By Rabbi Ari Enkin, Rabbinic Director, United with Israel
Even though Moses was not personally enslaved, he never forgot his people and included himself in their suffering. He felt their pain. This is what made him a great leader.
This week’s Torah portion is “Yitro” (Exodus 18:1 – 20:23), and boy is it action packed! It’s the portion where we read about the Revelation at Sinai and the receiving of the Torah.
We also get a formal introduction to Moses’ children in this week’s reading. Moses named his children after his life experiences. He named his firstborn son Gershom, which means “stranger,” thereby reminding Moses that he “was a stranger in a foreign land.” The second son’s name is Eliezer, which means “God is my help.” Moses wanted to always be reminded that “the God of my fathers helped me and saved me from Pharaoh’s sword.”
The commentators examine the names of Moses’ sons and ask the following question: The episode of Moses being saved from Pharaoh’s sword (after he killed an Egyptian, forcing him to escape to Midian so that he would not be killed) occurred before the episode of Moses’ dwelling in a foreign land (Midian). As such, one would think that if he was naming his boys in memory of past events in his life, he would name them in “chronological order,” so that the firstborn son would be named Eliezer and the second one would get the name Gershom. Why did Moses reverse the order?
The commentators explain that the Pharaoh who was out to kill Moses was still alive when his first son was born, and therefore, Moses didn’t feel completely out of danger. By the time his second son was born, however, that Pharaoh had died, and the coast was clear…he was completely out of danger, and it was therefore appropriate to give the name Eliezer.
Moses: The Most Humble of Men
Another interpretation offered is that Moses, whom the Torah says was the most humble man on earth, named his boys on the basis of his own character traits. When his first son was born, the Jews were still slaves in Egypt. Moses realized that it would be inappropriate for him to name his child in a manner that would seem he was boasting about being the lucky one, living in Midian, far away from any slavery. God was good to him, but God had not yet shown His goodness to the rest of the nation. Therefore, he “toned down” the name of his first son, simply noting the fact that he was “a stranger in a strange land.”
When the second son was born, Moses had already begun his descent to Egypt in order to redeem the Jewish people. The people had begun to see “the light at the end of the tunnel.” Moses was now able to express thanks for his personal salvation many years ago, and he named his son accordingly.
This shows the greatness of Moses and why he was such a great leader. Even though he was not personally enslaved, he never forgot his people and included himself in their suffering. He felt their pain.
Such a person wouldn’t think of celebrating his own personal salvation while his people were still suffering and needed their own salvation. This is why Moses was the leader of the Jewish people. We could certainly use more such leaders!
For more insights by Rabbi Ari Enkin on this week’s Torah reading, click on the links below:
https://unitedwithisrael.org/living-torah-youve-just-gotta-listen/
https://unitedwithisrael.org/living-torah-its-in-the-top-ten/
https://unitedwithisrael.org/living-torah-yitro-rejects-idolatry/
https://unitedwithisrael.org/honoring-your-parents-is-honoring-god/