Something that makes you think, "Surely, there's someone better suited for this!" Well, you're not alone. Even Moses, the great lawgiver himself, had a moment of reluctance.
Let's dive into a fascinating passage from Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus. We pick up the story right after God has commanded Moses to go to Pharaoh and demand the release of the Israelites from slavery. But Moses hesitates. In Exodus 4:13, he pleads, "Please Lord, send by means of whom You send." But what did he really mean by that?
Rabbi Ḥiyya the Great offers a powerful interpretation. He suggests that Moses was essentially saying, "Master of the universe, are You asking me, of all people, to deliver the children of Abraham, who recognized You as the Lord of all creation? Send someone else, someone You usually send for tasks like this!"
It's almost like Moses is arguing with God! He continues, according to Rabbi Ḥiyya, pointing out the apparent disparity in divine attention. "Who is dearer to a person, their nephew or their grandson? Surely the grandson! When You wanted to rescue Lot, Abraham’s nephew, You sent angels. Now, for Abraham’s descendants, six hundred thousand strong, You're sending me? Just send the angels You usually send!"
Moses even brings up the story of Hagar, the Egyptian handmaid. "For Hagar, You sent five angels! But for six hundred thousand descendants of Sarah, it's me You're choosing to send?" It sounds like Moses felt utterly inadequate for the task.
But was Moses simply refusing to go? The Rabbis offer another perspective. Perhaps, they suggest, Moses was acting out of deference to his brother, Aaron. Moses might have been thinking, "Aaron has already been prophesying to the Israelites in Egypt for eighty years. I don't want to step on his toes or upset him."
This idea finds support in Ezekiel 20:5, which says, "I made Myself known to them in the land of Egypt." And where do we learn that Aaron was already prophesying in Egypt? Well, 1 Samuel 2:27-28 hints at it: "A man of God came to Eli, and said to him: So said the Lord: Didn’t I reveal Myself to the house of your father when they were in Egypt, subject to Pharaoh's house? Did I not choose him from all the tribes of Israel to be My priest?" The implication is that Aaron was chosen way back in Egypt.
So, Moses might have been thinking, "Will I now encroach upon my brother and upset him?" That, they suggest, might be the real reason for his reluctance.
Whatever the reason, Moses's hesitation didn't sit well with God. The passage concludes with the stark statement: "the wrath of the Lord was enflamed against Moses" (Exodus 4:14).
This little peek into Shemot Rabbah offers so much to consider. It shows us a human side of Moses, grappling with doubt and responsibility. It reminds us that even the greatest leaders can feel overwhelmed by the tasks before them. And perhaps most importantly, it highlights the importance of considering others, even when faced with a divine command. It makes you wonder, doesn't it: When have you felt like Moses, hesitant to step into a role, feeling like someone else would be better suited? And what did you do?