because of compassion not because of shying away from stealing and and money but rather it was something of prophetic Vision which means in a way Moshe already chose the Jewish people he knew he's connected to them he didn't know exactly why agree but which means he understood that he has something to do with the Jewish people but not necessarily as a leader now if you go backwards at the age of 16 or 18 Moshe saw himself as a leader he intervene on behalf of the Jew who was beaten up right and then with the two Israelites the fact that Moshe you know maybe because of your question I'll say the following you know M it's very interesting we know a lot about the way he was born we know a lot about him until he was like say 168 about what he did until the age of 168 then the next time we know about mosh Renu he was old already 8 years old so what did he do for 62 years okay so it depends the midashim have many opinions some of them says of Ethiopia the other people say he was the general of the Egyptian Army the other one said that he Med meditate somewhere on the mountain and some people say he's just stayed with it all those 63 years okay whatever it is he left not only MIT but he also left the Jewish people for 62 years right after he had to to flee he went and he had nothing to do with the Jewish people however read this took the to the desert it means what it means that he still felt something to do with the Jewish people now when he was asked to be a leader based on his past experience he says no thank you that's why he argue with God for whatever seven days but the idea is is what is that MOS spiritually felt connected to is so that's one aspect another explanation he theer to the he the FL to the says to you are the one who are designated to do what to bring the out who's because of spoke to him with this Covenant between the parts now this is a mid classic midic method the word does not mean only desert it also means what to speak so don't caller is nice makes no sense but rather your is nice which means when hasm spoke to AB it was a nice talk because hm promised abam even though his descendants will be in a foreign land they will get out and will reward them and also in the future you will be the one to bring the Jews from the desert now this is the real desert because they are buried there to is means it's very interesting when you think about M was able to bring out the Jews from to the midb to the midbar he ended in the midbar right then in the future he's going to bring them again form the to that's according to after will be the one to bring all of to to see this and go okay I can see that this is going to be where this is I mean I I I think the awareness of seeing the burning bu which we haven't gotten to but he's able to take this and in his mind else is that of the leers ASP here in this mid basically it says that theh says to him you are the one who are going to be the leader so it seems to be that chose him this that without any reasons just maybe that mosha had some kind of tendency for prophetic visions I don't understand even why I mean the mid does not say why mosha was chosen this is a very interesting mid because there is no reason noem knew for sure what will be with the people I said why did he choose M yeah but why mo why not exactly no no that's exactly the point my problem with this mid you basically highlight the point the problem with this mid All the Other M told me why mosha was bone with this tendency oh Moshe showed Compassion or mosha showed that he can Adit his mistakes oh MOS didn't anything to do with I understand all of that great the problem with this is that spoke to MOS why for example examp meend Elementary School let's go back for me but when the B was attending Elementary School all the handsome okay looks brilliant but has knew what he created in human in human mind it's un we don't understand choose Mo as a lead and set aside foral educ leadership can arue for them the issue is not arguing it's not second guess the issue the question is why was he Chosen and all the other M attempt to give answers this one does not but second one thear would stop the so it might be true it might the only thing is so no there is nobody else but you need to understand what a there is there is okay there is very so we we will get some kind of an answer but all the only thing that we can prove is from something that it's written not from something that it's not written so here it says spoke to Mo right when spoke to Noah we asked the question why and we who when spoke to ABRA we understand why why AB chose God before chose him when when spoke toob understand whys we understand reason we know about this mid All the Other M are trying to highlight the reason try to focus reason why was MOS chosen M just tell me what did what did tell MOS but not why he chose it that's what I'm looking for okay so yes so to me that's not something you're going toite that mean knows how to talk about oh yeah that they talk about why was Moshe unable to speak by the way I don't know what happened to but after that he didn't stop talking you know for weeks someone else I think ra her hand no okay okay so I think that's the closest I will tell you I will tell you what very good you are looking you need to look this is little bit meth about I mean everyone here will participate in my Thursday night 8m Zoom M so you understand why what there is a method the M which is little different than the the method of the mid is that he takes a and then he gives it the liberty of interpretation and also try to connect it to another so here it starts with what now which means what he took the FL to in Hebrew what does it mean after the that makes now the itself makes no sense in Hebrew you can say you want to correct obvious understand Hebrew very well understood that there is something some kind of a mic I say it's not a super word it's an add word that obviously begs for what for interpretation therefore the word can means what after the desert the makes also what no sense and comes and say you know Moshe had some kind of a tendency to see things that are what that not everyone can see that's very similar to who to Abraham why am I'm saying AB you remember about AB when he and and is and they go to the mid sayses he says do you see what I see says to him I see the he asked is do you see what I see and they say we have no idea what you're talking about and says to you right here I am the you will go up there and we will come come which means see something that no one else see now what did we see in a minute yes we have a I can hear you very good go after me also means to go after someone now differ but how would you understand it like in terms of the okay so you know what hold on let's see no no no hold on hold on let's go with which means the M can say so he will me in the future he will the after he got the command from now why would talk to M so now I think I have a somewhat of a of a solution which means mosha Reno was the only Hebrew who was not enslaved SL I knew you're going to say the were exempt from but they were still under the rule of yeah but they were yeah they were slaves maybe they didn't walk as slaves they walked at something else but they they were not like all about theide you know they were getting was that he he was of the king I guess he was part of the you know maybe a representative of the Jews whatever he was but uh but the idea is is that they were all basically said by one of the reasons that M's name is not according to R he says he never suffered can really fully celebrate the it's a very harsh he says because that he's not blaming him just a fact he doesn't say to you had to go he was not he cannot we can because our ancestors were slaves and we need to see ourselves like we went out from Egypt so we were also slaves he was not therefore he does not have a part in the celebration is a very don't need to accept it but that's what he said but that's I'm talking about being in now but let's leave that aside because this is not this is not issue for the however when you look at the so the does not mean necessarily desert it can be and after he spoken who he has this um I guess he had this spiritual attendan definitely since he left M and why why am I saying this when he go to the midbar let's now midbar midbar desert not Med why would you go to the desert so the other midra says because he didn't want the flag to to go to someone else's field but this mid does not say that so why would you go to the desert if you need very so let's start from the like the Bas you're afraid right like he ran to the desert because of sh right but the second thing is you have the desert right you can it's quiet okay so you can go you can go there now when you go there so what does he see he first saw the burning bush right most people when they see a burning bush what do they do they run away right he ran towards the burning he had to see what's going on so the idea is there is another M it now but basically there is another that says that when the bush wanted to P to his face and he says I'm just what an amateur right I'm an amateur Prophet okay I just started my training I'm not even inent training okay so therefore I am not ready this by the way shows a lot about okay very good I think this is what the mid is basically out telling us his understanding not necessarily very good yeah he understood that he needs to be led but the fact that he was ready for that this is something this is from the midal itself from the desert itself okay I understood I was saying about but because you get in touch with a right and and conne that's true the desert teaches you a lot about spirituality um even from army time there's no questions you know when they throw you somewhere in the desert and you you don't have too much going on there you start thinking yeah and everyone with his own thoughts but I mean if you have good thoughts so you can reach look I mean most of the were were composed everything say all the nature around you is when you can go [Music] toess witht because he had some kind of Prophecy that um many of the Cities will be destroyed so why would he go to theer the basically he was like chasing the desert not desert again not in the geographical sense but in the I would say conceptual sense is that most of those cities that are built now will become a desert and the only the only one standing will be the Jewish people so he in a way was chasing the desert chasing the time of the desert look how the midash is so creative okay basically saying he was waiting was trying to push for the time that all the other cities will be destroyed and the only city standing will be the city of Israel the city of J whatever it will be another [Music] interpretation anounced that the Jewish people who are called will so basically says to he took them to the desert you know you need to take care of them what did you prepare for them ever already says to you will lead the people to their their end in the deser and then Z you will be able to lead the the but not not the second generation the second generation someone else is going to okay ah so now we are getting into something very interesting when exactly MOS knew that that he is not going to bring the people to so let's start okay even though I didn't plan it but I think it's important okay when do you think was the earliest time that Mo knew that he's not going in yes after that was in a way what the Torah says clearly okay someone think that it can be earlier than besides the mid obv uh why perfect very good so we will go to the maybe from the you already out and by the way says was also angry with me very good someone would like to go earlier than that of the man why uhhuh and God man but God made it clear because they didn't trust me and then if I remember correctly be because you didn't trust me but not about motion about people yeah but I'm saying about Mo when did M know yeah okay so we have we have maybe what else earlier than that when they say we would rather be back okay so I'll tell you because I see you on the edge of the chair after mhe failed in his first mission to go to far and Far says not only that I'm not going to let the Jewish people go I am going to do what to make it even harder mosha went to complain right mosha went to complain to Hashem and he says to Hashem why did you send me why did you do this say what what does it not you immediately kicks on it and says now you will see but you will not be able to see the victory over the 31 in is and you will not be able to Le the people into already at the end of now one the idea is that it might be that it was what we called I it was a decree but it was not signed and sealed okay but it was already like a warning if you will do it again or you will do something like that again you will be punished when is the second in when there he showed the same lack of faith I mean I'm talking about the same lack of faith in what in the people and in God why I'm saying in the people and in because the rock according to most of the why was so upset because if you remember at the end of the Jewish people complained about water told him to do what take the the step and to hit the rock there's nothing by the way water from the rock it's a miracle right and the people didn't know that hm didn't tell him to hit the rock right so in terms of the end result is the same thing so why was so upset because the second time around wanted to tell don't because the people think it's like a magic don't take show them that you can talk to the Rock and they are mature it's not like that I need to give you a pouch in order to do something I need to talk and because I trust you you are mature enough you are a grown up you are going to go into show them that when a leader does not people be their leader if you don't believe that your people can do what you think they can do you are probably a wrong leader so therefore the hitting of the rock basically connected attack Moses came to has and said why did you do that to the people they are not going to be saved they can't take themselves and also I told I can't trust you to some extent you said everything will be okay and here nothing is okay same thing with the so in a way what we say is that lost the opportunity to go into because of what lack of faith or to be a little bit too impetuous in terms you said something we should get when you go to is it doesn't work like that as we all know we understand that uh it's a struggle and it's a process and not everything that uh we think will happen will happen um hasem has his own his own PL so the idea is meaning until you reach the desert but after the desert which means is you are not going end of end of I'm just wondering why Mo knew early on that he was not to go in why at the end did he make such a tantrum about he already was told he's not going to go in and it's like he just I made Circle at I got you I got your question is if he knew why would he try to fight answer is very simple he want to go says to come on I did something wrong I get but I'm human so let me go in andem said to him no for many reasons many different reasons which one part of them is for the sake of the in a way any other sacrifice something's leadership like love relationship being when what people he really tried to be a good lead he's he's one of my heroes in terms of leaders but you can learn a lot from him from his mistakes and from obviously from his great leadership in so many different stor yes yes one of the mid says yes one of the mid says that basically MOS says let me go in not even as a and says to him no it's not going to work uh not only that it's not going to work it's not healthy it's not healthy to remain connected to the people that you led and let someone else lead them it's just not going to for the leader or for the people yes because there's going to be some tension between the leaders and uh you know you can be a rabus but you still have something to do with the shoe right that's also true yeah okay one more mid so we'll start why did we moved a little bit away from why was m chosen now we have four different or maybe five different reasons so now let's see why was uh why um why did the reveal himself through the snake through the burning in the which is mid which is a very early mid first second century says the so revealed himself or the angel of God revealed himself to go would reveal a mountain or a Vineyard or a tree we will ask same question promise you we will always have to same but however there is a burning says the a bird goes in come out she will what she'll have some cuts of the jewi people in was very very tough from the beginning from the Inception of Egypt no one left Egypt besides one person hag and she was given to Abraham by himself but that itself was no one therefore the Burning Bush was what a mini model of MIT basically took the model of show I going to do which means no one was able to leave no one is able to what to leave the burning bush without being injured I will show you how what burning so the first aspect of the mid we'll see next week the first idea of the mid is what the bush the burning bu is basically to correspond to and to show that already from the GetGo says to Moshe don't be afraid I know the history of no one was able to leave I will show you how I'm going to take three million people out of time and that will be the first time in the Egyptian next please just bring those pages up to the front