Hi,

Now the Exodus is really going to start!

Until now?

It sort of backfired.

Moshe and Aaron went to Pharaoh and told him to free the Jewish People

And Pharaoh responded by clamping down.  By making them work even harder.  (Exodus, 5)

… Now we’re about to start the “ten plagues.”

But first there’s something very interesting.  Very surprising.

The Torah seems to go off on a tangent.  A huge one.

It gives us the genealogy of Moshe and his brother Aaron.

In great detail.  (6:13-26)

It tells us about their parents.  Grandparents.  Aunts and uncles.  And cousins.

And here’s how it ends.

“This is Moshe and Aaron, to whom G-d said, “Bring the Israelites out of Egypt…”

As if we never heard of them before!

… It’s a very important message.  A very Jewish message.

Because we know what can happen to people that are seen as great human beings.

As great spiritual leaders that are “chosen by G-d” to be His prophet.

And who may even perform a few miracles.

Their followers make a big mistake.

They can’t see someone who is just “flesh and blood” reaching such spiritual levels. 

And begin to look at him as a god.

They start worshipping him.  And praying to him.

… The Torah will not let that happen.

It makes one thing very clear.

Moshe was a great human being. 

He reached the highest spiritual level of any person.

But that’s all he was.

A great human being!

And to prove it?

Here’s his whole family tree. In black and white!

… This is part of Judaism’s absolute commitment to monotheism.  To one G-d.

And there are many reasons for this.

But it’s not only a question of how wee see G-d.

It’s how we see human beings.

Because if Moshe was more than an ordinary human being who became great?

If he didn’t have the same challenges we have?

Then he could not be a role model for us.

And we couldn’t be inspired by him!

All the best,