Ilustration Credit: Rivka Tsinman
Midrash מִדְרָשׁ
Benei Yisrael complain a lot. Eventually Moshe gets fed up with them and says to God:
הֶאָנֹכִי הָרִיתִי אֵת כׇּל הָעָם הַזֶּה אִם אָנֹכִי יְלִדְתִּיהוּ כִּי תֹאמַר אֵלַי שָׂאֵהוּ בְחֵיקֶךָ כַּאֲשֶׁר יִשָּׂא הָאֹמֵן אֶת הַיֹּנֵק עַל הָאֲדָמָה אֲשֶׁר נִשְׁבַּעְתָּ לַאֲבֹתָיו׃
Was I pregnant with all these people? Did I give birth to them, that You should say to me, ‘Carry them as a caregiver carries a nursing baby,’ to the land that You have promised to their ancestors?
When exactly did God ask Moshe to carry Benei Yisrael like a parent would carry their baby?
Rashi quotes a midrash from Sifrei Bemidbar:
וְהֵיכָן אָמַר לוֹ כֵן? "לֵךְ נְחֵה אֶת הָעָם" (שמות לב:לד), וְאוֹמֵר "וַיְצַוֵּם אֶל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל" (שמות ו:יג)—עַל מְנָת שֶׁיִּהְיוּ סוֹקְלִים אֶתְכֶם וּמְחָרְפִים אֶתְכֶם.
And where did God say this to him? When God said to him, “Go, lead the people” (Shemot 32:34), and also, “God commanded them to go save Benei Yisrael” (Shemot 6:13)—I have to command you because being their leader means doing it even though they will stone you and insult you.
According to this midrash, back in Sefer Shemot, God was fully upfront with Moshe and Aharon, warning them that Benei Yisrael would not always treat them well. God gave them a command to be leaders because without that command they might not have done it!
- How does it change the way we think about Moshe and Aharon to know that they acted as leaders even though they were often hurt by Benei Yisrael? What does this say about leaders in your community who take on tough jobs even when people don’t always treat them well?
- What is the Torah trying to teach us about the value of leadership? If it can be hurtful to the people who become leaders, why is it still a value to take leadership?
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