Not for your strength, but for your character. That's the story of Moses, as he became king of Ethiopia.
It's a wild tale, isn’t it? We often think of Moses leading the Israelites out of Egypt, receiving the Torah at Sinai. But before all that, according to some traditions, he ruled a kingdom far, far away.
How did it happen? Well, the Ethiopians were searching for a leader. They needed someone worthy to guide them. And after much searching, they found only one man fit for the job: Moses.
So, what did they do? They didn't just offer him the crown. They built him a throne – literally! They stripped off their upper garments, piled them high to make a platform, and placed Moses on top. Think of it – a king raised up not by conquest or birthright, but by the very clothes off his people's backs!
Then they blew trumpets and declared, "Long live the king! Long live the king!" The whole nation, nobles and commoners alike, swore allegiance. But there was a condition, a rather unusual one: they would give him Adoniah, the Ethiopian queen, the widow of Kikanos, as his wife.
Can you imagine the scene? The cheers, the music, the weight of a kingdom suddenly placed on Moses’ shoulders. And then the offer of marriage to a queen he'd never met! It’s a lot to take in.
But the story doesn't end there. To solidify his reign, the people made a unique offering. They issued a proclamation: everyone was to give something of their possessions to Moses. And they spread a sheet upon that makeshift throne, and each person cast something onto it. What did they offer? Gold nose rings, coins, precious stones like onyx and bdellium, pearls, gold, and silver – an abundance of riches. The Midrash doesn't explicitly state the purpose of this collection, but we can imagine it was both a sign of their devotion and a means to support the new king's rule.
This narrative, found in texts like Legends of the Jews by Rabbi Louis Ginzberg, reveals a different side to Moses, a time before the burning bush and the parting of the Red Sea. It shows his capacity for leadership, even in a foreign land, among a people not his own.
It makes you wonder, doesn’t it? What qualities did Moses possess that made him such a universally appealing leader? Humility? Integrity? Or perhaps a quiet strength that resonated with people across cultures? Whatever it was, it's clear that even before he became the Moses we all know, there was something extraordinary about him.