Parshat Shmot tells the story of the enslavement, and the beginning of the liberation of the Jews in Egypt. There are many traditions regarding the nature of the Jewish community at the time. The midrash describes how the people had sunk to the \u201cforty-ninth level of impurity\u201d. The general picture which emerges is of a people who had strayed from the path of their forefathers. Our Sages teach us that even circumcision had been abandoned, and Moshe had to force it upon them prior to the Exodus.

THERE AROSE A NEW KING. The Rabbis commenced this discourse with this verse: They have dealt treacherously against the Lord, for they have begotten strange children; now shall the new moon devour them with their portions (Hos. V, 7). This teaches that when Joseph died, they abolished the covenant of circumcision, saying: \u2018Let us become like the Egyptians.\u2019 (Midrash Rabbah - Exodus I:8)

tradition passed on by Ya\u2019akov himself, who had anticipated a deterioration in Jewish life due to the exile. Ya\u2019akov instructed his children that, come what may, they must always keep these 3 basic identifying customs, in the hope that this would curtail the process of assimilation. The Midrash which is the source for this teaching is somewhat obscure; a more accessible Midrash teaches that the Jews were redeemed because they didn't change their names or language, nor did they did speak loshon hara,1 or engage in sexual immorality. The source which mentions clothing in place of the latter two items may be found in the Midrash "Shocher Tov", and this is the version which has entered into the consciousness of the Jewish community.

The name of Moshe: Moshe was born into a family from the tribe of Levi. At that time there was an edict that all males be thrown into the Nile River. Moshe was found by the daughter of Pharaoh, floating in ateiva2. The daughter of Pharaoh adopts Moshe and names him.

The last time we saw someone in an ark, it was Noah. Regarding the comparison between Noah, who was indifferent to the plight of his fellow man, and Moshe, who was willing to sacrifice all for his fellow man, see my notes on Parshat Noah5758

"And the child grew, and was brought to the daughter of Pharaoh, he became a son to her, she named him Moshe, and she said (explained) "for from the water he was drawn out" (2:10)

Moshe was not given a Jewish name, he was named by an Egyptian princess. Moshe's name, however, contains an element which is far more insidious than simply a non-Jewish origin. The Talmud poses the following question regarding Moshe\u2019s name:

When the daughter of Pharaoh named Moshe, what was she trying to communicate? In order to understand the depth of her action, we must first understand who this woman was, and, for that matter who her father thought he was. In the book of Yechezkel the following passage appears;

"Speak and communicate, thus says God, "behold I am against you Pharaoh, king of Egypt the great crocodile that couches in the midst of the streams who says the (Nile) River is mine, for I created it". (Yechezkel 29:3)

Pharaoh believed that he was god of the Nile, that he created the Nile. The edict decreeing that all male Jewish children be thrown into the Nile becomes more significant in this light: When the midwives refused to kill the males, in a clear act of murder, Pharaoh suggests that they throw the children into the water instead. Why would this have been more palatable than simply killing the children? When we appreciate that Pharaoh declared himself god of the Nile, in effect he was saying "cast the children into the Nile, and the god of the Nile shall decide who will live and who will die", as if the midwives would not be performing the act of murder. This will also give us insight into the first Plague, "blood". Turning the waters of the Nile into blood was perceived by the Egyptians as an act of war, as if someone had stabbed their god.

This was the woman who saved, and named, Moshe. Her father was "god of the Nile" she was daughter of "god", and she pulls a son out of the Nile, and names him Moshe;

Bitya, in naming Moshe, was making a claim which had theological meaning as well as political implications. She was claiming that the Nile had given birth to her son. Of course she knew rationally that one of the Hebrews had in fact given birth to Moshe, but we must recall that casting the children into the Nile was not seen

as murder, rather as some type of judgment, perhaps reminiscent of the children left to die in Sparta. Moshe emerges from the Nile alive, which has theological significance for Bitya. He is therefore declared "son of the Nile". She is obviously positioning him to become the next Pharaoh, or at least to take his place among the pantheon of Egyptian gods. Moshe\u2019s name is not merely Egyptian; it is steeped with idolatrous connotations.

This insight also gives us a greater appreciation of Moshe, for we now understand what it must have meant for him to leave the palace and to "seek out his brothers". When Moshe interceded and killed the Egyptian, he was in effect rejecting the entire way of life that was laid out for him. Moshe's heroic act - which has it's spiritual antecedent in the behavior of his great-grandfather Levi- was an act of self - sacrifice for the sake of a fellow Jew. By killing the Egyptian, Moshe forfeited his role in Egyptian society; he would no longer be seen as a god, but only as a Jew, and his chances of one day ascending the throne dissipated. This self-sacrifice was the first step toward assuming the mantle of leadership of the Jews, but of course such considerations were quite foreign to Moshe. In any case, we cannot overlook the irony in Moshe\u2019s name: the savior of the Jews, who retained their distinction in their naming practices, was considered to be a god by the Egyptians, and his name reflected this status and role.

Dress: When Moshe escapes Egypt, he makes his way to Midyon, where he is identified and described as"Ish Mitzri," "an Egyptian man". What was it about Moshe that makes him seem Egyptian?

Language: The Jews also retained a different language, preserving Hebrew as their mother-tongue despite the long years in exile. Here, too, Moshe\u2019s credentials seem lacking. The Torah tells us that Moshe had difficulty with speech:

Later, Moshe describes himself as "Orel Sftaim" (6:12,30) which literally means "uncircumcised lips,\u201d referring to some other sort of impediment. Taken literally, it emerges that Moshe does not feel that he has the right to represent the People of Israel because his tongue is \u201cuncircumcised\u201d: Moshe\u2019s speech is too Egyptian.

If, indeed, the Jews were saved because they retained these three basic identifying practices, then Moshe seems an unlikely savior. Why is Moshe chosen? As we saw by Moshe's response to the oppression of his fellow Jew, he certainly did possess leadership qualities. The model of leadership in the Jewish tradition is not the individual who is willing to subjugate others, rather the individual who is