Sicha, Shabbos Parshas Shemos 5733
A. The Snake that Swallowed Moses
When Moses was on his way to redeem the Jews from Egypt, a serpent swallowed him and sought to kill him. The reason for this was his negligence in not circumcising his son, Eliezer.
The Rebbe asks: How could Moses be punished with death? If he were to die, his mission to redeem the Jews would be nullified!
An Attempted Answer: Jacob feared Esau and prayed for his safety, despite a clear promise from G-d to protect him. He was afraid because he worried that he might have since sinned, and thereby forfeited the promise. The same can be suggested here: Moses’ negligence in the mitzvah of circumcision could be considered a sin, potentially jeopardizing the mission assigned to him by G-d.
Refutation: The promise to Jacob was given to him as an individual, and such a promise could theoretically be revoked due to sin. However, in the case of a public mission to redeem an entire nation, it is unreasonable to assume that Moses’ personal actions would jeopardize the salvation of the entire Jewish people.
Another Question: The Torah does not recount every event in Moses’ life, but only those with a lesson for us. (For example, it does not tell us what Moses did from when he fled Egypt until he returned at age 79 to redeem the Jews.) If so, what lesson can we derive from this seemingly negative story of the snake swallowing Moses?
B. The Mission Can Be Accomplished by Another
The Rebbe explains: Rashi, quoting Rabbi Yose, hints at the solution. In an earlier story in this Torah portion, when Moses repeatedly refuses to accept the mission, Rabbi Yose explains that G-d became angry and punished him by not appointing him as the High Priest, as initially intended, leaving him only the role of a Levite. The same principle applies here: Even though the mission to redeem the Jews was initially assigned to Moses, it is possible that due to a certain issue, the mission could have been taken from him and given to Aaron to fulfill instead.
C. Do Not Trust Yourself
This story teaches us several lessons:
1. We should not delay or neglect a mitzvah, thinking that no harm will be done by postponing it. A small mistake can lead to far greater consequences.
2. At the same time, a person who has already failed is not beyond hope, and can still be saved.
3. The greatness of Jewish women: Zipporah, who saved Moses’ life, also ensured the success of his great mission to save the Jewish people.
