Moses

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Moses — or Moshe Rabbenu (“Moses our teacher”) — was born in Egypt during the time when Pharaoh had decreed that all newborn Hebrew boys be killed. His parents, Amram and Yocheved, were members of the Levite tribe, devoted to preserving their people’s faith and identity. To save him, Yocheved placed baby Moses in a basket and set him afloat on the Nile River, where he was discovered and adopted by Pharaoh’s daughter. Raised in the royal palace, Moses grew up with an Egyptian education and the privileges of nobility — yet he never forgot his Hebrew roots. As a young man, he defended a Hebrew slave against an Egyptian overseer, forcing him to flee to Midian, where he married Zipporah and began a new life as a shepherd. 

Moses is known as one of the greatest prophets and leaders in Jewish — and world — history. He led the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt, guided them through 40 years in the wilderness, and delivered the foundational moral and legal code of Western civilization: the Ten Commandments. According to the Torah, God spoke to Moses “face to face,” entrusting him with the revelation at Mount Sinai and the Torah itself. His life is marked by dramatic miracles — the burning bush, the plagues of Egypt, the parting of the Red Sea, the manna from heaven, and water from the rock. Moses was not only a liberator but also a lawgiver, mediator, teacher, and spiritual shepherd of his people.  

Moses’ impact reaches far beyond his time and people. As the central figure in the Torah, and a prophet in Christianity and Islam, Moses is a symbol of faith, justice, and perseverance. The laws and ethical teachings attributed to him laid the moral groundwork for much of Western thought — concepts like equality before the law, compassion for the stranger, and human dignity. His leadership shaped the idea of freedom as both a political and spiritual goal. His struggle with self-doubt and his humility — “the humblest of all men” — make him a deeply human example of imperfect yet inspired leadership. Across centuries, artists, philosophers, and freedom movements have turned to Moses as a model of courage and moral vision.  

• Freed the Israelites from slavery in Egypt (the Exodus).
   
• Received the Ten Commandments and the Torah at Mount Sinai.
   
• Led the Israelites through 40 years in the desert.
   
• Established foundational laws and moral principles for civilization.
   
• Communicated directly with God — the only prophet described as doing so “face to face.”
   
• Served as a symbol of freedom, faith, and perseverance in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
   
• Model of humility, moral leadership, and commitment to justice.

Students design or draw a symbolic staff that represents leadership, justice, and faith.
Ask them to decorate it with symbols that relate to Moses’ life — e.g., flames for the burning bush, water waves for the Red Sea, tablets for the commandments.
Then, they present what each symbol means to them. 

Divide students into groups. Each group discusses and presents one leadership challenge Moses faced, such as:

• Leading a complaining or fearful people.
   
• Balancing justice and mercy (e.g., the Golden Calf).
   
• Accepting God’s command even when he doubted himself.
   

Discussion Prompts:

• What kind of leader was Moses — compassionate, strict, or visionary?
   
• What modern leadership lessons can we learn from him?
   
• How does his humility make him strong rather than weak?