Moses

Anavah Hero: Moses

The Pro

blem

He was “a prince of Egypt” and the guy chosen by God to lead the Jewish people. He led 600,000 people, got the Ten Commandments and was called to the burning bush. Still he wrote in the Torah about himself, “ The man, Moses, was very humble, more than any other person on the face of the earth.”

(Numbers 12:3)

The Call

ing

Moses was raised in Pharaoh’s palace. He sew a Jew being beaten by an Egyptian. When he stepped in and stopped the beating, some Jews threatened to turn him in. He ran. Moses came to Midian, where he was considered to be an Egyptian. He got a job as a shepherd. A shepherd is very different from a prince.

One day God showed up, did some special effects with a bush and asked Moses to lead the Jewish people out of Egypt. Moses’ response was not “They don’t want me.” It wasn’t “I’m not really a Jew.” Instead he said, “Who am I, that I should go to P haraoh, and that I should bring The Families-of-Israel out of Egypt?” (Exodus 3:11). In other words, “I am a nobody.”

Delegat

ing

Moses led the Jewish people out of Egypt. He held up his staff, and the Reed Sea divided. They were now camped in freedom. His father-inlaw Jethro showed up and suggested to Moses that his workload could be reduced through the appointment of “ leaders over thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens’” (Exod. 18:21). Instead of rejecting the suggestion, instead of saying, “I am in charge,” instead of saying no, Moses listened to the idea. Later God gave Moses more help by sharing the Holy Spirit with seventy of Israel’s elders (Num. 11:24-25). When two of the elders “prophesied in the camp” Joshua told Moses to stop them, but it didn’t bother Moses. He had no need to be the only prophet. Instead he said, “ Are you jealous for me? Would that all the Eternal’s people were prophets, that the Eternal would put God’s spirit on them!” (Numbers 11:29). He did not view the prophesying of Eldad and Medad as a threat.

Confl

ict

Aaron and Miriam were Moses’ brother and sister. There is a time when they both yelled at Moses and attacked his leadership (Numbers 12:1-2). They said, “Has the E ternal spoken only through Moses? H as God not spoken through us also?” Moses did not respond to the attack. Instead, the Torah says, “ The man, M oses, was very humble, more than any other person on the face of the earth.” Moses said nothing, God stepped in, then Moses asked God that Miriam’s punishment be stopped. Pretty humble! Twice, when God was angry at the Familiesof-Israel, God threatened to destroy the Jewish people and start over building a nation through Moses (Exodus 32:9-10; Numbers 14:11-12). Each time Moses talked God down. He cared more for Israel than for his own future.

Mos

es’ Humility

Anavah is not weakness. The Talmud says, “Any place where one finds the strength, there one finds humility” (Megillah 31a). The secret to Moses is that he was both strong and humble. When you are confident you don’t need to overreact. That is the anavah we can learn from Moses.

Anavah Text

Rav Abraham Isaac Kook was the first Chief Rabbi of Israel. He wrote the following about anavah. It helps us to understand more about Moses.

People can find in themselves high, great and important qualities. They can also find low and mean qualities.

People see themselves as lowly because of their negative qualities and of high value because of their good qualities.

But they must not boast of their good qualities. Just the opposite, even their good qualities should fill them with endless humility, for it is the good qualities that challenge them to develop their other qualities that are in an undeveloped state.

1. What can good qualities do? 2. What can bad qualities do? 3. Why should a person be humble about the good qualities? 4. H ow is this the story of Moses?