Who Is Behind the Wheel?

      Torah portions are always named after a word in the first verse of the portion. Today’s portion starts with a list of the names of the sons of Jacob who came with him to Egypt. That’s why this portion and the book of Exodus in Hebrew is called “Names” (Sh’mot).

      If there is one lesson that especially stands out in the book of Exodus, it is that G‑d is sovereign. Jacob's family numbered about 70 people when they came to live in Egypt. Then we read that "their numbers multiplied and became exceedingly numerous, [so that] the land was filled with them," (1:7). 

      So far, so good—the L‑rd promised Abraham (Genesis15:5) that his descendants would become numerous, and they were spreading like weeds. 

      Then, all of a sudden, things take a turn for the worse: "there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph...they [he and his people] put slave masters to oppress them with forced labor," (1:8, 11). How should the people of Israel respond to this bondage? Most of them submitted themselves to this oppression. There was one exception. Moses was not willing to put up with this cruel treatment of his people. He grew up and was educated with the cream of Egyptian youth; he understood them; what's more, he felt that in every way he was their equal. They could not intimidate him. 

      The opportunity presented itself for Moses to "strut his stuff." When he saw an Egyptian beating up one of his fellow Hebrews, he became angry and decided to deal with the situation “properly.” The Egyptians needed to be taught that the Hebrews could not be pushed around. So, he killed the man. What was the result of his "taking charge?" His people weren't in any better shape, and he had to flee for his life. Moses was on target in caring for his people and for refusing to knuckle under to the oppression. Yet, he needed to learn that even under these situations, G‑d is in control and that he should not try to grab the steering wheel from the L‑rd. The remedy? 40 years' worth of classes in the University of the Desert. When Moses graduated, the L‑rd called him to do a special job for Him, but Moses was a different man then. Instead of rushing to fix the problem, he kept offering excuses as to why he was the wrong man for the job. 

      We are so much like Moses when we are confronted with difficult situations. We chafe at the bit, eager to jump in and take care of the situation, puzzled why the L‑rd doesn't seem to be doing anything. We adopt the attitude of "G‑d Helps Those Who Help Themselves." Or, we go to the other extreme—we lose hope and say, "Whatever will be, will be." We need to remind ourselves that the L‑rd is in control of the steering wheel, and we need to rest in Him.