This particular passage, Shemot Rabbah 6, uses a parable to illuminate a fascinating aspect of Moses' relationship with God.

Rabbi Meir offers a vivid analogy. Imagine a king marrying off his daughter. To smooth things over, he chooses a villager to act as a go-between with the groom's family. But this villager, puffed up with his newfound importance, starts acting like he’s the one in charge! The king, understandably, has to remind him, "Hey, who made you so arrogant? It was me! I just needed you to be a messenger."

That’s how it was between God and Moses, according to Rabbi Meir. God elevated Moses, choosing him to be the messenger to Pharaoh and the leader of the Israelites. But somewhere along the line, perhaps Moses began to question his role, his authority. God, in turn, gently reminds him: “Who caused you to speak these words? It was I, who elevated you.”

Rabbi Yehuda offers a related, but slightly different, take on this exchange. He suggests that Moses worried about the shift in God's attributes. Moses said: ‘When You said to me: “Go now, and I will send you to Pharaoh” (Exodus 3:10), You said to me that you are destined to deliver them with the attribute of mercy. Perhaps by the time I came it was transformed into the attribute of justice.’

Think about that for a moment. Moses is concerned that God's initial promise of deliverance through rachamim, mercy, might have changed to din, strict justice, because of the Israelites’ actions or the situation on the ground. Had their suffering become a punishment, rather than an opportunity for redemption?

But God reassures him, “Ani Adonai – I am the Lord.” The verse continues, saying God remains in the attribute of mercy. "And said to him: I am the Lord.”

So, what does this all mean for us? It's a reminder that even the greatest leaders, like Moses, can grapple with doubt and question their purpose. It's a reminder that even when we're chosen for a task, we're still human, still fallible. And perhaps most importantly, it's a reminder that even when justice seems to prevail, the potential for mercy – God's mercy – always remains.