Be Like Moses: An Empathetic and Impartial Intervener for Justice

This week, we (and the Jewish people everywhere) read Parashat Shemot - and launch into the book of Exodus. The opening chapter-and-a-half covers lots of territory: first, the Israelites become enslaved and oppressed in Egypt, and then a courageous group of women -- both Egyptian and Israelite -- resist Pharaoh's orders. Baby Moses is born, hidden in a basket, and ultimately brought by Pharaoh's daughter to be raised to safety inside her father's palace.

Next, the text fast-forwards a couple of decades, picking up with Moses as a young adult in Exodus 2:11:

וַיְהִ֣י ׀ בַּיָּמִ֣ים הָהֵ֗ם וַיִּגְדַּ֤ל מֹשֶׁה֙ וַיֵּצֵ֣א אֶל־אֶחָ֔יו וַיַּ֖רְא בְּסִבְלֹתָ֑ם

Some time after that, when Moses was grown, he went out to his brothers and looked on their burden.

Rashi, the classical 11th century French commentator, understands that Moses's act of "looking" must have been more than just externally glancing with his eyes. Drawing on the midrash of Exodus Rabbah, Rashi interprets: "He [Moses] directed his eyes and heart to share in their distress." Today, we'd probably use the word empathy to describe the way that Moses paused to notice the distress of others and to allow his own heart to stir him to action. This is a key trait, and one that sets him up well for leadership.

If we were to summarize the story of what happens next, we might recall that Moses observes an Egyptian taskmaster beating a Hebrew slave, kills the Egyptian, and then runs away. This is all true... and yet, it's only part of the story. Interestingly, the section of text that follows contains not one but three distinct examples of how Moses "looks on the burden of others" and then, from a place of empathy, takes action. Here is that text of Exodus 2:11-22, broken into three chunks for clarity about the three separate instances:

Example 1: "He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his kinsmen. He turned this way and that and, seeing no one about, he struck down the Egyptian and hid him in the sand."

Example 2: "When he went out the next day, he found two Hebrews fighting; so he said to the offender, “Why do you strike your fellow?” He retorted, “Who made you chief and ruler over us? Do you mean to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?” Moses was frightened, and thought: Then the matter is known!"

Example 3: "When Pharaoh learned of the matter, he sought to kill Moses; but Moses fled from Pharaoh. He arrived in the land of Midian, and sat down beside a well. Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters. They came to draw water, and filled the troughs to water their father’s flock; but shepherds came and drove them off. Moses rose to their defense, and he watered their flock. When they returned to their father Reuel, he said, “How is it that you have come back so soon today?” They answered, “An Egyptian rescued us from the shepherds; he even drew water for us and watered the flock.” He said to his daughters, “Where is he then? Why did you leave the man? Ask him in to break bread.” Moses consented to stay with the man, and he gave Moses his daughter Zipporah as wife. She bore a son whom he named Gershom, for he said, “I have been a stranger in a foreign land.”"

One of my favorite modern Torah commentators, Nehama Leibowitz, helps to make meaning of this tripartite narrative. (In case you're not familiar with her work, she was a prominent scholar who is famous for having ignited interest in Torah study in Israel throughout the 20th century. She taught at multiple Israeli universities, shared Torah commentary regularly on the radio, and created study sheets about the weekly Torah portion that were subsequently published in a multi-volume work of Torah commentary. She's worth looking up!)

About Moses's three applications of empathy, Leibowitz writes the following (in her volume Studies in Shemot, pages 40-41):

"Moses intervened on three occasions to save the victim from the aggressor. Each of these represents an archetype. First he intervenes in a clash between a Jew and non-Jew, second, between two Jews, and third, between two non-Jews. In all three cases, Moses championed the just cause...

Had we been told only of the first clash, we might have doubted the unselfishness of his motives. Perhaps he had been activated by the sense of solidarity with his own people, hatred for the stronger oppressing his brethren rather than pure justice. 

Had we been faced with the second example, we might still have had our doubts. Perhaps he was revolted by the disgrace of witnessing internal strife amongst his own folks, activated by national pride rather than the objective facts.

Came the third clash where both parties were outsiders, neither brothers, friends nor neighbors. His sense of justice and fair play was exclusively involved. He instinctively championed the just cause... Only when repeated championing of justice brings no reward can we be convinced of the unselfishness of the deed."

Nehama Leibowitz's commentary on this section of text helps to answer the question of why Moses is the one selected for the Torah's greatest leadership role. He is, of course, empathetic, and able to see the suffering of others, as we saw in verse 11. But even more, the verses that follow demonstrate that he is fair and consistent in how he analyzes the world around him. When there is injustice happening -- by anyone and towards anyone -- Moses has 1) the unique ability to see it clearly, and 2) the courage to intervene.

In our world, at this moment -- when we don't have to look very far in any direction to find aggression, oppression, or injustice -- it's easy to feel like we may need to make choices, and decide which fights for justice matter most to us. (For example, do we muster our energy to defend the Jewish community, or to address Jewish in-fighting, or to stand against injustice when we see it playing out in the broader world?) This reading of Moses's rise to leadership reminds us that all of these struggles are interconnected, and our ability to perceive injustice and stand against it anywhere helps us strengthen the muscle to do so everywhere.

This week, may the Torah's three examples of Moses seeing and intervening inspire each of us to cultivate a lens of empathy, to apply it impartially to the world around us, and to speak out and act to the best of our ability, using whatever tools we have at our disposal. May every small intervention we make pave the path towards a world of greater liberty and justice for all. 

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Rachel Nussbaum