“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader (John Quincy Adams).”
Moshe and Aharon have emerged as the men who would lead the Jewish people to freedom. It is Moshe who encourages the people to not only believe in God and His promise of salvation, but to find the strength to believe in themselves. Yet, in the midst of this rousing narrative, the Torah interrupts and records a shortened genealogy for the tribes of Reuven, Shimon, and Levi. On the surface, the importance of this tribal family tree is to show us the familial greatness of Moshe and Aharon. Yet, interestingly enough, when we were introduced to Moshe in last week’s Parsha, the Torah does not mention the names of Moshe’s parents. The verse states: “A man of the house of Levi went and married a daughter of Levi (Shemos 2:1).” If the genealogy is so important that the Torah interrupts the narrative (in this week’s Parsha), why not convey complete familial information when we are first introduced to the future savior of the Jewish people?
To answer this question, we must look at the event that forever changed Moshe’s life. Moshe was out shepherding Yisro’s flocks when he saw the bush that burned but was not consumed. And it is there that God told Moshe:
“So now come, and I will send you to Pharaoh, and take My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt (Shemos 3:10).”
Moshe resisted. He didn’t feel worthy of such an assignment; after all, he was but a simple shepherd. Furthermore, he was not sure if the people were salvageable. Moshe turned to God and said:
“Behold I come to the children of Israel, and I say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they say to me, ‘What is His name?’ What shall I say to them?” God said to Moses, “Ehyeh asher ehyeh (I will be what I will be),” and He said, “So shall you say to the children of Israel, ‘Ehyeh (I will be) has sent me to you (Shemos 3:13-14).'”
God is known by many names. Each Divine name is descriptive and highlights a specific Divine trait or attribute. Why would God identify Himself using such an ambiguous, non-descript name? The question is compounded in light of the fact that this will be His first “introduction” to the Jewish nation.
Rav Kalonymous Kalmish Shapiro (1889-1943), the Rebbe of Piacezna, in his moving work titled, Eish Kodesh explains that man often defines himself by his past and present actions. I view myself through the lens of my past accomplishments and failures. To take this a step further, I often view my future through the lens of my past and present realities. I assume that in many respects, my future will be a continuation of my past and present. God has the unique ability to see us not only for what we were or what we are – He has the ability to see us for who we can become. God says to Moshe, “When you look in the mirror all you see is a simple shepherd – I see the man who will become the greatest prophet the world will ever know. When you look at the people- you see a nation of embittered and broken souls – I see the men, women, and children who will say, Naaseh V’nishma (we will do and we will listen) at the foot of Mount Sinai. So, if the people ask you who has sent you, tell them, the God who believes you will be what you choose to be, the God who sees what you can become, the God who believes in you has sent me here to help you become a free nation.” Ehyeh asher ehyeh, I will be what I will be, is not simply a Divine name; it is the ultimate Divine hope and aspiration for each of us. This is to become the mantra of the Jewish nation. God wants each of us to know Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh, I will be what I will be – I will become what I choose to become. I determine the kind of person I will be and the nature of the life I will lead. I have the ability to create a future that is dramatically different than my past. I may not be able to control all the circumstances of my existence, but I can determine the quality, meaning, holiness, and direction of who and what I become. I will be what I choose to be.
