The Torah includes two stories that describe the early part of Moshe's life. The first (Shemot 2:1-10) documents his birth and the circumstances through which he comes to Pharaoh's house; the second (ibid. 10-22) describes him going out to his brethren, the move to Yitro's home, his marriage to Tzippora, and his stay in Midian until the birth of his son.
In this shiur, we will consider the background information that the Torah provides about Moshe Rabbeinu, including his upbringing and early deeds. Chazal teach us that it was in the merit of the righteous women that Bnei Yisrael were redeemed from Egypt, and we will see that it was indeed the righteous women in Moshe's family who enabled the redemption. We will further note the comparison and contrast between Moshe and Shaul, the first leader and the first king.
One of the several similarities between Moshe and Yosef is that they both enable the salvation of Bnei Yisrael. But why does Moshe hesitate to accept his mission to such a degree? We will explore this question and how it may have affected the Torah's record of the explanations for the names of Moshe's sons.
In this shiur, we will attempt to understand the very difficult passage regarding the circumcision of one of Moshe's sons at the inn on the way back to Egypt, taking into account Moshe's struggle to maintain his identity even in Midyan.
What prompted the divine wisdom to arrange for the future redeemer of Israel to be raised in the house of Pharaoh? How does the first part of Moshe's biography fit into the larger story of his life and his destiny?
