Parshat Vaeira - Questions
by Rabbi Lobel

“And G-d spoke to Moses and said to him, “I am Hashem.” (Exodus 6:2)

At the end of last week's Torah reading, Moses had demanded Pharaoh free the Hebrews. Pharaoh responded by punishing the Hebrew slaves – they would now have to meet their quotas of bricks without receiving straw from the Egyptians. (Exodus 5:7) To meet their quotas, the men were forced to recruit their wives and children. (Pirkei D'rebbe Eliezer 48; 833 CE) If a Hebrew slave didn't meet his quota of bricks, his children would be buried alive inside the walls of the buildings as punishment. (Talmud: Sanhedrin 101b 200 CE-500 CE)

Moses then turned to G-d and said, “Why for this did you send me?” (Exodus 5:22)

G-d answers, “Now you will see that which I'll do to Pharaoh . . .” (Exodus 6:1)

G-d next tells Moses, “I am Hashem.” According to the Midrash Rabba (Shemos Rabba 6:3; 400 CE-600 CE) G-d said “I am Hashem” in response to the haughtiness of Moses' question.

Haughtiness? The Torah, itself, says Moses was the most humble man on earth. (Bamidbar 12:3) Furthermore, this Midrash Rabba seems to contradict another Midrash Rabba (Shemos Rabba 6:1) on the same verse, which says Moses' question was prompted by the pain he felt for his people and he would not be punished for questioning G-d's ways.

The Daas Zekeinim (Exodus 6:2; Compilation of the Tosafist commentaries reprinted in Livorno; Italy 1782) reconciles the seeming disparities by reminding us that Moses had just been appointed leader of Israel. As appointed leader, Moses had both an acute sense of empathy for his people's pain and a powerful sense of responsibility to do all in his power to help them. Moses' “haughtiness” lay in his expectation of an answer. Almost as if G-d had to defend himself to Moses.

In one sense, Moses questioned G-d's actions as a means to beseech G-d for salvation. In another sense, Moses acted as advocate for and defender of his people, asking G-d why He would send Moses to redeem the Israelites knowing Pharoah would retaliate with even harsher decrees. As leader, Moses felt entitled to know. 

Regarding Moses' yearning for salvation, G-d answered, “Now you will see that which I'll do to Pharoah . . .” However, in response to Moses' questioning G-d's actions, G-d replied “I am Hashem.”

It is normal, even exemplary, to ask why G-d does what He does but we must always be careful to never question the righteousness of His actions. When Moses cried for salvation, G-d responded, “Now you will see that which I'll do”. But when G-d detected Moses questioning His actions, even though Moses was acting in defense of the Children of Israel, G-d answered, “I am Hashem”.