Seriously close.
We all know the story: Pharaoh, terrified by the growing Israelite population, orders all newborn Hebrew boys to be thrown into the Nile. A brutal decree born of fear. But what if the danger to Moses was even more targeted, more personal?
According to Legends of the Jews, Pharaoh wasn't acting solely out of demographic paranoia. He had advisors, counselors, people whispering in his ear, stoking his fears with specific warnings about a particular child. Think of it – the fate of a nation hinging on the words of advisors.
One advisor, in particular, paints a chilling picture. Imagine him, standing before Pharaoh, saying, "Now, therefore, my lord king, behold, this child has risen up in their stead in Egypt, to do according to their deeds and make sport of every man, be he king, prince, or judge." (Ginzberg, Legends of the Jews, vol. 2)
He is saying that this baby, this tiny infant, is already destined to be a troublemaker, a mocker of authority, a threat to the entire Egyptian power structure! Talk about projecting!
The advisor goes on, practically begging Pharaoh to act decisively. "If it please the king, let us now spill his blood upon the ground, lest he grow up and snatch the government from thine hand, and the hope of Egypt be cut off after he reigns." He saw Moses as an existential threat to Egypt itself.
And then comes the chilling proposal: "Let us, moreover, call for all the judges and the wise men of Egypt, that we may know whether the judgment of death be due to this child, as I have said, and then we will slay him."
A kangaroo court! A pretense of justice to justify the murder of an innocent child. It makes you wonder, doesn't it? How often have similar scenarios played out throughout history? How often have fear and prejudice masked themselves as righteous judgment?
This passage, found in Ginzberg's masterful retelling of Jewish folklore, reminds us that the story of Moses isn't just a grand narrative of liberation. It’s a story of constant peril, of near misses, of a single life hanging in the balance. It highlights the remarkable courage of Moses’s parents, Yocheved and Amram, who defied the decree. And it makes his eventual triumph all the more miraculous. Think about the weight of those words, "lest he grow up and snatch the government from thine hand." The fear, the desperation, the utter lack of understanding of what true leadership really means. It’s a powerful reminder that sometimes, the greatest threats come not from armies or weapons, but from the seeds of fear planted in the hearts of those in power.