בס”ד
Before he was a leader of the Jewish people, Moshe was a shepherd. The Midrash tells how one day, while Moshe was grazing Yitro’s cattle in the Sinai desert, a little lamb ran away from the flock. Moshe chased it until it reached a spring and began to drink. When Moshe caught up with the lamb he cried, “I didn’t know you were thirsty!”. rite in his hands and carried it to the flock. G-d said: “You are merciful in tending sheep – you will care for my flock, the people of Israel” In addition to demonstrating Moshe’s compassion, this incident contains another important lesson: Moshe realized that the lamb did not run away from the flock out of malice or wickedness – it was simply thirsty.When a Jew strays from his people, G-d forbid, it is only because he is thirsty. His soul searches for meaning in life, but the waters of Torah escaped him. So he wanders into strange realms, seeking to quench his thirst. When Moshe understood this, he was ready to be a leader of the Jewish people. Only a shepherd who is not in a hurry to judge the runaway lamb, who is sensitive to the causes of his desertion, can mercifully lift him up in his arms and bring him back home.
By Rabbi Tuvia Serber
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