It’s a story ripe with tension, a hero in the making, and a glimpse into the early acts that shaped one of the most pivotal figures in Jewish history.
According to Legends of the Jews, Ginzberg's masterful compilation of rabbinic lore, Moses, after he "was grown up, and had passed beyond the years of childhood," ventured into the land of Goshen, where the Israelites lived. He witnessed firsthand the crushing burdens they bore. He inquired, "Why this heavy service?". The Israelites, in turn, revealed the cruel decrees Pharaoh had enacted, including the wicked advice of Balaam against them and, unbelievably, against Moses himself as a young boy – the incident where he placed Pharaoh’s crown upon his own head! This sparked a fire in Moses. He sought to neutralize Balaam, but the wily advisor fled to Ethiopia.
Imagine the scene: Moses, a prince of Egypt, weeping at the sight of his enslaved brethren. "Woe unto me for your anguish!" he cried. He couldn't stand idly by. He cast aside his royal status and joined them in their back-breaking labor. He shouldered their burdens, toiled in their place.
Pharaoh, surprisingly, saw this as a positive! He believed Moses was simply dedicated to fulfilling the royal decree. But God saw something deeper. "Thou didst relinquish all thy other occupations, and didst join thyself unto the children of Israel, whom thou dost treat as brethren; therefore will I, too, put aside now all heavenly and earthly affairs, and hold converse with thee." What a powerful statement! Moses’s empathy and action opened a channel for divine communication.
Moses didn't just work alongside them; he encouraged them. "My dear brethren, bear your lot with fortitude! Do not lose courage... Better times will come." As we find in Midrash Rabbah, this sentiment echoes the cyclical nature of life – hardship followed by joy, darkness giving way to light.
Then, Moses used his influence with Pharaoh to improve their lot. He approached the king with a simple, yet profound request: a day of rest. He argued that without it, the slaves would simply die from exhaustion. Pharaoh granted the request, decreeing a day of rest every seventh day. And this day, appointed by Moses, became Shabbat, the Sabbath – a concept later enshrined in the Ten Commandments! Can you see the seeds of liberation being sown?
But the story takes a dark turn. A Hebrew officer named Dathan had a beautiful wife, Shelomith. The Egyptian taskmaster, consumed by lust, took advantage of her while Dathan was forced to work. When Dathan returned and discovered the betrayal, the taskmaster cruelly beat him.
Moses arrived on the scene to find Dathan abused and tortured. Enraged, and guided by the Ruach Hakodesh (רוּחַ הַקֹּדֶשׁ), the holy spirit, Moses confronted the Egyptian. He cried out, "Not enough that thou hast dishonored this man's wife, thou aimest to kill him, too?". According to the text, Moses pleaded with God, fearing that these events would foil God's promises to Abraham, as well as the future revelation at Sinai.
But what to do? Moses hesitated to take a life. He consulted the angels, who confirmed that the Egyptian deserved death. How did Moses accomplish this? He simply pronounced the Shem HaMeforash (שם המפורש), the explicit name of God. The Egyptian fell dead.
He instructed the Israelites to keep the matter secret, comparing them to grains of sand that move noiselessly. But the secret was betrayed by none other than Dathan and Abiram, known for their contentiousness. They used it to taunt Moses, even threatening to expose him to Pharaoh.
These treacherous brothers then went to Pharaoh, attempting to discredit Moses. They hinted that he was disloyal and not truly the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, Bithiah. Their words struck a chord. Pharaoh ordered Moses’s arrest and sentenced him to death.
The angels pleaded with God, reminding him that Moses was a "familiar of Thine house." God responded, "I will espouse his cause." Miraculously, when the executioner's sword was brought down upon Moses’s neck, it wouldn't cut! Ten times they tried, but his neck was as hard as ivory.
Even more remarkably, God sent the angel Michael to replace the hangman, and the executioner was transformed into Moses’s likeness. The angel then killed this false Moses! Meanwhile, the real Moses escaped, the king's troops were struck with blindness and dumbness, and Moses fled into the wilderness.
So, what do we take away from this early chapter in the life of Moses? It's a story of empathy, action, divine intervention, and the ever-present challenges of leadership. It reveals a Moses wrestling with his identity, his loyalty, and the immense task that lay ahead. It reminds us that even the greatest leaders face moments of doubt, betrayal, and seemingly insurmountable obstacles. And perhaps most importantly, it shows us that even in the darkest of times, a single act of compassion can spark a revolution.