shemoth: undoing the Eitz haddath

shemoth: Undoing the Eitz Hadaath

 

  

לֹא אִישׁ דְּבָרִים אָנֹכִי גַּם מִתְּמוֹל גַּם מִשִּׁלְשֹׁם גַּם מֵאָז דַּבֶּרְךָ אֶל-עַבְדֶּךָ  כִּי כְבַד-פֶּה וּכְבַד לָשׁוֹן אָנֹכִי  " I am not a man of words"

The contrast is between Moshe and the midwives.  The midwives, when they are caught violating the law of Pharaoh deftly excuse themselves by claiming that the Hebrew women are actually animals that do not use midwives, appealing to the prejudice of the Egyptians -  and the excuse works.

Moshe, the adopted son of the princess of Egypt, cannot exonerate himself from the killing of the Egyptian guard.  He has so little "chayn [charm]" that the slaves are ready to snitch on him! He has no Teflon.

 

 

There is considerable cheating on the governmental edicts because of the recognition of a higher authority. The midwives  fear the Lrd; Moshe's mother complies with the edict to cast her son into the river, she merely delays her performance and adds a floatation device;  Moshe is a fugitive from justice.  But the weirdest interaction is between Moshe and Gd.  Moshe challenges Gd's choice of him as Gd's agent of redemption! What chutzpah! 

 

 

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 The story of Moshe and echos  back to Eden.. There is a tree ( or bush) that is off limits. In both stories there is a serpent (nachash).   Both stories are related to exile.  Moses is exiled form Egypt ( previously described as ( Bereshith 13:10:   כְּגַן ְהָ כְּאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם בֹּאֲכָה צֹעַר   ( like a garden of Hashem, like the land of Egypt as one goes toward Tzoar). Also, the transient tzoraas of Moshe is allusion to exile and death. 

 

The knowledge that came from the Eitz Haddath is that every person will die That is the fundamental prophecy http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=d4hmw97_228c33dvf6x&hl=en