According to Legends of the Jews, as retold by Ginzberg, an angel whisked Moses away – not just across the border, mind you, but forty days' journey away! That’s a serious relocation. Far enough, apparently, that the fear that had been gripping him finally loosened its hold. But what was he so afraid of? Ginzberg suggests it wasn't his own skin he was worried about, but the future of Israel.
He was wrestling with a heavy question: Why did his people suffer so much? Why them? It seems witnessing the infighting and lashon hara (evil speech) among the Israelites made him question whether they even deserved redemption. Harsh, right? But think about it. He saw how they ignored the prophets – Aaron and the five sons of Zerah – who were trying to guide them towards yirat Shamayim, the fear of Heaven. Midrash Rabbah seems to echo this sentiment, suggesting their lack of piety only made Pharaoh's oppression worse.
So, picture Moses, running for his life, probably thinking his days of shepherd-ing were about to resume... and then… BAM! Royal throne.
What? How does that happen?
Well, Ethiopia was at war. King Kikanos had taken his army east, leaving Balaam (yes, that Balaam) and his sons, Jannes and Jambres, in charge. Now, Balaam wasn’t exactly known for his integrity, and he seized the opportunity, winning over the people and declaring himself king! He and his sons then fortified the city against Kikanos's return using every trick in the book: raised walls, canals filled with swirling water, and even… wait for it… magically summoned snakes and scorpions.
When Kikanos finally returned victorious, he found himself locked out. The Zohar probably wouldn't have been surprised – it’s full of tales of magic and intrigue! Nine long years he besieged the city, unable to break through.
And that’s where Moses enters the scene.
Fleeing Pharaoh, he stumbled into Kikanos's camp. And get this: everyone was immediately drawn to him. He was described as graceful as a palm tree, radiant as the morning sun, and strong as a lion. Kikanos, smitten, appointed Moses commander-in-chief! Talk about a career change!
But the story doesn't end there. After nine years, Kikanos died. Imagine the grief, the uncertainty among his troops. Stuck in the wilderness, far from home, facing a fortified city and the threat of opportunistic enemies. What were they to do?
Their solution? "Let us go and set a king over us." But that is only the precursor to the rest of the story, which we will explore at another time.
This whole episode reminds us that life rarely goes according to plan. Moses, running from one kind of trouble, found himself thrust into a completely different kind. It begs the question: are we ever really in control of our own destiny, or are we just characters in a much larger story, guided by forces we can't see? And what do we do when the path we thought we were on veers wildly off course? Perhaps, like Moses, we find strength and purpose in the most unexpected of places.