The Inner Moses

The seventh of Adar marks the birth of Moses, which came in the wake of Pharaoh’s decree that all newborn Jewish boys be cast into the Nile. It was not only a decree against the Jews as a whole; it was a decree targeted specifically against Moses himself.

How could the leader of the entire Jewish people be so threatened? In fact, even his name, meaning “from the water he was drawn,” reminds us of the hardships surrounding his birth, and hints at the “waters” that can overwhelm any Jew in any generation.

Fortunately, the name Moses also carries the promise of redemption.