This week we begin the struggle between Moses and Pharaoh for the freedom of the Jewish people. Moses, the reluctant leader of a broken and enslaved people, with a stutter, and Pharaoh, the leader of the most powerful nation on earth, with his hard heart, his lack of empathy.
Of course we know how the story turns out. Pharaoh, terrified by God’s mighty power as demonstrated by the plagues, promises over and over to free the Israelites, but as soon as the danger passes he goes back on his word and reverts to his cruel and arrogant nature.
Moses, despite his stutter, never gives in. In Chapter 6 we read this interesting verse, “It was they who spoke to Pharaoh king of Egypt to free the Israelites from the Egyptians; these are the same Moses and Aaron.” (Exodus 6:27). What a strange line, “these are the same Moses and Aaron.” Commenting on this verse, Rashi (12th C. Germany) writes, “THESE ARE MOSES AND AARON — they remained always the same in carrying out their mission and in their integrity from beginning to end.”
Moses is a man of integrity and commitment. Unlike Pharaoh, who changes with circumstance, Moses, the leader with the stutter, stays true to his mission.
As we transition in a few short days to a new President with a stutter, let us pray that he will have Moses’ integrity and commitment. We have had enough of Pharaoh’s hard hearted, inconsistent and selfish leadership.
Vaera, Exodus 6:2-9:35, Parshat Ha Shavua for Shabbat, Saturday, January 16, 2021
January 15, 2021 by Dean Kertesz • Drashot
This week we begin the struggle between Moses and Pharaoh for the freedom of the Jewish people. Moses, the reluctant leader of a broken and enslaved people, with a stutter, and Pharaoh, the leader of the most powerful nation on earth, with his hard heart, his lack of empathy.
Of course we know how the story turns out. Pharaoh, terrified by God’s mighty power as demonstrated by the plagues, promises over and over to free the Israelites, but as soon as the danger passes he goes back on his word and reverts to his cruel and arrogant nature.
Moses, despite his stutter, never gives in. In Chapter 6 we read this interesting verse, “It was they who spoke to Pharaoh king of Egypt to free the Israelites from the Egyptians; these are the same Moses and Aaron.” (Exodus 6:27). What a strange line, “these are the same Moses and Aaron.” Commenting on this verse, Rashi (12th C. Germany) writes, “THESE ARE MOSES AND AARON — they remained always the same in carrying out their mission and in their integrity from beginning to end.”
Moses is a man of integrity and commitment. Unlike Pharaoh, who changes with circumstance, Moses, the leader with the stutter, stays true to his mission.
As we transition in a few short days to a new President with a stutter, let us pray that he will have Moses’ integrity and commitment. We have had enough of Pharaoh’s hard hearted, inconsistent and selfish leadership.