Just Do It (Vaera 01/17/26)

Just Do It

After failing miserably in his first attempt to obtain the Israelites freedom, Moses is commanded to confront Pharaoh once more.

“Go and tell Pharaoh, king of Egypt, to let the Israelites depart from his land.

But Moses appealed to God, saying, “The Israelites would not listen to me; how then should Pharaoh heed me? I’m not a speaker, I get tongue-tied!”

Moses raises this issue numerous times by telling God, “I am of uncircumcised lips (alternatively: I get tongue-tied).”

Moses’s difficulty with speaking is generally interpreted in two primary ways by the various commentators. Midrashic sources claim that Moses’s impediment was physical, causing him to stutter or mispronounce certain letters. Others, however, reject the possibility that God would send a messenger with a physical disability. Rashbam argues that, after many years in Midian, Moses felt that his Egyptian was not up to snuff. Sforno maintains that Moses lacked the necessary oratory skills.

On the other hand, when he needed to advocate for the Israelites in the episodes of the Sin of the Golden Calf and the Spies, he did so articulately and confidently. By the end of the Torah, Moses’s farewell address, which is the whole book of Deuteronomy, is eloquent, inspiring, chilling, and even poetic.

So how did Moses go from being fearful and inarticulate to being artful and persuasive?

I think it was through trial by fire.

There were a few times in my life when I thought I was incapable, but because I was forced to perform, I did so.

When I first arrived at MHJC, I played guitar publicly, but I always made sure to have an accomplished musician or two accompany me. On one musical Shabbat, three of us were supposed to play. Emily Hurstoff was exceptional on flute, and I was to play guitar alongside a local professional guitarist.

When the service began, my expert guitarist never arrived. It was now up to me to carry the rhythm. The no-show of my experienced guitarist right as the service began forced me to take on the rhythm section myself. Although initially intimidated, I was a changed person by the time the service concluded. I had not only performed competently but also gained the confidence to handle the rhythm independently. This single performance proved transformative; what started as a source of frustration ultimately became my greatest advantage.

Likewise, in high school, I excelled in science and math but struggled in English. When I enrolled in college, I was leaning towards medicine because becoming a professor meant to “publish or perish”, and I felt that if I had to publish, I’d certainly perish!

Now, half my job is writing: wedding speeches, eulogies, robo-text messages, Bnei Mitzvah speeches, and sermons. While I still don’t write like F. Scott Fitzgerald or Thomas Friedman, it’s passable. Why, because I was forced to do so, and through much repetition and learning along the way, I gained competence.

I think that’s what happened to Moses. His natural inclination was toward action. This is evident throughout his life: he struck the Egyptian to defend an Israelite, defended Jethro’s daughters at the well, initiated the plagues against Egypt, split the Sea, and led the battle against Amalek. Even when instructed to simply speak to the rock for water, he couldn’t refrain from striking it. Speech, certainly, speaking publicly was out of his comfort zone.

Yet, because he was placed in a leadership position requiring eloquent and persuasive speech, he did it all the time until he became excellent at it:

אֵ֣לֶּה הַדְּבָרִ֗ים אֲשֶׁ֨ר דִּבֶּ֤ר מֹשֶׁה֙ אֶל־כׇּל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל

“These are the words that Moses spoke to all of Israel…” (Deuteronomy 1)

It’s a lesson for us, if we want to improve at something, do as Nike says,

Just Do It!

Wishing you a transformative week,

R’ Neil