Dear Friends,
I hope this message finds you well and managing these complex times.
Moshe was chosen by Hashem to advocate for the Jewish people to Pharaoh. But why was Moshe the right man for the job? While he was clearly the person most suited to be the prophet, uniquely qualified by his righteousness and humility, what is less apparent is his suitability for the task of advocacy, an issue that was raised by Moshe himself (Shemot 3:11): “Mi anochi ki eileich el Pharaoh, who am I to go to Pharaoh?”
That question was on one level an expression of Moshe’s humility, as he felt too unimportant to approach the king (see Rashi). But perhaps there is another layer to the question. Does the fact that Moshe grew up in Pharaoh’s house make him the wrong person to confront him? When it came to striking the waters of the Nile or the dust of Egypt, it was Aaron and not Moshe who was told to do so, as the river and the dust had protected Moshe during two specific episodes (see Rashi to 7:19 and 8:12). This deep sensitivity even for the inanimate “well from which one has drunk” is often cited as an illustration of the extent to which our appreciation must extend. Yet, what Moshe received from Pharaoh was far more than episodic, was very substantial, and was human. How much more so that he should not be the one to go to Pharaoh and be the cause of Pharaoh’s unimaginable pain! Yet he was specifically chosen for this task. Why?
We can suggest two approaches, both of which have relevance for our own attitudes to American leadership.
The first is itself a strong lesson in appreciation. Moshe’s indebtedness to Pharaoh for living in his house was not fundamentally different than that of all his brothers and sisters who lived in his land. The Torah in fact teaches us that every Jew must continue to this day to appreciate the Egyptians for their taking us in during the years of famine, despite the complexities of our relationship with them (Devarim 23:8). This is similarly true for all the places to which Jews have emigrated to escape their troubles. American Jews should thus view the American president not as a remote political figure but with the equivalent appreciation with which Moshe must have seen Pharaoh, as a foster parent who took in a child who could no longer live at home. In this respect, Moshe may have been similarly suited as every other Jew to confront his and their host, Pharaoh. We must be grateful to the leaders of our host country like a child is grateful to his foster parents.
But there is a next step. The water and dust could not be approached or spoken to; they were inanimate objects that were to be struck and harmed. Pharaoh, on the other hand, was human, and as a person he would be approached and asked to resolve an issue that he and his country needed to fix. Pharaoh was viciously enslaving the Jews and the confrontation with Moshe began not as an exercise in punishment but as an attempt to have Pharaoh learn and change, to make him and his country better as they would treat Klal Yisrael better. While Moshe’s indebtedness to the dust and water made him least suited to strike it, his greater appreciation of Pharaoh made him the most suited to advocate that Pharaoh do the right thing. Similarly, in our own efforts to advocate before those whom Hashem has placed in seats of power, we will be most effective when we approach them with the appreciation that they as our hosts deserve.
As America transitions from one leader to another, every one of us has our own strongly held political assessments, attitudes, and inclinations towards each of them, but what both President Biden and President-elect Trump deserve is the deep appreciation of a Jewish community that has been given the privilege to live and thrive in the country they lead. We are grateful for that gift, we pray for their well-being, and we will continuously attempt, like Moshe, to help them make this country better as they treat Klal Yisrael better.
Have a wonderful Shabbos, and may we be blessed with besoros tovos, truly good news.
Moshe Hauer