After starting a new life as a shepherd of Yisro’s flocks, Moshe notices something unusual. He sees a
burning bush in the distance. But it’s not burning; the bush is not being consumed by the fire. As Moshe
draws near to examine the anomaly he sees before his eyes, Hashem calls out to Moshe. He tells Moshe
to draw near and remove his shoes, “for the place upon which you stand is holy ground.”
This summons is Moshe’s call to action. A dialogue ensues in which Moshe is given the charge to be the
leader that will take the Jewish people out of Egypt, bring them to Mount Sinai to receive the Torah, and
deliver them to the Land of Israel, the promised land. It is this conversation with G-d that transforms
Moshe into Moshe Rabbeinu.
When we examine the p’sukim we don’t seem to find the personality we would expect of the greatest
leader of the Jewish people. Moshe comes up with every excuse not to take the job. Rashi (4:10)
comments that the dialogue between Hashem and Moshe went on for seven whole days; for seven days
Moshe refused the position! The most alarming part is Moshe’s initial response to Hashem’s request:
“Moshe replies to G-d, ‘Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and that I should take the Children of
Israel out of Egypt?” (Shemos, 3:11). “Who am I”; this is NOT leadership material!
I once heard a fascinating perspective on this unusual part of the Exodus story. There is a very special
Rabbi, who currently leads an English-speaking congregation in Ramat Beit Shemesh, by the name of
Rabbi Yaakov Haber. Rabbi Haber is a brilliant man, a tremendous scholar, and very insightful. He is a
close family friend to the Alt family as his first post-graduate position was as the Rabbi of my parents’
congregation in Buffalo, NY.
Rabbi Haber suggested that what seems to us as the opposite of what a leader needs was exactly what
Hashem was looking for. Rabbi Haber noted that Hashem waited until Moshe was an eighty year-old
man to call him to duty. Moshe was probably already living the retired life, taking it easy with the sheep
at pasture. Moshe Rabbeinu is known as the anav mekol adam, the most humble of all men; this was no
coincidence, this is what Hashem was looking for. Hashem wanted a leader that would be focused on
Hashem’s mission with no regard for his own stature. This idea changes the way we read these p’sukim.
Every time Moshe refuses, Hashem is not disappointed (kaviyochel); rather, He is excited. The more
Moshe says, “Who am I,” the more Hashem says, “This is my man!”
Rabbi Haber shared a personal story that related to this idea. When he was preparing to leave Israel to
assume his position as the Rabbi in Buffalo, NY, he visited his Rebbi, Rabbi Pinchas Scheinberg for a
bracha and a final farewell. He asked his Rebbi for advice, what is the best way to be mekarev people,
to get Jews more engaged in Judaism? Rabbi Scheinberg stood up and motioned to Rabbi Haber moving
his hands up towards the ceiling. “Your job is to bring them closer to Hashem.” Then he brought his
arms into himself as if in an embrace, “You are not bringing them closer to you.”
As we encounter the “burning bushes” in our own lives, the unusual opportunities that avail themselves,
we should learn from Moshe Rabbeinu that success lies in a focus on Hashem. This is Hashem’s mission,
it’s not about you. The more we can get ourselves out of the way, the more it will be about Hashem and
His glory. And when our mission is purely about Hashem then amazing things happen. An Exodus, a Har
Sinai, a Land of Israel; anything is possible.