Two Minute Torah Podcast

Sh'mot 5770 by Lewis Grafman

Shalom! This is Lewis Grafman, Executive Director of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism Mid-Atlantic Region. Welcome to the KOACH 2-minute Torah, a project of the college department of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism.

One of the most troubling incidents in this week's Parasha, in fact in the entire Torah, is found in Exodus 2:11-12. "Some time after that, when Moses had grown up, he went out to his kinfolk and witnessed their labors. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his kinsmen. He turned this way and that and, seeing no one about, he struck down the Egyptian and hid him in the sand." The same verb, "makkeh" is used in both verses 11 and 12, for the action of the Egyptian striking the Hebrew, as well as Moshe striking the Egyptian. As pointed out in the P'shat commentary to Etz Hayim, footnote 12, "It can be a technical term for killing, as here."

What is happening here? The Torah goes out of its way to make sure to state that Moshe is grown up, that he is a mature adult. Why does Moshe look around before he attacks the Egyptian? Is he trying to assure that there are no witnesses to what he is about to do? Is Moshe looking for someone else to step up and do what must be done? Is this a pre-meditated murder, or the act of the righteous on behalf of the oppressed? But if it is indeed justified anger, which most Biblical commentaries endorse, why turn this way and that to see if there is anyone around? Is Moshe an example of zealotry as he kills the Egyptian, or is he thoughtful in his actions?

As Nahum Sarna describes in the JPS Torah Commentary for Exodus at page 11, the narration of the Torah "is concerned with the character of Moses and the nature of his commitments. These are illustrated by three incidents that display his moral passion and his inability to tolerate injustice," the killing of the Egyptian, who was beating a fellow Hebrew, his breaking up the fight among the Hebrews in verse 14, and his defense of the daughters of the priest of Midian and watering their flocks in verses 16-17. It is easy to see the merit of the second and third incidents, his response to the untoward conduct of his own people, and his assistance to the daughters, total strangers, even though he is a stranger himself. It is also reasonable to assume that Moshe pauses, not because he wants to avoid detection, but rather to think through the consequences of what he is about to do, both to himself personally and ultimately on behalf of the Jewish people, before he strikes the Egyptian.

As stated in the Hertz Humash, quoting Charles Foster Kent, "Moses resembles Ôgreat patriots of the past and present who have taken the sword to deliver their people from the hands of tyrants. His act may be condemned as hasty. In its immediate results it was fruitless as is every intemperate attempt to right a wrong by violence. However it allied Moses definitely with his kinsmen.'" (Exodus II 12 at page 211)

As much as we celebrate at Pesach and throughout the year the exodus from Egypt, at the same time we pour drops of wine from our cups as we recite the ten plagues at the Seder, to reflect our mixed feelings about the number of Egyptians who have to die for the Exodus to occur. We see our brethren in Israel continue to struggle with the same issues today, in Gaza, the West Bank and Lebanon. President Obama struggled with these very same concepts in his speech accepting the Nobel Peace Prize on December 10, 2009. Violence may never bring permanent peace, but at the same time evil exists in the world, which cannot be stopped by non-violent movement.

Ultimately Moshe's actions in killing the Egyptian are justified. He recognizes that the evil of slavery, of the degradation of his people, cannot be allowed to continue and at times requires extreme measures. May we, like Moshe, seriously consider both the evil we confront and the serious consequences of our actions to ourselves personally and to our communities, before we strike.