בס”ד
Va’eira (Exodus 6:2-9:35 )
Interestingly, the Tribe of Levi were exempt from the slavery because of a decree that Yosef made many hundreds of years earlier, guaranteeing freedom and independence to any ‘Priests’ – people devoted to spirituality. However, this begs the question: why did Pharaoh allow this exemption to continue, being that he was such a ruthless and powerful leader who could surely cancel Yosef’s decree?
Rabbi Yonasan Eibeschutz1 offers a profound insight into Pharaoh’s reasoning. Through his astrologers, Pharaoh foresaw that the future redeemer of the Jewish people would emerge from the Tribe of Levi (indeed, Moses was from the Tribe of Levi). However, instead of enslaving them to break their spirit, Pharaoh made a calculated decision. He reasoned that if the Levites were spared the suffering and toil of slavery, they would remain disconnected from the pain and struggles of the Jewish people and they would not be able to empathize with their suffering. This would prevent them from caring enough to be an effective redeemer. Moreover, a person who had not shared in the people’s anguish would find it impossible to rally them behind his cause as they would see him as an outsider, incapable of truly understanding their plight.
In a similar vein, Rabbi Eibeschutz continues that the Jewish people also did not initially accept Moses as their leader precisely because of his privileged upbringing. This, posits Rabbi Eibeschutz, is the meaning of the verse in Shemot. “But they did not listen to Moses because of shortness of spirit (kotzer ruach) and hard labor.”2 They were not able to listen to Moses because of the fact that they had experienced shortness of spirit and hard work and he never had. Moses grew up as a free man, living in the palace. They were not ready to listen to him or to let him become their redeemer as he!
Thus, whether it was because he was a Levi or because he grew up in a comfortable lifestyle, there was good reason that both Pharaoh and the Jewish nation could not envisage Moses as being an effective leader, with the required level of empathy and concern. Indeed, it seems that it wasn’t inevitable that Moses would develop into the person who could lead the Jewish people, rather he made a concerted effort to develop the trait of empathy and to relate to the suffering of his brethren.
The Torah relates: “Moses grew up and went out to his brothers, and saw their suffering…”3 Rashi elaborates: on the words, “he saw their suffering” that “he placed his eyes and heart to feel pain over them.” Rashi teaches that Moses actively made an effort to empathize and see what the Jewish people were going through, and contemplated what they were enduring. This enabled him to develop the trait of empathy that was essential for him to be able to ultimately gain the trust of the people, and to be an effective leader.4
Moses transcended his privileged upbringing through his conscious efforts to empathize with his brethren. The Torah recounts how, as a young man, Moses “went out to his brothers and saw their burdens” (Shemot 2:11). The Alter MiKelm emphasizes the deliberate nature of Moshe’s actions: he didn’t merely observe their suffering passively but actively placed his eyes and attention on their pain. He allowed himself to feel their anguish as if it were his own, forging a deep connection with his people despite his different circumstances.
To be a leader, it is not enough to feel the pain of the people, one must act upon it. Moses did just that when he saw an Egyptian beating a Jew. He risked his life to save the Jew and kill the Egyptian. Again, in Midian, he came to the rescue of Yitro’s daughters because he could not accept oppression of innocent people.
This type of selfless empathy was entirely alien to Pharaoh. Pharaoh was someone who only cared about himself, and showed no concern for the great suffering that he brought upon his people through his stubborn refusal to free the Jewish people. This is demonstrated in his reaction to the first plague of blood. The Torah relates that, “Pharaoh hardened his heart and he did not listen to them [Moshe and Aaron].” The next verse states that, “Pharaoh turned and went to his home, and also did not pay attention to this.5” The commentaries ask, what does the Torah refer to when it says that ‘he did not pay attention to this’ – the previous verse already stated that Pharaoh did not listen to the arguments of Moshe and Aaron? The Netsiv explains that the second verse is telling us that Pharaoh was also unmoved by the pain that his people were suffering through the plague, and did not seek out any ways in which he could ease their pain.
A man driven by selfishness and a lust for power, Pharaoh could not comprehend a leader like Moshe, who was willing to make himself vulnerable and share in the suffering of others. Consequently, Pharaoh projected his own character onto Moshe, assuming he would remain detached and indifferent to the suffering that he had not experienced. Pharaoh’s mistake was that Moshe worked on himself to develop his compassion and empathy and thereby became the greatest leader of the Jewish people. May we all merit to emulate Moshe’s efforts of developing the key quality of empathy.
By Rabbi Yehonasan Gefen
- Cited by Rabbi Yissachar Frand.
- Shemot, 6:9.
- Shemot, 2:11.
- See Daat Chachma U’Mussar, Chelek 1, Maamar 11-12, in the name of the Alter MiKelm.
- Va’eira, 6:22-23.
WEEKLY TORAH PORTION,
The Guiding Light
by Rabbi Yehonasan Gefen
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