God chooses Moshe

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The Two Consecrations of Moshe
Prof. Jonathan Grossman
Why is Moshe sent on his mission to Egypt twice? The second consecration includes a new and important element: God's covenant with the forefathers. The covenant is mentioned here, and not previously, because of the change in Moshe's attitude toward the redemption of Bnei Yisrael. He now understands that the reasons behind the redemption involve more than morality: they are embedded in a historical - national covenant.
Representing God or Representing Israel
Rabbi Ezra Bick
The ten plagues are divided into two parshiot - the first seven in parshat Va'era and the last three in parshat Bo. Is this merely a division of convenience, or is there an important distinction between these two groups of plagues? By closely examining the text surrounding each of the final three plagues, one can gain an understanding of the shift in Moshe's mission. God wants Moshe's personal involvement, and he switches Moshe's role from the representative of the Jewish people, speaking in God's name, to the representative of God Himself.
The Young Moshe
Rabbi Mosheh Lichtenstein
Moshe's young adult life in Midyan is a mystery to us. The Torah does not tell us very much about Moshe's life there; the next mention of his life is when he returns to Egypt at the age of eighty. Why is the Torah strangely silent about all those years of Moshe's life, mid-narrative? The lack of noteworthy events is itself an event - one of withdrawal and seclusion. Moshe's disappearance and silence following his escape to Midyan tell us that he secluded himself in a crisis of morality and justice. It is only following this seclusion that Moshe is able to be extracted from his solitary existence and returned to the sphere of action on the historical-national level.
Moshe
HaTanakh.com Staff
Revealing the Tetragrammaton- The Problem of a New Divine Name
Rabbi Chanoch Waxman | Hour and 7 minutes
Why does God tell Moshe that He never revealed the Tetragrammaton to our forefathers, when it was in fact revealed to them? How do we resolve this contradiction between Sefer Bereishit and Sefer Shemot? This shiur explores the various answers given by the commentaries, and also utilizes a literary approach of textual parallels in order to answer this question and also learn about the nature of divine promises.
“For the God of my father has been my aid and saved me from Pharaoh’s sword”
Rabbi Gad Eldad
We would expect that when God entrusts Moshe with the mission of bringing Bnei Yisrael out of Egypt, it will feel like a perfect fit. As the figure who made the first move in saving Bnei Yisrael from the Egyptians, it seems only natural that Moshe should be the one to complete the task.

So why does Moshe try to evade his mission?

Through a close examination of the story of Moshe, as well as a comparison between Moshe and Yosef’s life stories, we can reach a deeper understanding as to the nature of Moshe’s initial refusal of his mission.
Two Promises: One Fulfilled, One Not Yet Fulfilled (6:3)
Rabbi Elchanan Samet
Endless commentaries have attempted to explain the verse “And I appeared to Avraham, to Yitzchak and to Yaakov as Kel-Shakkai, but My name YKVK I did not make known to them.", but its mystery has not yet been solved. A "simple" reading would seem to suggest that this Divine statement reveals some of God's different names, with a distinction being made between two periods: to the forefathers God revealed Himself by the name "Kel-Shakkai," but He was not known to them as YKVK. Now, on the other hand, with the time drawing close for redemption, God reveals Himself to Moshe with this latter name – as we see at the beginning of the utterance, in verse 2: "I am YKVK."

This explanation presents a great difficulty: the name YKVK (the "Tetragrammaton,") appears more than a hundred times in Sefer Bereishit, The name is used not only in the narrative, but also in the language of various speakers – including God's own utterances to both Avraham and Yaakov.

A close analysis of the text leads to the understading that there is a connection between each of these names and the nature of the promise that is associated specifically with that name. What God promised to the forefathers when He appeared to them as Kel-Shakkai – that He would multiply their seed greatly – He has already fulfilled; what remains now to be fulfilled is the other aspect of the promise to the forefathers, and the fulfillment of that aspect – the promise of the land – is the main subject of the rest of the speech.
The Confrontation of Moshe and Pharaoh
Rabbi Ezra Bick
Starting with this plague of locust, we find a noticeable stress on the comings and goings of Moshe, beyond merely as a necessary detail to explain where he is.  It seems as though the coming before Pharaoh, and the leaving his presence, is an independent focus of the story, without reference to what happens or is spoken during the encounter.

The nature of the parasha break of Bo is clear - starting with this plague of locust, God is telling Moshe that the confrontation with Pharaoh is to be a personal one - he is to go to face Pharaoh directly and engage in a test of wills with him.  The verbal content of Moshe's speeches is now secondary in importance to the actual personal appearance that he must make. Moshe is to overcome Pharaoh on the personal level. Why is this necessary?

God sends Moshe to battle Pharaoh so that Moshe should experience first-hand the clash of titans, the battle of God's word against the vainglory of human power, of emperors and tyrants.  This is qualitatively different than merely observing the battle from the side-lines, as the Egyptians and the Jews were doing.  God wants Moshe's personal involvement, and he switches Moshe's role from the representative of the Jewish people, speaking in God's name, to the representative of God Himself.

This is the moment when Moshe becomes more than a leader.  This is when he begins to become "ish ha-elokim," who will bring the Torah down from the mountain.
The Man Who Cursed
Rabbi Meir Spiegelman
Why does the Torah intermix the subjects of the blasphemer and the laws of damages? In fact, why does the Torah mention this subject here at all? It appears to have no connection to either the preceding discussion ("lehem ha-panim" – the showbread) or to the following one (shemitta).

Through an examination of the chiastic structure of the parasha as well as the parallel between the episode of the man who cursed and the beginning of Moshe's mission, we can understand the placement of this story in its context.
Who Am I?
Rabbi Jonathan Sacks
“Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh?” said Moshe to God. “And how can I possibly get the Israelites out of Egypt?” On the surface the meaning is clear. Moshe is asking two things. The first: who am I, to be worthy of so great a mission? The second: how can I possibly succeed?

God never answered the first question. Perhaps in a strange way Moshe answered himself. In Tanakh as a whole, the people who turn out to be the most worthy are the ones who deny they are worthy at all. Through a close examination of the text we can understand Moshe’s question leading to a deeper exploration about worthiness and identity.

This article is part of the Covenant & Conversation series.

To read more from Rabbi Sacks or to subscribe to his mailing list, please visit http://www.rabbisacks.org/. You can also follow him on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Who Am I? (Audio)
Rabbi Jonathan Sacks | 9 minutes
“Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh?” said Moshe to God. “And how can I possibly get the Israelites out of Egypt?” On the surface the meaning is clear. Moshe is asking two things. The first: who am I, to be worthy of so great a mission? The second: how can I possibly succeed?

God never answered the first question. Perhaps in a strange way Moshe answered himself. In Tanakh as a whole, the people who turn out to be the most worthy are the ones who deny they are worthy at all. Through a close examination of the text we can understand Moshe’s question leading to a deeper exploration about worthiness and identity.

This lecture is part of the Covenant & Conversation series.

To read more from Rabbi Sacks or to subscribe to his mailing list, please visit http://www.rabbisacks.org/. You can also follow him on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Parshat Shemot Part 3: Delivering Israel from Slavery: Moshe Encounters God
Dr. Yael Ziegler | 33 minutes
This podcast discusses the commissioning of Moshe as a messenger of God. We learn why Moshe was selected and we address fundamental questions about our relationship with God.

Courtesy of www.tanachstudy.com
Parshat Shemot Part 4: Moshe’s Objections and God’s Answers and Signs
Dr. Yael Ziegler | 35 minutes
This podcast discusses the verses describing Moshes objections to God’s mission, and God’s responses. We also see an overview of the events that will transpire leading up to Am Yisrael leaving Egypt.

Courtesy of www.tanachstudy.com
Parshat Shemot Part 5: Moshe’s Refusal and Divine Anger: The Beginning of Moshe’s Journey
Dr. Yael Ziegler | 35 minutes
This podcast describes the final sign that God offers Moshe, and the difference between this sign and the previous ones, and Moshe’s subsequent arguments. We also explore the cryptic circumcision of Tzipporah’s son and the various interpretations that attempt to explain the nature of this incident.

Courtesy of www.tanachstudy.com
From Sinai, Back to Sinai
Rabbi Yitzchak Etshalom | 54 minutes
Through a two-part discussion of the sequential narrative of the book of Exodus, and specifically the date of Matan Torah relating to the manna and the story of Moshe at the burning bush, we can gain a deeper understanding of Moshe as the representative of God.

Courtesy of www.tanachstudy.com
When God calls out to a human being
Rabbanit Dr. Michal Tikochinsky
Moshe: Birth of a Leader
Dr. Yael Ziegler | Hour and 5 minutes
Who was Moshe? Why was he chosen as a leader? This lecture weaves together midrashim, parshanim, and close attention to the literary reading of the text itself to see if we can get some deeper insights into the story of Moshe, and to understand how his early life experiences helped shape his future as a leader.

Courtesy of www.tanachstudy.com