Terrifying, right?
That's exactly where Moses and Aaron found themselves when they approached Pharaoh.
Pharaoh's palace wasn't just a building; it was a fortress, a symbol of absolute power. The Legends of the Jews, as retold by Ginzberg, paints a vivid picture: four hundred entrances, a hundred on each side, each guarded by sixty thousand soldiers. Can you even picture that? A seemingly endless wall of armed might. Moses and Aaron, two old men, must have felt incredibly small.
The text tells us they were "overawed" and "afraid." Who wouldn't be?
But here's where the story takes a turn toward the miraculous. The angel Gabriel appears. It's easy to skim over that, but think about it: divine intervention. Gabriel, a powerful celestial being, guides them right into the palace. And here's the kicker – no one sees them. They bypass the entire army!
Pharaoh, predictably, is furious. He can't believe his guards let these two "old men" slip through. He dishes out severe punishments, fires the lot of them, and replaces them with a fresh batch of soldiers. Problem solved, right?
Nope.
The next day, the same thing happens. Moses and Aaron are inside the palace again. The new guard is just as clueless as the first. Pharaoh is beside himself. He demands answers. How is this possible?
His servants, completely baffled, offer the only explanation they can think of: "We know it not! Through the doors they did not come. Surely, they must be magicians." (Legends of the Jews)
"Magicians." It’s a loaded word, isn't it? It speaks to the fear of the unknown, the inability to explain something extraordinary. Were Moses and Aaron merely skilled tricksters? Or was something far greater at play?
The Midrash, our ancient collection of rabbinic teachings, often reminds us that God works in mysterious ways. Sometimes, the most powerful forces aren't the ones we can see or measure. Sometimes, true strength lies in faith, in unwavering conviction, and in the unseen hand guiding our steps.
What does this story tell us about our own challenges? When we face seemingly insurmountable obstacles, do we give in to fear, or do we trust that something greater than ourselves might be at work? Maybe, just maybe, we all have a Gabriel to guide us, even when we can't see the path.