Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Shemot 5771

This week's parsha is set in Egypt. The Jews are enslaved there and Pharoah orders the midwives to kill all Jewish male newborns. Yocheved, a Jewish midwife, courageously defies Pharoah's order, continues to deliver and save Jewish babies, and hides her own newborn son. Pharoah's daughter finds the baby, names him Moshe (Moses) and takes him to be her son. She hires Yocheved to nurse him. The Torah narrative then fast-forwards to when Moshe matures.

"Moshe grew up and went out to his brothers and saw their burdens." Moshe witnesses an Egyptian striking a Jew. He looks around and determines that no one will see him. He then strikes the Egyptian and buries him in the sand. The next day, Moshe sees two Jews quarreling. He asks, "Why would you strike your friend?" The man answers, "Do you plan to slay me as you have slain the Egyptian?" Moshe realizes that if these people are aware of what he has done, then Pharoah, too, must know. Fearing for his life, Moshe runs away and settles in Midian. There he observes shepherds harassing women as they try to draw water from a well. Moshe rescues the women and helps them water their flock.

What do these three incidents in Moshe's young adulthood reveal about Moshe and his suitability to lead the Jewish people?

In all of these situations, Moshe stands up for what he believes in. In doing so, he demonstrates an extreme intolerance of injustice; a natural empathy for the oppressed and a deep desire to help them; a passion to promote peace; and a profound love for all people, particularly his fellow Jew. Rabbi A.L. Scheinbaum in Peninim on the Torah writes: "A leader is one whose love for his fellow man and his sense of equity impel him to fight against any form of injustice, regardless of the personal consequences."

As parents, how can we cultivate leadership qualities in our children?

We can show our children that like Moshe, we care deeply about other people. We feel their pain when they are hurt and share their sorrow when they lose; we console them and help them heal with kind words and deeds. Likewise, we share in their joy and celebrate with them when they succeed and when they win. We can take our children with us when we pay a shiva (condolence) call and let them see how we comfort the bereaved; we can take them with us to a bris (ritual circumcision) and let them see how happy we are for the new parents.

Just as Yocheved takes a courageous stand against Pharoah's orders, and instills this value in Moshe, we, too, can show our children that we do not stand by idly when we see something that goes against what we believe to be right. We can point out injustice to our children – bullying, stealing, cheating -- and discuss the proper action to right the wrong. Then, we must follow through in a safe and productive manner. We must speak out or take action even if it means risking the disapproval of our friends, damaging our reputation, or diminishing our status in the community.

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