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THE PROPHET AND THE VICEROY

With this week's parasha, we bid a fond farewell to Yoseif (1:6-8), through whom, in the final four parashiyot of B'reishit, God brings Yaakov and his family down to Egyptian prosperity, and we welcome the new protagonist, Moshe, through whom, in the first four parashiyot of Sh'mot, God redeems the nation of Yisrael from Egyptian slavery.

Superficially, there are many similarities between the early lives of Yoseif and Moshe. Both are separated from their families and faiths at a young age; both end up among Egyptians and must maintain their identity among them; both are innocent men pursued by the law (Yoseif for the supposed attempted rape of Potifar's wife, Moshe for saving, via lethal force, a Jew's life); both end up marrying the daughters (Asnat and Tsippora) of foreign priests (Poitfera and Yitro); both have two sons, whom they name in gratitude to God for delivering them for their troubles (Menashe and Eliezer) and in bitter recognition of their status as foreigners (Efrayim and Gershom).

Yet these biographical similarities only underscore the basic differences between these two leaders of the incipient Jewish nation. Yoseif is, first and foremost, a politician. He reacts with equanimity to his troubles, and eventually his methods make him the viceroy, the ruler in all but name of Egypt, the dominant power of the ancient world. He uses his economic and political wisdom to enrich his monarch—and save his family. At the same time, his constant recognition of God's hand brings a taste of true religion to the pagan and human-deifying society of Egypt. He reminds us most of Mordechai, who is a fellow descendant of Rachel, from the tribe of Binyamin.

Moshe, on the other hand, is a full-blooded Leivi (2:1; indeed, until Parashat VaEira, this is the only genealogical information that the Torah gives us about Moshe). As such, he is a zealot, just as Leivi avenged Dina at Shechem, constantly stepping in to rectify injustices, whether it be to save a fellow Jew's life, to break up a fist-fight, or to rescue the daughters of Yitro from the shepherds that harass them. He reminds us most of Eliyahu, who is identified by the Sages as Pinchas, Moshe's great-nephew.

Yoseif and Moshe thus present two very different models of leadership of the Jewish nation. Yoseif is an economic and political leader; Moshe is a spiritual leader. This dichotomy begs the question: who is right? Should the ruler of the Jewish people be a zealot or a politician, a viceroy or a prophet?

Neither, the Torah indicates. It is neither Yoseif nor Leivi that is supposed to provide the permanent king of the Jewish people, but rather, as Yaakov indicates in last week's parasha, Vayechi, the tribe of Yehuda. Neither zealotry nor politicking is sufficient for the Jewish king; on the other hand, he can ignore neither. The challenge of Jewish leadership is striking the proper balance between economics and religion, between pragmatism, and idealism, between the prophet and the viceroy. If either of these elements is missing, there will not be a nation of God for the king to rule.

We thus find that before David can assume the throne and establish his dynasty, the ground must be prepared by Sh'muel, of Leivi, who brings the people spiritual renewal, and Sha'ul, of Binyamin, who restores the nation to economic and political unity and self-sufficiency.

Similarly, in the final redemption, Mashiach ben David will assume the throne, but he cannot come, our Sages tell us, until Eliyahu renews the spirituality of the people and Mashiach ben Yoseif fights the battle of Gog and Magog, a political conflict.

Thus, the dual leadership of Yoseif and Moshe is not only an interesting phenomenon in the parasha of the week, but a precedent for Jewish history. The political and economic acumen of Yoseif-Binyamin and the religious zealotry of Leivi pave the way and provide support and inspiration for the righteous kingship of Yehuda. May we merit soon to see it again.

[Prepared by Yoseif Bloch]

In response to Moshe's question regarding the divine Name, God offers an obscure answer: "I am that I am… This is what you shall say to Benei Yisrael, 'I am' sent you to them." In the next verse, God tells Moshe, "… this is My Name forever…" Rashi comments that the word, "l'olam" (forever) appears in the verse in an usual form, without the letter "vav." Citing the Midrash, Rashi explains that God here alludes to the expression "elem," concealed, pointing to the fact that God's Name is not to be articulated.

God's Name is generally spelled, "H-V-Y-H." As we know, this Name may not be verbalized. Instead, we refer to Him with the "Shem adnut," or "A-D-N-Y." What is the difference between the two Names, and why may we articulate the second and not the first?

As has been suggested by many, the Name "Havayah" refers to God's very essence, as it were. The expression means "being," and thus refers to God's encompassing all creation and His being the source of everything. This Name may not be articulated, for we can never relate to God on the level of "Shem Havayah." We will never begin to comprehend His essence and what "Havayah" really means.

The other Name, "A-D-N-Y," means literally "my Master." It denotes God's authority over us, our status as nothing more or less than His subjects and servants, bound by His unlimited and all-encompassing rule. It is this Name by which we refer to God, for this is how we relate to Him. We are not expected to arrive at any decisive conclusions regarding His very essence, the "Shem Havatah"; we are demanded, however, to inculcate within ourselves a sense of "Shem Adnut." Our primary relationship with the Almighty involves divine authority, His exclusive right to legislate, demand compliance, and administer punishment and/or reward.

This concept perhaps reminds us of Shelomo's conclusion at the end of Sefer Kohellet. After his lengthy, difficult and self-contradictory dissertation on the meaning and basic nature of life, he concludes, "When all is said and done, fear God and observe His commandments…" Contemplating the essence of God and the universe may be constitute a noble pursuit, and we should certainly not shy away from understanding the best we can even the most esoteric and arcane philosophical bases of our religious gestalt. However, as stated, our most elementary and fundamental mode of relationship to the Almighty involves, quite simply, our obedient acquiescence to His commands.

[Prepared by David Silverberg]

God's first instruction to Moshe upon revealing Himself at the burning bush is that he must take off his shoes. On the simple, straightforward level of "peshat," this somewhat intriguing imperative results directly from the sanctity of the location upon which Moshe stands - Mount Sinai. God thus orders, "Remove your shoes from your feet, for the ground upon which you stand is holy ground." Nevertheless, one might argue that a deeper message lies beneath this command.

Some have suggested that the significance of Moshe's removal of his shoes relates to his new position of leadership. One walking along an unpaved wilderness - such as the Sinai desert - will feel at his feet only the larger stones and obstacles on the ground, assuming he wears shoes. A barefoot desert-traveler, however, feels at his feet every small pebble and depression or elevation in the ground.

God therefore tells Moshe to remove his shoes, so that he sense as clearly as possible every small "bump" along the way. A leader cannot shut himself out to the smaller issues and concentrate his energies only upon the more general problems. He must feel the pain of every single commoner under his rule. As leader, it now becomes Moshe's responsibility to identify as much as possible with the plight of each and every Jew.

[Prepared by David Silverberg]

Moshe's first mission to Pharoh is completed. It was an utter failure - not only did the wicked king refuse to hear him, he even intensified the bondage of his Israeli slaves. Empty-handed, he "returns" to God to complain. God answers him with the promise that now he shall see the redemption.

Rashi quotes the Gemara in Sanhedrin 111a that God criticized Moshe: "You have doubted My deeds...therefore now you shall see, the punishment of Pharoh you shall witness, but you shall not live to see the victory over the seven nations of Canaan." The word "Now" comes to emphasize the blissful future which Moshe will not live to see, because of his lack of faith. From the first stage, Moshe seems doomed to a personal failure.

Sforno understands "now" as standing in contrast to the past, not the future: "Now that you have seen the crimes of Pharoh, who refuses to set the people free, you shall see how he will be forced to send them with all his might." Here there is no criticism of Moshe - to the contrary, his mission was what provoked the final crisis, after which the long expected redemption will come. Pharoh has finally overstepped his limit, and is now to be the subject to the most spectacular display of God's might in history. (See also Ramban on 20;1.)

But the mission had a different, darker aspect as well. The shotrim, the representatives of the nation, come to Moshe and denounce him. In fact, the people ask to be spared the redemption, willing to stay in Egyptian bondage should the severity of the bondage be relaxed. This complant against Moshe's efforts signifies a total loss of hope and faith, a relapse into national apathy. If the pledge by God to the patriarchs is to happen, the people must be redeemed now - they have sunk to the bottom rung, and are about to be lost beyond the point of possible recovery.

We might suggest a similar idea, combining Sforno's reading of the word "now" with the criticism raised by Rashi.

The people complain to Moshe - and here Moshe utterly fails in his responsibility. Instead of assuming the leadership over them, and asking God only for help in the actual delivery while raising the people's spirits and helping them keep their faith - Moshe collapses, and runs to God to beg his own discharge, bewailing the bitter results of his short term of leadership. If even Moshe falls into despair - now is the time for God Himself to intervene, and He will redeem the people, with Moshe acting as no more than his agent.

Additionally, we sense here a significant change in Moshe's own tone. Even before, he has tried to avoid his mission, starting with "who am I to go to Pharoh" (3;11), and then "...if they ask me, what is His name, what shall I tell them?" (3;13), "But they will not listen to me" (4;1), "I am not a man of words" (4;10), and culminating in "Please, Lord, send any other man" (4;13). There is no reference to the suffering of the people, and no eagerness to do whatever may be possible to break their yoke. It's me and me and me - I am not the right man, I haven't got the right talents, I'd rather someone else would assume this role and accept this burden. Even had the people been absolutely worthy of redemption, Moshe could not bring it.

After the failure of the first mission, things change. Even Moshe's despair results from the people's intensified suffering. "...why have you done this to these people? Why have you sent me? Ever since I came to Pharoh to speak in Your name, he has dealt worse with these people, and You have not delivered Your people!" (5;22-23). The focus is now on the people and their suffering. Moshe here embarks on the first stage of his long, illustrious career of pleading and interceding on behalf of his constituency. And now, he can finally lead them. Now, that he really cares - he can take part in the redemption. And only now says God to Moshe: "Now you shall see what I shall do to Pharoh ... with force he will banish them from his country."

Dedicated to the memory of Yair Snapiri z"l, 5710-5760

[Prepared by David Fuchs.]

Towards the beginning of Sefer Shemot, we learn of a new Pharaoh's ascent to the Egyptian throne: "A new king arose over Egypt who did not know Yosef." Many commentaries and Midrashim explain that the new monarch not only never met Yosef, but he forgot - or perhaps ignored - all the Yosef had done for Egypt. Only this historical oversight could account for the oppression he decreed upon the former viceroy's extended family.

The Midrash notes that, interestingly enough, this is not the last time Pharaoh "does not know" of someone whom we would expect him to know: "I do not know God, nor will I let Israel go" (5:2). It has been suggested that these two comments about Pharaoh are not unrelated. The new king's inability to recognize Yosef's contribution to the country's economy and single-handed effort in ensuring the region's survival during famine, led him to deny the existence of God, as well. The Midrashim are replete with examples of Pharaoh's arrogance, to the point of claims of self-deification. We may speculate that upon assuming the throne, the new Pharaoh took much of the credit for the successes of his nation, which resulted primarily - if not exclusively - from Yosef's administrative expertise and economic know-how. Indeed, failure to recognize one's dependence upon others and priding oneself on achievements not his own sow the seeds for the ultimate manifestation of arrogance - equating oneself with God.

Although the phenomenon of self-deification seems to have fallen to extinction, overlooking God's providence and exclusive role in human success has become endemic to the mindset of modern man. How easy it has become to attribute our attainments of wealth and prestige to our own efforts and skill! Like Pharaoh years ago, we often forget to give credit where credit is due, be it to parents, friends, colleagues, or, perhaps most of all, God Himself. Only by recognizing our limitations and shortcomings can we hope to grow and improve, to reach our utmost potential as human beings and servants of God.

[Prepared by David Silverberg.]

"When they were in the place where they spent the night along the way, God confronted Moses and wanted to kill him. Tzipporah took a stone knife and cut off her son's foreskin, throwing it down at Moses' feet. 'As far as I am concerned, you're marred to blood', she said to the child. God then spared Moses. 'You were married to blood because of circumcision', she said."

This week, as we begin the book of Shemot, we meet a new reality: Yaacov's family has become a nation. A nation needs a leader. God chooses Moshe to be the first leader of the Jewish people. But as Moshe is on his way to fulfill God's command and bring the Jews out of Egypt, we find a strange episode. God wants to kill him! He deserves death for delaying the circumcision of his son. Moshe is saved when his wife Tzipporah takes a knife and does the circumcision. How do we understand this episode? What does this teach us about leadership of God's chosen people?

Although Moshe is the chosen representative of God to go to Pharaoh and the Jewish people, Moshe does not have any special privileges. In fact, he has extra responsibility to serve God fully, even in his most private concerns such as his son's circumcision. There is no death penalty in the Torah for delaying a circumcision, but Moshe is judged to a higher standard. God's representative cannot in any way approach flouting God's law. If he does, he cannot remain God's representative.

In today's society, we see our leaders as means to an end. Their personal life is only important to us as it relates to their trustworthiness to govern well. We could similarly see Moshe as a means to getting the Jewish people out of Egypt. The difference is that the Jewish people is not just leaving Egypt. It is leaving Egypt to serve God. This is the model of Jewish leadership: a servant of God to save the Jewish people and bring it to serving God completely. May we merit such a .

[Prepared by Samuel Jackman.]

The Three Elements of Moshe's Mission

At the beginning of his career Moshe is active in three incidents:

1. Killing the Egyptian who smote the Jewish slave,
2. Intervening in a fight between two Jews, determining the mistaken and reprimanding him,
3. Saving Yitro's daughters from shepherds at a well in a foreign land

There is clear development here within the cases from that which was an external threat on his group, though a clash within the group, to a case in which none of the sides was connected to him. However, besides this there may also be development in the form that his intervention takes. In the first case the Torah does not say that he saved anyone - he simply inflicted fitting punishment. In the second case he gives moral teaching or even orders. In the third case he saves people. In description of his behavior in the last case the Torah uses the word "Vayoshian" (he saved them) as opposed to their own account - "Hitzlianu" having connotation of being a more complete saving - even redemption, perhaps because of his concern over their welfare.("... and also drew water enough for us and watered the flock," Shemot 2:19)

These three forms of behavior are also three different elements of his mission of redemption. He acts as inflictor of punishment on the Egyptians ("and also the nation which they serve, I will judge..." Bereishit 15:14) as preacher of moral judgement and teaching ("And you shall say to him. The Lord God of the Hebrews has sent me to you saying, Let my people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness...Shemot 7:16"; "... and say to him... in order that you should know that there is none like me in all the earth for thes cause I have raised you up to show in you my power and that my name may be proclaimed throughout all the earth." Shemot 9:14-16) and as God's messenger for the redemption ("Thus the Lord saved ("Vayosha") Israel that day from the hand of Mitzrayim .... and the people feared the Lord and believed in the Lord and in his servant Moshe.")

This week's parasha in effect describes the creation of the leader.

[Prepared by Shlomo Dov Rosen.]

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