In this week’s Taste of Torah, we examine the opening of the book of Exodus, 1:1-6:1, with the Israelites crying out from beneath the weight of Egyptian slavery. God chooses Moses to demand their freedom. But when Moses confronts Pharaoh, things get worse. Much worse.
The Egyptians stopped providing straw for brickmaking yet demanded the same quota. This is akin to your boss doubling your workload while removing your computer. The people who once regarded Moses as a savior now see him as the cause of their suffering.
And that’s when Moses does something remarkable. In chapter 2:22, he turns to God and asks, “Why have you mistreated this people?” This isn’t the quiet doubt of a skeptic or the angry challenge of a rebel; it is the question of someone who believes so deeply that he needs to understand.
The Jewish people inherited their faith from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. But inherited faith is like a hand-me-down coat—it needs to be tailored before it truly fits. Sometimes, that tailoring comes through questions that feel almost too dangerous to ask.
God’s response to Moses reveals something profound: the exile wasn’t just suffering to endure—it was a crucible for transformation. The people needed more than their ancestors’ stories—they needed their own.
Years later, the prophet Jeremiah would capture this tension perfectly. You can believe with every fiber of your being that God’s plan is perfect, he suggested, while still crying out, “You are right, yet I still complain!” That’s not faithlessness – it’s faith growing more mature through honest questioning.
Ultimately, this story isn’t just about Moses or ancient Egypt. It’s about everyone who has ever looked up to the stars with absolute faith and burning questions. It’s about the courage to stand in that space between certainty and doubt, trusting that the very act of wrestling with hard questions can strengthen our faith.
After all, only someone who truly believes in answers dares to ask the most challenging questions.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Yonatan Hambourger, Y@tasteoftorah.org
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