The rabbis of old knew that struggle all too well. And they had some pretty creative ways to wake people up!
There’s a story told in Shir HaShirim Rabbah, the commentary on the Song of Songs, about just such a moment. Rabbi, a great sage (often understood to be Rabbi Judah ha-Nasi, compiler of the Mishnah), was teaching, expounding on Torah, pouring out wisdom… but the audience was, shall we say, less than engaged. Zzzzz.
So, what does Rabbi do? He throws out a wild claim: "A certain woman in Egypt bore six hundred thousand in a single womb!"
Now, that got someone's attention!
One of his students, Rabbi Yishmael ben Rabbi Yosei, pipes up, understandably bewildered: "For whom was it so?!"
Rabbi's response is brilliant. He says, "This is Yokheved, who bore Moses, who is the equivalent of six hundred thousand of Israel."
Wait, what? How does that work?
Well, the explanation lies in how the Torah itself speaks about Moses and the people of Israel. Rabbi points to the verse in Exodus 15:1, "Then sang Moses and the children of Israel." It wasn’t just Moses singing, but the entire nation joining in.
He then draws upon Numbers 1:54, "The children of Israel did according to everything that the Lord commanded Moses, so they did." Notice something subtle there? The text doesn’t say God commanded Israel directly; it says He commanded Moses, and Israel followed Moses’s instructions. As the text says, “The children of Israel did according to everything that the Lord commanded Moses, so they did.” (Numbers 1:54).
It's as if Moses is the conduit, the embodiment of the divine will for the entire nation.
And finally, Rabbi brings in Deuteronomy 34:10, "There has not arisen another prophet in Israel like Moses." It could have simply stated that no other prophet like Moses had arisen in Israel, but the phrasing specifically places "Israel" right next to "Moses." The verse could have said “Another prophet like Moses has never arisen in Israel,” but instead it states this sentence is such a manner that “Israel” and “Moses” are juxtaposed, in order to imply that Moses is the equivalent of all of Israel. (Deuteronomy 34:10).
According to this midrash, or interpretive story, Moses, in his unique role, embodies the entire collective soul of Israel. He is the leader, the lawgiver, the one who speaks face-to-face with God. In a way, he is Israel's representative, its most profound expression. This idea is present in other Jewish texts, such as in Ginzberg's Legends of the Jews, which compiles and retells many similar traditions.
So, what's the takeaway? It's not just a quirky story to wake up a drowsy audience. It's a profound statement about leadership, responsibility, and the interconnectedness of a community. It suggests that true leaders aren't just individuals, but rather embodiments of the collective hopes, dreams, and potential of the people they serve. And maybe, just maybe, we all have a little bit of Moses within us, a capacity to represent and uplift those around us.