Parshas Shemos – The Leader’s Belief in His Generation

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Throughout Moshe’s leadership, we find that he engages in debates with HKB”H. In this week’s Parsha Moshe debates HaShem for seven days. He tries to explain why he is not the proper vehicle to free the Jewish people from their exile. So He has five approaches. I would like to focus on the third. There Moshe says, “Behold they will not believe me, or listen to my voice, for they will say that HaShem did not speak to you!”
When Moshe says the Jews will not believe him, HaShem shows him three signs to perform for the Jewish people that will bring them to believe in Moshe’s message. But previously HaShem had already told Moshe that the Jews will believe him. How could Moshe contradict a statement of HaShem? And Hashem seems to agree with Moshe because He gives him signs so the Jews will believe him. Why is that needed if HaShem had already said that they will believe Him? And then why are there three separate signs? Why is one not enough?
The Ramban and the Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh deal with the first question. But even before them, this question is already discussed in the Midrash. The Midrash says that when Moshe said that they will not believe me, he spoke incorrectly. And when HaShem gave Moshe a sign, He was answering Moshe according to Moshe’s approach. I told you they would believe you, but if you don’t accept that, then according to you I will give you a sign to they will believe you.
But the Midrash continues and says that HaShem punishes Moshe for Lashon HaRa. You said false statements about My children. They are believers the descendants of believers, and they would have believed you. Therefore, you deserve to be punished. And since the snake is the original master of LaShon HaRa, you will be punished by a snake.
Even though the Midrash seems to be dealing with the question, its approach is opaque. What does it mean that Hashem is answering Moshe according to Moshe’s approach? If it was just an answer, I would understand. But Moshe is given signs to prove to the Jews that Moshe could be trusted. That means that as opposed to what Hashem had said previously, now they did need signs. What changed? It seems that Moshe’s approach changed the reality that HaShem had said.
R’ Tzadok answers these questions using the following principle . The Gemarra says that there is a relationship between a generation and its leaders. R’ Tzadok says this relationship is bidirectional. The generation impacts the leaders, and he impacts them.
However, the Gemarra then qualifies this. It does not mean that if the leader is a Tzadik so will the generation and vice versa. We see that the generation of Tzidikiyahu were Reshaim, and he was a Tzadik. And we also see the opposite, that the generation of Yehoyakim were Tzadikim even though he was a Rasha. The Gemarra explains that it is not about the Tzidkus of the generation, but the Midah of the generation, for example, will they be angry or soft-spoken . The relationship affects the general method of HaShem’s interaction with the generation and the generation’s type of Avodas HaShem.
Rav Tzadok explains how this works.
He says that we view the generation as a large Tzelem Elokim. They are one unit. Just as Adam contained within him all the Neshamos and his actions influenced all his generations, so too each generation is its own Tzelem Elokim. Therefore, they are contained within the leader . One of the names of a leader is ‘Rosh’ the head. The Sanhedrin is called the eyes of the generation. In that way, they are one body. That is why there is this relationship.
This is not just in the way they influence each other through their actions and words, but even in their belief in each other. Rav Tzadok explains that by believing in the people the leader can lift them up. Or by belittling them and diminishing what he thinks they are capable of, that itself can push them down and make them smaller.
This is apparent when Amalek attacks the Jewish people. The Pasuk says that Moshe went to the top of the mountain and raised his hands in Tefilah. But then his hands got tired. How could Moshe’s hands be tired? What could weaken the person who could split the Yam Suf? But we know that the Jews were Refidim, weak in their attachment to Torah. That affected the hands of Moshe, and he also became weak . Moshe overcame this weakness and when he did, that also affected the Jews to strengthen themselves and overcome Amalek.
In this case during the debate with HaShem, Moshe’s lack of belief in the people pushed them down to that level of lack of belief. This is not whether they were Tzadikim. It is how they viewed Hashem. That is what the Midrash means that HaShem answered Moshe according to Moshe’s approach. Once Moshe viewed the nation as lacking in Emunah, then HaShem must answer according to that since that is now the nation’s Midah.
This is explained further in Rav Tzadok’s approach to the other question. HaShem said that the Jews are believers, so that must be correct. How could Moshe seem to contradict what Hashem said?
Rav Tzadok makes the question stronger. The Midrash says that on Shabbos when the Jews were not forced to work, they would take out scrolls that described the Geulah, and they enjoy reading them. We see that they did have a belief in the Geulah. Moshe was even the one who convinced Pharoah to give them Shabbos off. So how could he say that they did not believe?
The answer has two parts. One is that Moshe thought that the Jews would say we are not worthy of Geulah. Yes, there will indeed be a Geulah, but not for our generation. We are on such a low level. All of Egypt is filled with the filth of our Avoda Zara. How could we be the generation of Geulah? There is a need for many years of work and Teshuva before the Geulah can come. And they were correct.
But if Moshe would not have responded as he did but would have had believed Hashem’s description of the Jewish people’s belief, their Midah would have changed. It is not a matter of Tzadik or Rasha, it is a discussion of how to approach Emunah and who we are. Moshe’s Midah could have lifted them up. When he did not do this, then the Jews needed to strengthen their Emunah. The three signs were to show them that even if they seemed to be full of sin, inherently as the descendants of the Avos they were free of sin. And as the children of the Avos, they deserve the Geulah.
The other is that they might have had belief in the Geulah, but not in the conclusion of the Geulah. The point of leaving Mitzrayim was not just to go free, but to then use that freedom to receive the Torah. The Jews said that to receive the Torah they need to be Tzadikim. To be a Tzadik is not in the hands of Hashem, and is not included in the promise to the Avos. Since they were just like the Egyptians around them they could not receive the Torah.
But they were not like the Egyptians. Their sins were external and easily washed off. The sins were not in the DNA they received from the Avos. If Moshe would have believed that then the nation would also and could have easily left Mitzrayim. But since he did not have the trust that the Jews would be willing to accept the Torah, they also did not .
If he would have been willing to lift them up with his belief, they would have had that belief too. But once he didn’t, they needed the signs to give them that belief in their ability to leave the Tumah of Egypt, and be ready to receive the Torah. (Rav Tzadok writes these as two separate answers but I think they can be presented as two sides of one idea.)
The three signs are representative of the three sources of all sin , and the antidote which is the strength of Ruchniyus every Jew has in their spiritual DNA from the three Avos. It was to teach the Jews that however low they think they are, as children of the Avos, they can leave Egypt behind and receive the Torah in the merit of their Avos.
The three sources of sin are: Taavah – immoral desires, Kinah – jealousy, and Kavod – the desire for honor. From these sources come the three cardinal sins of Avodah Zara, Gilui Aroyos – adultery, and Shefichat Damim – murder. These three sins are the downfall of the first three generations of mankind. Adam and Chava sinned in allowing the snake to create a desire for the fruit of the tree. Then Kayin murdered Hevel because of his jealousy. And in the third generation of Shes, humanity began to worship Avoda Zara . That is connected to Kavod and Gaavah. One does not want to give honor to HaShem and therefore creates their own god, which is really to honor themselves.
In Egypt, Klal Yisroel felt that they had become a part of the culture around them which was built on these three sins. The Torah very clearly defines Egypt as a place of immorality. The Midah of jealousy is the source of murder. Pharoah the Egyptian king slaughtered hundreds of Jewish babies. And Gaavah – haughtiness which leads to Avoda Zara, is the worship of the Nile.
The threes signs are to counteract these failings. The staff which turns into a snake is the snake from Gan Eden who tempted Adam and Chava with the pleasure of the Tree of Life. The second sign was Tzaraas which is anger and jealousy. Tzaraas comes from speaking Lashon Hara and embarrassing someone which is the equivalent of murder. And finally, there is the sign of pouring of the water of the Nile and turning it to blood. The Nile was worshipped by the Egyptians. When it turns to blood it is the complete eradication of their idolatry .
When Moshe performed these three signs it was to tell the Jews that they are not part of Egypt. The staff which represents the Jewish people can turn into the snake of Taavah. But then by grasping it, it can be turned back into the staff of HaShem.
When Moshe puts his hand that had Tzaaras back into his cloak, it is a sign that in a moment it can be easily healed. Even if the Jews are people who have the bad Midos that cause Tzaaras in a moment they can return to clean and healthy flesh.
And the water of the Nile which is the Avoda Zara of Egypt turns to blood and is not worthy of worship.
The Avos rectify the sins of the previous generations . Avrohom rectifies Taavah. Chesed is the desire to give pleasure to others in the proper way. Yitzchok is murder. He is willing to give up his life but for HaShem. And Yakov is Kavod. He says that I am so small. The DNA of Klal Yisroel includes the correct Midos. And therefore they are not like Mitzrayim, but worthy of Geulah.
HaShem had told Moshe that as their leader he could have lifted the Jewish people out of their mistaken view of what they were capable of. But now that he did not have that faith in them, they would still be able to leave Egypt and get the Torah. But it was a lower level and only through the signs. Through those wonders, Moshe taught them that they are still worthy to lift themselves out of Egypt and even receive the Torah.