Sefer Shemot, as the Ramban famously noted in his introduction to Sefer Shemot, is the Book of Exile and Redemption. If Sefer Breishit is the Book of Creation, both of the world as a whole and specifically of the Jewish People, Sefer Shemot is contains the description of how the experiences of the Avot act as the blueprint for the actions of their descendants as they forge a nation both physically and spiritually redeemed from the servitude of Mitzrayim. Our Parsha sets the stage for this redemptive process, introducing us to Moshe Rabbenu, the leader who will ultimately guide Bnei Yisrael from the depths of slavery to the entrance of Eretz Yisrael. Nechama Leibovich points out that the first chapter of Sefer Shemot does not identify individuals within Am Yisrael, and the nation is portrayed as an amorphous mass being buffeted by events beyond its control, reacting to increasing persecution only by procreating. Even as leadership emerges in the second perek it is still anonymous, with none of the players being named until Moshe himself is found by the Egyptian princess and taken by her to be her son. In it is in this manner that the Torah introduces us to the greatest leader that Am Yisrael ever had and will ever have.
Given Moshe’s prominence, it seems surprising that the Torah is not more forthcoming with details of Moshe’s early life. What characteristics does he display that mark him as a future leader, which events and experiences prepare him for the central role that he will play? In fact, the Torah devotes all of a dozen passukim(2:11-22) to these questions (Hollywood, beginning with Cecil B. DeMille and continuing through Disney seems to have devoted considerably more resources to the topic).
Our working assumption, of course is that the Torah is neither a history book nor an action novel, and as such has neither need nor inclination to dramatize or overly document this period of Moshe’s life. On the other hand, what the Torah chooses to tell us must be critically important to our understanding of Moshe. A relatively quick perusal of the passukim tells us the following:
1) Moshe leaves the palace in order to observe the condition of his brothers up close. How he learned that the Jews were his brothers the Torah does not tell us, though most meforshim simply assume that he had been told (see for example the Ramban 2:11). The Abarbanel explains the basis of this assumption. If Moshe was raised by his mother who served as Paro’s daughter’s wet nurse, it stands to reason that Yocheved made sure that Moshe would be aware of his true roots.
2) Moshe sees a Jew being persecuted by an Egyptian. At this point Moshe slays the Egyptian
3) Shortly thereafter Moshe observes two Jews fighting. When trying to mediate between them they turn on him, revealing that they are aware that Moshe had murdered the Egyptian. Fearing for his life, Moshe flees Egypt.
4) Moshe then turns up in Midyan, where he happens upon Yitro’s daughters being harassed by their fellow shepherds (harassed is probably a euphemism; Midrash Shemot Rabba goes as far as suggesting that they were being physically attacked and were the victims of attempted rape). Moshe saves them and cares for their flock.
5) Yitro takes Moshe Rabbenu in, and gives him Tzipora as a wife. Moshe and Tzipora build a family.
That’s all the Torah tells us. Further complicating the issue is the fact that the time frame is somewhat problematic. The Torah tells us that this entire episode begins when Moshe grew up (VaYigdal Moshe). How old could he have been? A teen? A young adult? It seems clear, moreover, that the events which force him to flee take place pretty much immediately after he went out to observe the travails of his brethren. We know that Moshe returns to Egypt much later in life, at age eighty. What exactly was he doing during the roughly three score period of his absence? Points four and five of our overview do not seem to account for nearly enough time, unless we posit that at least the eldest of Moshe’s sons was a mature adult when Moshe returned to Mizrayim, in itself a difficult supposition. Did Moshe hang out for years in Midyan before he chanced upon Yitro’s daughters? Was he elsewhere and only came to Midyan later on? Perhaps he married Tzipora at a young age but they only became parents when they were much older? Again, the Torah doesn’t tell us. Why? Clearly, from the Torah’s perspective it is unimportant. (The Midrash of course tries to fill in the gaps, most famously the Divrei Yamim Shel Moshe Rabbenu. This Midrash is questionable authenticity. The Abarbanel accepts it, others, the Ibn Ezra prominent amongst them, reject it as a fraud. See R. Kasher’s Torah Shlaima for a full quotation of the Midrash. For our purposes the question of the authenticity is academic. Either way, the Torah itself passes over the time period, apparently because it doesn’t add anything to either our understanding of Moshe Rabbenu or to our appreciation of the qualities which made him a leader).
In a different study Nechama Liebovitch suggests that the three main elements of our story (points two, three and four) in fact give us all the information we need to understand why Moshe was chosen as the leader. In all three cases we see Moshe’s strong inclination of justice on the one hand and defence of the helpless on the other being clearly demonstrated. Nechama uses the familiar Talmudic approach of “Tzricha”, it is necessary, to explain why the three seemingly similar episodes are related. Each situation is a bit different. In the first case, Moshe is defending a Jew against a non-Jew. Perhaps his sense of justice is limited to such a parochial circumstance. The second case has Moshe intervening between two Jews. But again, perhaps Moshe’s outrage is limited to a situation where only his brethren are affected. The third case pits non-Jew against non-Jew, demonstrating that Moshe’s sense of justice is universal in nature. Moreover, the very fact that Moshe reverts to similar behavioral patterns over the course of time, despite the fact that he has paid a high personal price for his earlier interventions, demonstrates the depth of his convictions.
Of course, one could take issue with some of the above. Should a leader not show bias towards one’s own people, as opposed to being equally dedicated to all? In response to this question we could suggest that Moshe did in fact show greater loyalty to Am Yisrael, but nonetheless recognized that justice and mercy should be provided to all. Such an approach seems to be reflected in the Ralabag, who sees point two above as teaching the necessity of defending one’s brethren from harm, point three as teaching that one should strive to prevent machloket within one’s nation, and only point four as teaching that one should strive for universal justice. In any case, we can fairly conclude that Moshe’s sense of justice and compassion was amongst the traits that made him worthy of the mantle of leadership that would be thrust upon him.
Other, related traits also emerge from these passukim. The Torah relates that prior to killing the Egyptian Moshe looked all around and saw that there was no man to be seen. Only then did he strike the Egyptian (2:12). The simple understanding is that Moshe wished to ascertain that he was not being watched, that there were no witnesses to his action. This understanding is strengthened by Moshe’s surprise and dismay at discovering that his actions had become known (2:14). R. Shimshon Rafael Hirsch sees Moshe’s caution as a positive sign, further affirming his ability to lead. Even a sense of justice must be tempered by an understanding of what is achievable. This differentiates Moshe from the reckless style of leadership which on the one hand risks everything while on the other hand shifts the focus of the fight from the goals of the struggle to the leader himself.
The Netziv sees the passuk differently. Moshe is not worried about being seen. Rather his hope is to look around and find someone who shares his understanding that an injustice is being done and needs to be redressed. “VaYar ki ein ish”, he saw that there was no man. Moshe saw that there was no one who gave a second thought to an individual with power randomly attacking a helpless Jew, no one who saw any need to apply justice to the situation. Given this reality, Moshe saw that he had no choice but to be that person. This too, is the hallmark of a leader, one who is willing to step up and demand justice when no one else will.