Moses fled from Egypt, eventually arriving in Midian. At the age of 77, he married Tziporah, daughter of the local chieftain, Jethro, and went to work shepherding Jethro’s flocks. Jethro had denounced idolatry, and was therefore ostracized by his people. In the meantime, the Jew’s slavery in Egypt had intensified further, so G‑d appeared to Moses on Mount Sinai, speaking to him from a bush that was burning but was miraculously not consumed.
Showing G‑d that We Care
וַיֹּאמֶר מֹשֶׁה אָסֻרָה נָּא וְאֶרְאֶה אֶת הַמַּרְאֶה הַגָּדֹל הַזֶּה וגו': (שמות ג:ג)
[When he saw the burning bush,] Moses said, “Let me turn away and go over there to behold this remarkable sight.” Exodus 3:3

When Moses said these words, he was voicing the aspiration that is the foundation of any relationship with G‑d. This aspiration is what makes us human, i.e., beings that strive to rise above animal existence in search of intellectual depth and spiritual self-refinement.

This ambition enables us to focus our intellects in solitary meditation and climb the ladder of Divine consciousness. Whatever level of consciousness we achieve, we always aspire to ascend further. The force of this aspiration unlocks all our human potential, strengthening our intellect, emotions, and senses. We are constantly blessed with new insight and understanding, which in turn lead us toward a deeper relationship with G‑d.

Thus, as stated in the next verse, it was only after “G‑d saw that [Moses] had turned aside to look” that “He called to him from the midst of the bush.”1