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By Rabbi Shloimie Lindenbaum
ותקרא שמו משה ותאמר כי מן המים משיתהו (פרק ב פסוק י)
When Basya, the daughter of Pharoah, finds a Jewish baby in the water, she takes him and raises him as her own. She gives him a name, Moshe- משה, referencing that she drew him out of the water- משיתהו. The Sforno comments that the word משה means to draw others. Instead of titling him as “the one who was drawn forth” (משוי), she called him “the one who draws forth”. The Sforno explains that the fact that Moshe was saved by being pulled out of the water, was a message to him to always remember to draw forth others and save them from their distress. The salvation that made him who he was now serves as a reminder of what he must live up to; to save others just as he was saved. Perhaps that is why this name remained with him for the rest of his life, although it had odd origins. It defined his life’s role based on his own experience. This can be a lesson for all of us as well, to learn from what we go through, to appreciate salvations that we experience, and then to look to help others in the same way.
ויאמר משה אסורה נא ואראה וכו’ וירא ה’ כי סר לראות וכו’ (פרק ג פסוק ג-ד)
Moshe was grazing his father-in-law’s sheep in the desert when he noticed a burning thorn bush that was not being consumed. He comments, “I will turn now and see…why the thorn bush is not burning.” “And Hashem saw that he turned to see, and He called to him…”. It sounds as though, because Moshe turned to see the bush, that is why Hashem called to him, choosing him as the leader of the Jewish people. R’ Aharon Kotler explains that Moshe’s turning wasn’t out of mere curiosity, rather he recognized that this was a spiritual phenomenon with a deeper message, and he turned to understand more of Hashem’s ways. This minor action of turning to see was what “sealed the deal” on his appointment as redeemer. R’ Aharon points out that we find many ways in which Moshe had already become a great person- his sensitivity for his enslaved brethren, his saving Yisro’s daughters, his caring for the sheep, and yet he needed just a little more to achieve the necessary level. This is a tremendous encouragement for us to always continue to push ourselves, growing higher and closer to Hashem. Sometimes we just need a little more of a push, just a minor action of desiring more closeness, that can help us achieve our goals. It is not worth it to ignore opportunities for growth, however minor they seem, because we never know what small action can make all the difference.
