In this week's Parashat HaShavuah we learn about Moses Prince of Egypt escaping to the country of Midian. Imagine. The Israelites are labouring on a public works project. An Egyptian superviser is mistreating an Israelite. There comes Moses and kills the Egyptian. Rapidly, he hides the body in the sand. No one has seen him, he goes about his business. Next day, two Israelites are fighting. Moses tries separate them and as he should have known, both turn against him. "What, are you going to kill us as you killed the Egyptian?" they say. What a revolting people those Israelites! Instead of showing gratitude, they are ready to delate him to the police. Moses will not be safe in Egypt with these "stinkers" (delators) blackmailing him. He has to run for his life to the desert. What was Moses thinking while watching those stupid sheep ruminating in Midian? "Bloody Israelites! One saves their life and the next day they will delate you to the police! I'll teach them RELIGION! I'll put the Fear of God in their black hearts and straigthen out their slave mentality!"
Moses was a man of few words. Forty years later all those who blackmailed him were dead. Together with all the other Egyptian-born Israelites. Four thousand year after, the ghost of vengeful Moses is out there haunting us few Israelites still around.
3 comments:
The bible is an amazing document because human nature (and the understanding of the wise concerning human nature) has not changed one bit in 3,000 years (or probably 10 or 50 thousand). Dress up Moses in a suit and get him a haircut and he would not attract any attention on the streets of Tel Aviv. Many of the insights in the Bible concerning human nature (not science) are superior to the psychobabble that is being peddled today.
K
Moses didn't get to see the inside of Canaan either as he died at its borders. Life is harsh, one either accepts the strictures of the Biblical God or take one's chances among barbarians who sacrifice their children to Moloch. There is no Swedish third way as the Swedes will definately find out in a few decades.
Decades?
They are already finding out, although some are still in the stage of denial.
Anon.
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