Upon beholding the wondrous sight of the burning bush, Moshe Rabbeinu asks himself the question: Why does the bush not burn? (Shemos 3:3). The Torah does not make the answer explicit. Fire cannot burn without fuel, yet in this case, the burning fuel remained unconsumed. How could this be?
The answer, however, is latent in the ensuing revelation. Hashem calls Moshe from within the fire as though to declare: the fire would, indeed, burn the bush to a cinder, but the presence of Hashem prevents the consumption. As Rashi explains, the bush represents the Jewish People, while the fire is the Egyptian furnace. They would have no hope of survival were it not for the continued Divine presence among them, protecting them from inevitable destruction.
This insight prepared Moshe for his mission of leading the nascent nation out of Egyptian bondage. Hashem is present specifically in our weakness, in our frailty. It is true both personally and nationally.
Each of the three signs Hashem gave Moshe to demonstrate his Divine sending thus illustrated another aspect of human vulnerability. The stain of leprosy on his hand indicated the frailty of our physical condition; we all too quickly suffer from multiple ailments. The staff that turned into a serpent embodied the transience of our possessions, here today, gone tomorrow. And the water that turned to blood illustrated how even our world is inherently unstable; things can go horribly wrong.
Nevertheless, Moshe continued to reject the mission, claiming that he was “heavy of mouth” and “heavy of tongue.” In response, Hashem spoke the message explicitly: “But Hashem said to him, ‘Who gave man a mouth, or who makes [one] dumb or deaf or seeing or blind? Is it not I, Hashem?’” (4:11). Hashem is present specifically in Moshe’s heaviness of tongue, for “I will be with your mouth” (4:12).
Moshe clearly had tremendous virtues. He was courageous, as demonstrated by his killing the Egyptian tormentor and saving Yisro’s daughters at the well. He had an acute sense of fairness and justice and also felt an intense loyalty and commitment to his people. Moreover, Moshe was supremely humble, hence his repeated refusal to accept the mission. Yet, his leadership demanded that humility be accompanied by confident action, as taught by the core lesson of the burning bush.
When we are frail and vulnerable, as a bush threatened by fire or the Jewish People under the yoke of the Egyptian superpower, then Hashem is among us. And when Hashem is among us, we find the resilience and strength to survive and even to thrive and flourish. Moshe’s leadership was not despite his being heavy of tongue; his heaviness of tongue allowed the space for Hashem to enter, such that Moshe’s leadership ultimately became the leadership of Hashem Himself.
We, our possessions, and our environment are imperfect. They always will be. This imperfection calls us to action, for in a perfect existence, what would we do? It also calls us to Hashem, for in a perfect existence we would not need Him. Our imperfections define a process, the one we call life. This same process is where we find Hashem.
Due to Moshe’s supreme level in realizing the process, he is termed Eved Hashem, a true servant of Hashem, representing Him fully and totally in all his ways. We, too, are called to serve. Our service begins with recognizing flaws – in ourselves and our society. It continues by striving to rectify them in partnership with Hashem.
