Moshe-slow-of-speech?
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“This is My Name FOREVER, and this
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- Exodus 3:15. (JPS).
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With Rabbi, Dr. Reuven Ben Avraham-Goossens, PhD.
As most will well
know, that in Shemot - Exodus, Chapters 3 and 4 contains some very strange
remarks by Moshe – Moshe, and that is what we will cover in this study.
However, I feel we should all first read chapter 3, as it sets the pace!
1 “Now Moshe - Moshe was keeping the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian; and he led the flock to the farthest end of the wilderness, and came to the mountain of אֱלֹהִים (God), unto Horeb. 2 And the angel of יְהוָה (the LORD) appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush; and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. 3 And Moshe said: ‘I will turn aside now, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt’. 4 And when יְהוָה (the LORD) saw that he turned aside to see, אֱלֹהִים - Elohim (God) called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said: ‘Moshe, Moshe’. And he said: ‘Here am I’. 5 And He said: ‘Draw not nigh hither; put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground’. 6 Moreover He said: ‘I am the אֱלֹהִים (God) of thy father, the אֱלֹהִים of Avraham - Abraham, the אֱלֹהִים of Yitzchak - Isaac, and the אֱלֹהִים of Ya’aqov – Jacob’. And Moshe hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon אֱלֹהִים. 7 And יְהוָה (the LORD) said: ‘I have surely seen the affliction of My people that are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their pains; 8 and I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Amorite, and the Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite. 9 And now, behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come unto Me; moreover I have seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them. 10 Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth My people the children of Israel out of Egypt’. 11 And Moshe said unto אֱלֹהִים (God): ‘Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?’ 12 And He said: ‘certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be the token unto thee, that I have sent thee: when thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve אֱלֹהִים upon this mountain’. 13 And Moshe said unto אֱלֹהִים: ‘Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them: The אֱלֹהִים of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me: What is His name? what shall I say unto them?’ 14 And אֱלֹהִים said unto Moshe: אֶהְיֶה אֲשֶׁר אֶהְיֶה – (I AM THAT I AM)’; and He said: ‘Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel: I AM hath sent me unto you’. 15 And אֱלֹהִים said moreover unto Moshe: ‘Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel: יְהוָה (the LORD), the of your fathers, the אֱלֹהִים of Abraham, the אֱלֹהִים of Isaac, and the אֱלֹהִים of Jacob, hath sent me unto you; this is My Name for ever, and this is My memorial unto all generations. 16 Go, and gather the elders of Israel together, and say unto them: יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵי (the LORD, the God) of your fathers, the אֱלֹהִים (God) of Avraham, of Yitzchak, and of Ya’aqov, hath appeared unto me, saying: I have surely remembered you, and seen that which is done to you in Egypt. 17 And I have said: I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt unto the land of the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Amorite, and the Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite, unto a land flowing with milk and honey. 18 And they shall hearken to thy voice. And thou shalt come, thou and the elders of Israel, unto the king of Egypt, and ye shall say unto him: יְהוָה (the LORD), the אֱלֹהִים of the Hebrews, hath met with us. And now let us go, we pray thee, three days' journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to אֱלֹהֶיךָ- יְהוָה (the LORD our God). 19 And I know that the king of Egypt will not give you leave to go, except by a mighty hand. 20 And I will put forth My hand, and smite Egypt with all My wonders which I will do in the midst thereof. And after that he will let you go. 21 And I will give this people favour in the sight of the Egyptians. And it shall come to pass, that, when ye go, ye shall not go empty; 22 but every woman shall ask of her neighbour, and of her that sojourneth in her house, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment; and ye shall put them upon your sons, and upon your daughters; and ye shall spoil the Egyptians’”. Shemot - Exodus 3:1-22. (JPS).
In Verse 11 we already see some of Moshe’s not desiring the task ahead as he states;
‘Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?’
For it was
certainly extremely strange that he seems to question and even decline אֱלֹהִים
(Elohim’s - God’s) request to be His messenger to his enslaved
fellow Hebrews, and unto the Pharaoh. But Moshe and replies in chapter 4:
“And Moshe said unto יְהוָה (the LORD): ‘Oh Lord, I am not a man of words, neither heretofore, nor since Thou hast spoken unto Thy servant; for I am slow of speech and of a slow tongue’”. Shemot - Exodus 4:10. (JPS).
Moshe’s
statement has been translated by many his problem was an actual speech
“impediment”. However, the Lord then tells Moshe, obviously with
considrable exasperation:
“And the anger of יְהוָה (the LORD) was kindled against Moshe, and He said: ‘Is there not Acharon - Aaron thy brother the Levite? I know that he can speak well. And also, behold, he cometh forth to meet thee; and when he seeth thee, he will be glad in his heart’”. Shemot - Exodus 4:14. (JPS).
Over so many
years, commentators on our beloved ‘Torah’ have given a range of
reasons for why Moshe said that he had a “slow tongue” or for that
matter a speech “impediment”!
Over the
years long gone, somehow I tended to think it was for quite another reason, he
was not willing to speak to the Hebrews. But what most tend to completely
forget, Moshe had lived his life as an Egyptian prince, as the Torah clearly
states that he was raised until he was weaned by his mother, in the palace.
However, as a prince, Moshe was fully and completly educated by his Egyptian
teachers, and he only spoke in the Egyptian language. We could say that He may
have learned a smattering of Hebrew as a consequence of being raised with
Hebrew servants in the palace, but that would be all. This is confirmed
after Moshe slays that Egyptian taskmaster and he ended up fleeing to Midian.
Jethro’s daughters tell Jethro what Moshe had done to
drive the shepherds away from the disputed water well. The daughters say:
Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters; and they came and drew water, and filled the troughs to water their father’s flock. And the shepherds came and drove them away; but Moshe stood up and helped them, and watered their flock. And when they came to Reuel their father, he said: ‘How is it that ye are come so soon to-day?’ And they said: ‘An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds, and moreover he drew water for us, and watered the flock.’ And he said unto his daughters: ‘And where is he? Why is it that ye have left the man? call him, that he may eat bread’”.
AS we clearly
read, the daughters stated that it was “An Egyptian delivered us out of
the hand of the shepherds”. Considering the daughters clearly called
Moshe an Egyptian, because he was dressed as an Egyptian and he spoke the
Egyptian language. If Moshe spoken in Hebrew, or dressed like a Hebrew slave,
the daughters surely would not have called him an Egyptian.
We have been
clearly taught that Moshe was in Midian for 40 years.
During that time he either spoke Egyptian or the Midianite language,
that Jethro’s family spoke. After not
speaking Hebrew for 40 years, Moshe either forgot any Hebrew that he may have
learned from dealing with the Hebrew servants, or he never learned any Hebrew
because the servants had been told to speak royal Egyptian only in the Egyptian
language. So when אֱלֹהִים (God) tells Moshe that his brother “Acharon - Aaron can speak
well” that is because He had grown up speaking then style of Hebrew with
his family, as well with fellow slaves all of his life. If it is true that
Moshe had an “impediment” to speaking why is it only in Shemot -
Exodus that he reports having this problem? The reason is because when Moshe
returns to Egypt, to liberate the Hebrews, he starts learning, or possibly
relearning, Hebrew from Acharon - Aaron and of course being in contact
with all the other slaves.
It is possible
that you would want more proof? When the Hebrew slaves left Egypt and they
wandered the Sinai wilderness for a very long 40 years, there was never any
further mention of his so-called “slow tongue” or any
“impediment” in Moshe, not in any of the other Books of the Torah.
That is because Moshe has learned, or relearned, enough Hebrew, in his return
to Egypt, that he became fluent in Hebrew.
The dispute
among scholars of the Torah concerning Moshe’s speech problem has lasted
for far too long, a good 3,000 years. But in reality the answer is simple, he
was an Egyptian Prince and spoke as his so-called mother tongue
Egyptian and not the language of the Hebrews!
Somehow all
this makes common sense, however somehow I was lead to read and re read this
question over and over again, and I believe that it was almost like I was being
guided in some way, for the only thing that is right to study and write what is
true, and not change what seems to be written.
Of course you
thoughts are always welcome.
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In Conclusion, a Question to Deepen
the Conversation:
Which part of this unusual Torah study or
possibly something within it, has touched
you the most? And how do you feel about spending more time on a more
regular basis studying our beloved Torah / Tanakh? I pray that you are you
doing well as a faithful Hebrew, and אֱלֹהִים - Elohim willing you
are upholding as many of our blessed Mitzvoth’s?
However, I am well aware that the modern world
sadly contains far too many deviations as well as problems that seem to get in the way. Yet worse
than that, sadly there are far too many enticements, which can so easily throw
many off track. And sadly I
have seen that within my days as a rabbi. Thus, if there are various struggles
that may be taking place in your life, or any time, I am well aware that it
sadly it could often have a sad and a cruel effect upon your
life? Remember this, pray and seek the Almighty, blessed be He, and
ask for peace, and then work on keeping as calm as possible and learn to
improve your life, for אֱלֹהִים is always ready to help and guide
you! This site is also for those who need to return to our blessed and
wonderful faith, thus work on your faith and pray and always seek אֱלֹהִים - Elohim’s guidance!
And remember what אֱלֹהִים - Elohim, blessed be He, said ...
“Return unto Me,
and I will return unto you, saith צְבָאוֹת- יְהוָה- the LORD of hosts”. Mal’a’chi 3:7. MEC).
And Remember ...
Enjoy your
Sabbath Rest, Shabbat Shalom!
אֲנִי יְהוָה
אֱלֹהֵיכֶם, בְּחֻקּוֹתַי
לֵכוּ; וְאֶת-מִשְׁפָּטַי
שִׁמְרוּ, וַעֲשׂוּ
אוֹתָם
וְאֶת-שַׁבְּתוֹתַי, קַדֵּשׁוּ; וְהָיוּ
לְאוֹת, בֵּינִי
וּבֵינֵיכֶם-לָדַעַת, כִּי
אֲנִי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם
“I am אֱלֹהֵיכֶם יְהוָה
(the LORD your God); walk in My statutes,
and keep Mine ordinances, and do them; and hallow My Sabbaths, and they shall be
a sign between Me and you, that ye may know that I am אֱלֹהֵיכֶם יְהוָה - YaHVaH Eloheicha”. Yechezkel - Ezekiel
20:19-20. (JPS).
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Rabbi,
Dr. Reuven Ben Avraham-Goossens, PhD.
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