Biblical Personalities: Moshe’s Love of Israel

Moshe Rabbeinu’s Yahrtzeit and birthday are on the Seventh of Adar: “He looked on their burdens” (Exodus 2:11). He wept and said, “Woe is to me because of you! Would that I might die for you!” for there is no job harder than working with clay. He would pitch in and help each of them. Ignoring his rank, he would arrange their burdens while pretending to be helping Pharaoh. Upon seeing that they had no rest, he went to Pharaoh and said, “When a person does not give his slave one day of rest a week, [the slave] dies. These are your slaves. If you do not give them one day of rest a week, they will die.” [Pharaoh] replied, “Go and do as you say.” Moses then instituted the Sabbath as their day of rest (Shemot Rabbah 1:27).

Our teacher Moses loved the people of Israel (Menachot 65a).

The man of Netzach was also the man of humility. Moshe viewed the world and himself through the eyes of eternity. He even viewed his acts of Chesed through a lens of long range planning:” He would arrange their burdens while pretending to be helping Pharaoh,” actually helped him when he argued for the slaves to have a day off of work.

No matter how many burdens Moshe could arrange, and no matter how many individuals he could assist, his physical help was limited. However, Moshe’s Chesed was not the help he gave in assembling their bundles, but the fact that the people saw that this member of the royal family was willing to ignore his lofty position and help them. We can imagine that the word of Moshe’s help spread and took on a life of its own.

When Moshe was able to not only arrange for a day of rest, but for that day to be Shabbat, he gave them the opportunity to reconnect to their own Netzach through Shabbat.

This great love for them permeated his teachings forever. This is why we begin Shabbat with psalms composed by Moshe, summoning us to, “Let us go and praise God.” This is also why the Shabbat morning Amidah focuses on Moshe as bringing us the gift of Shabbat. He used his Netzach, and the Netzach of Shabbat to help them connect to their own eternal value. His eternal message continues to resonate.

We possess treasures that allow us to connect to the eternal reality of Israel: Shabbat, Torah, Mitzvot and prayer. We can achieve Chesed in Netzach by sharing those things that empower our Netzach with others in a manner that will help them expand and connect with something eternal.

Chesed in Netzach reminds us to share those lessons, not as rules and laws, but as a means to connect to the eternal.

Tools:

Which Mitzvot, Torah study, or prayers, help you experience a sense of the eternal nature of your soul?

Evaluate whether you are able to communicate that sense of Netzach to others in a way that will empower them to experience their own Netzach.