Midreshet Amit

Torah

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True Compassion

By: Sophiana Paris and Ariella Nahoumi

Growing up, Moshe was surrounded by compassion. When he was born, his mother took care of him for three months until she was forced to place him in the Nile. She put in the extra effort to make him a special basket in hopes that her baby would survive. Not only did his mother protect her child, but his sister was there by his side to make sure that her baby brother would be okay. The compassion that Moshe experienced in the earliest stages of his life extended even further than his biological family. When Bat Pharoah saw him floating through the Nile River, the immediate emotion described in the text was her compassion towards him, “åÇúÌÇçÀî֣Éì òÈìÈ֔éå.” Clearly, the compassion he was surrounded by growing up influenced him to sympathize with others. As a result, this became a huge factor in what made him a great, successful leader. His life mission is reflected in his name, Moshe, meaning “he draws out.” We see in this parsha that there are multiple instances where his compassion led him “to draw” people out of their suffering. When Moshe grows up we read:
åÇéÀäÄ֣é Ð áÌÇéÌÈîÄ֣éí äÈäÅ֗í åÇéÌÄâÀãÌÇ֤ì îÉùÑÆä֙ åÇéÌÅöÅ֣à àÆìÎàÆçÈ֔éå åÇéÌÇ֖øÀà áÌÀñÄáÀìÉúÈ֑í åÇéÌÇøÀà֙ àÄ֣éùÑ îÄöÀøÄ֔é îÇëÌÆ֥ä àÄéùÑÎòÄáÀøÄ֖é îÅàÆçÈÍéåÓ 
Moshe went out to his brothers and saw their suffering. Before he even knew of his own identity he couldn't stand by as an Egyptian man beat a Jewish man.
We continue to read
åÇéÌÅöÅà֙ áÌÇéÌ֣åÉí äÇùÑÌÅðÄ֔é åÀäÄðÌÅ֛ä ùÑÀðÅÍéÎàÂðÈùÑÄ֥éí òÄáÀøÄ֖éí ðÄöÌÄ֑éí åÇéÌÉ֙àîÆø֙ ìÈÍøÈùÑÈ֔ò ìÈ֥îÌÈä úÇëÌÆ֖ä øÅòÆÍêÈÓ
Moshe saw two Jewish men fighting and got involved to protect the underdog.
It never mattered who the person was, Moshe always stood up to support the underdog. We continue to read about Moshe Leaving Egypt and traveling to Midian where he sees the daughters of Yitro suffering under the hand of the local shepherds and steps in to rescue them.. This trait of compassion isn't just something that Moshe was raised with, but rather something that became part of his personality and guided him as a leader of the Jewish people.