In this week’s Parsha, Pharaoh decreed that all Jewish male babies be killed. He decreed that all newborn babies must be thrown into the Nile River. With no other choice, Moshe’s family had to put him in the river. In a twist of irony and fate, none other than Pharaoh’s own daughter, Basya went to bathe in the water. When she came into the river she saw Moshe. Her compassion was aroused, she rescued him, and she called him Moshe. The pasuk says, Vatikra shemo Moshe, she called him Moshe. Moshe means one who draws out, one who rescues. She named him Moshe – Ki min hamayim meshisihu, because she drew him and rescued him from the river.
There is an obvious question here. Why did Basya call him Moshe? Moshe means a person who rescues. Moshe means a person who saves another. It seems that Basya should have named Moshe, Mashoy, which means I have rescued him, that he has been drawn out.
I heard an unbelievable answer from my father, Rav Yitzchok Fingerer shlita: The Maharsha says that Basya used the name Moshe because if someone is saved their mission in life is to save others. This is precisely what Pharaoh’s daughter meant. Basya was saying, “I saved you and you’re going to spend your life saving others. You are going to spend the rest of your life rescuing others and drawing other people out. You must have faith in those people. You must be there for them. That’s why she named him Moshe, to draw, and not Mashoy, someone who was drawn. It wasn’t just about Moshe being rescued. It wasn’t just about Moshe being drawn out from the water. It was about what Moshe would later do and how much he would impact, help, and rescue others.
Each and every Jew – every single one of us alive today are a walking miracle. After all the Jewish people have been through, statistically and logically, we shouldn’t be here. If we are here, it means that we were saved – and if we were saved, we must save and help others too. We must be there for others. We have to be like Moshe – we have to draw others close too.
A few decades ago, there was a young boy named Chaim who lived in Eretz Yisroel. He lost his father at a young age and his family was very poor. They barely had enough food to put on the table. Since his first day in Yeshiva, Chaim struggled with learning. One morning his mother had enough. She decided that the next day, she was going to take Chaim out of Yeshiva and have him work so he could help support the family. Early the next morning, the woman went to pick her son up from Yeshiva for good. On the way, she happened to meet Rebbitzin Shapiro, the wife of Rav Simcha Zissel Shapiro zt”l the Rosh Yeshiva of Chevron Yeshiva. They started talking and the young widow confided to the Rebbetzin that she was on the way to take her son Chaim out of Yeshiva and have him work to support the family. Rebbitzin Shapiro, however, didn’t agree. She said, “Don’t do it! Don’t take Chaim out of Yeshiva! It doesn’t matter if he can’t read the Gemara! It doesn’t matter if he has a hard time learning! If he hears the words, the words enter his heart and one day his heart will open up and absorb the words. He will be very successful. I’m begging you! Don’t take your son out of Yeshiva!”
After a long back-and-forth, Rebbitzin Shapiro convinced the woman to keep her son in Yeshiva. Chaim somehow heard what had happened and he kept on trying. Eventually, his learning started getting easier and more enjoyable. Before long, his mind fully opened, and he became a huge Talmud Chochom. Several years later, Chaim went to learn in the Mir Yeshiva where the Rosh Yeshiva asked him to learn with a young boy from America who needed guidance. The boy’s name was Nosson Tzvi. R’ Chaim as he was now called helped the boy and mentored him with great care, devotion, and love.
Do you know who this R’ Chaim became? R’ Chaim, the young boy who couldn’t learn – the boy whose mother was about to take him out of Yeshiva became the great Rav Chaim Kamil zt”l the Rosh Yeshiva of Ofakim and his student Nosson Tzvi became the great Rav Nosson Tzvi Finkel zt”l, Rosh Yeshiva of Mir Yerushalayim who had thousands of talmidim and one of the world’s largest Yeshiva’s! Rav Chaim who almost left Yeshiva became the Rebbi and mentor of Rav Nosson Tzvi Finkel, the Rosh Yeshiva of Mir Yerushalayim! Rav Chaim was saved by Rebbetzin Shapiro and in turn, he helped Rav Nosson Tzvi. Why? Because if you are helped then it’s your job to help others. Let’s do this. Let’s be there for others. Let’s show others how much we care for them. Let’s make an impact on other people’s lives!
