Moses and the Exodus - The Jewish Story - Unpacked

The Jewish people find themselves in an exiled country where they're terribly mistreated. It's a story we've heard over and over again, but hey, the trope had to start somewhere. This time around, we're in the 15th century BCE and the Jewish people are slaves in Egypt. In a journey wrought with daring leadership and difficult turns, the story of the ancient Israelites' escape from slavery is one that turned the descendants of Abraham into a strong nation. It was not easy work, and it took the courage of many unsung heroes to ensure the freedom and success of the Jewish people. But after many highlights, and lowlights, from Egypt to Sinai to the land of Canaan, the people of Israel finally journey back to their promised land to carry out their national purpose. Let's start with the beginning with our first hero, Yocheved. That's right, not Moses, but his mother, Yocheved. As the Jewish people face slavery and extreme hardships under the bitter rule of Pharaoh, Yocheved takes a huge risk to save her family and the Jewish people. The Pharaoh of the time, possibly Ramses II, who ruled from 1290 to 1223 BCE, decides that the Jewish slaves have become too numerous and mighty and makes a decree to reduce their population. Sounds uncomfortably familiar. He orders that every Jewish newborn male be immediately killed and cast into the river. Yeah, bleak. Yocheved is a new mother and decides to hide her newborn son to prevent his murder. But after three months, she can no longer hide him quietly. She chooses to risk everything and send her infant down the river in a basket. This act of bravery changes the course of Jewish history and leads us to our next hero, whose name starts with M. No, still not Moses, but rather his sister, Miriam. As baby Moses floats down the river in his mother's homemade ark, Miriam quietly watches over him. The baby is finally discovered by none other than Pharaoh's daughter, who takes pity on the child. She lifts him from the river and names him Moses. At once, Miriam takes initiative and reveals herself. She asks if Pharaoh's daughter would like a Hebrew nurse for a child, and when the princess agrees, Miriam brings forth her own mother, Yocheved. Through Miriam's clever stunt, Yocheved can now care for her own son, Moses. Moses grows older and is taken into care by Pharaoh's daughter. He lives in Pharaoh's palace, becoming the Prince of Egypt, played by Val Kilmer, 1998, highly recommend. But even though Moses is raised as an Egyptian, he still identifies with his Jewish roots and takes pity on his brethren. When he sees an Egyptian strike a Hebrew slave, Moses recognizes his opportunity to act on behalf of the Jewish people and kills the Egyptian. Whether Moses had a sudden revelation about his Jewish identity or had always known he was different from his non-Jewish environment is unclear. What we do know is that his decision to defend a fellow Jew puts his own life in danger, and Moses is forced to flee from Egypt to the distant land of Midian. This one act of courage disrupts Moses's entire life in Egypt and changes the course of his future. When forced to confront the tension between his life as an Egyptian prince and his life as a Jew, Moses makes the choice to defend the latter. Moses sets up shop in Midian, where he marries a woman named Zipporah and has a son named Gershom. The Jewish people are still toiling under the back-breaking labor of Pharaoh, and God has bigger plans for Moses. While Moses is herding his sheep one day, God speaks to him through the flames of a burning bush. It is here that God reveals the larger plan for Moses to return to Egypt and start a revolution, free the Jewish people, and lead them to the promised land in Israel. But this incident may sound like every other story of prophecy in the Bible, but it is iconic in Jewish history for a reason. The moment at the burning bush is the start of Moses's blossoming career as the greatest prophet in history. Out of all the prophets, Moses will grow to be the most prominent figure in the Bible. Eventually, he becomes the only person to ever speak with God face-to-face, and the only one who could speak with God whenever he wanted. And in this moment at the burning bush, Moses begins his journey as the exemplar of Jewish leadership by protesting God's request. Classic Hollywood cliche, I know. The hero refuses his call to action. But Moses first protests, fearing that his speaking disability will hinder the process. God assures Moses that his brother Aaron will come along to do the talking, and Moses finally agrees. He heads back to Egypt with some miracles in his pocket, family on his side. Just like his mother and sister before him, Moses realizes it's up to him to ensure the freedom and the survival of the Jewish people. Moses returns to Egypt ready to be the hometown hero. At this point, there's a new pharaoh in town, most likely Merneptah, who ruled after Ramses in 1223 BCE. God knows it'll take more than a small miracle to set the Hebrew slaves free, and through Moses, God inflicts 10 plagues onto the Egyptian population. But time and again, Pharaoh refuses to let the Jews go. The Jewish people belong to him, and no amount of divine intervention can sway him, even as a civilization suffers massive destruction. That is, until the 10th and final plague, death of the firstborn. Moses warns the Jewish people about the final plague. He tells every family to slaughter a lamb and put the blood on their doorpost, as a symbol for God to pass over their homes, which, spoiler, is how the Jewish holiday of Passover got its name. God passes over every marked home, so none of the Jewish firstborns are killed. Pharaoh is not so lucky. His son is among the thousands of Egyptians to die. Pharaoh can't take any more, and he finally agrees to let the Jewish people go. The children of Israel flee, but as soon as they leave, surprise! Pharaoh changes his mind again and chases after them. With Egyptian chariots on their heels, the Jewish people come to a dead end at the Sea of Reeds. It's a nail-biting scene. God tells Moses to place his staff over the sea, and suddenly, the waters part. The people cross the 10 miles, yes, 10 miles, it was no walk in the park or so, on foot, and as soon as they reach the shore, they turn around to see the walls of water falling down behind them, drowning Pharaoh's entire army in the sea. The Jewish people have officially made it. They are free from Egypt and destined to travel to the Holy Land. The daring escape story told every year on Passover stops short of the major trials and tribulations in the desert. Moses bravely leads the children of Israel out of slavery and is immediately rewarded with complaints. However, the Jewish people have many reasons to criticize. They had followed Moses into the desert with complete faith, and now they find themselves without any provisions. From bitter water, to lack of water, to lack of food, there is no shortage of grievances. Moses speaks to God, who answers the people with miracles, sending water from rocks and bread from the sky. The journey through the desert is not an easy one, and it's here that we see the Jewish nation start to take form. For three months, the Jewish people travel under Moses' leadership and God's guiding hand. Finally, they reach Mount Sinai, where God fulfills the promise made to Abraham centuries earlier to create a great nation in the land of Israel. God's gift of the Bible at Mount Sinai is both wondrous and terrifying. God tells the people to purify and cleanse themselves in preparation, and that no one should touch the mountain lest they die. On the third day, God descends over the mountain with thunder, lightning, and smoke. The sound of a ram's horn grows louder as the nation approaches the base of the mountain. Finally, God speaks to the Jewish people directly and gives them the Ten Commandments. The children of Israel are eager to receive the commandments, accepting all terms and conditions before even reading the contract or consulting any appropriate legal advice, which is definitely not something any of us have ever tried. But they can't handle God's presence, which is too awesome and powerful for most humans to handle. So instead, they send Moses up the mountain to receive the laws himself. When Moses returns back down the mountain, he finds the people worshiping a pagan god in the form of a golden calf. Much like my hair when I step outside on a hot and humid day, the Jewish people turn from pure holiness to complete embarrassment. Seeing that his people are clearly not ready, Moses throws down the two tablets in his hand, shattering the holy words of God into pieces. But once again, Moses defends the people. He sets back up the mountain to ask God for forgiveness and repeat the entire process over again. The people accept these new tablets along with the full 613 commandments. All at once, they receive a prophecy of their mission, to serve God, to serve man, and to be a light unto the nations. Thus, the children of Israel finally become the chosen people. Establishing themselves as the first monotheistic religion, they accept the Bible as instruction for living a meaningful and ethical life. Moses later becomes known in Jewish custom as Moshe Rabbeinu, Moses our teacher, forever commemorated as the ultimate educator of Jewish values and traditions. We're finally at the apex of the story, right? The Jews have been freed, have received the Bible from God, and are officially a nation on its way to Israel. This is all true, with the addition of a slight detour in the desert for 40 years. Why? Why indeed? Well, with Moses now in his early 80s, he is preparing the people for the holy land they're about to conquer. He sends spies into Canaan to scope out the country and pump up the people for a land flowing with milk and honey. But the spies return with a negative report. They say the land is filled with enemies and giants and is too dangerous to conquer. The people complain once again, begging God to let them return to Egypt. Yes, the torture and throw your sons into the river Egypt. Two brave souls step up among the spies, Joshua and Caleb. They try to convince the people that God will help them prevail, but the damage is done and God sentences the nation of Israel to wander the desert for 40 years. Now, only the next generation will earn entrance to the promised land while the current generation is forced to live out the remainder of their lives in the desert. Journeying through the desert for 40 years might sound terrible, and in some ways it is. There are amazing miracles and spiritual highs, a profound closeness with God, but there are also many challenges. As harsh as it might sound, the journey through the desert helps shape the Jewish people into a nation, giving them a spiritual focus that prepared them for the promised land. Moses continues to prepare the people, passing down the laws of the Bible and training his successor Joshua to lead them. Yet, as Moses' narrative reaches its finality, we're left with a painful twist ending to our Hollywood story of slaves to fame. Here, God commands Moses to speak to a rock and provide water for the people. Instead, Moses hits the rock. Commentaries abound to the nature of the sin. What we do know for sure is that God responds by denying Moses the right to enter the promised land himself. Just as God needed a new generation of Jewish people to enter the land of Israel, so too was a new leader needed to guide them there. God promises to show him the land from afar, but Moses does not live to see the children of Israel enter the land of Israel. Moses dies at the ripe old age of 120. To this day, Jewish people wish that number onto others as a prayer for long life. But even though Moses' story ends, the story of the Jewish people is just beginning. The rallying cry of the generation in Egypt continues for generations afterwards as both Jews and non-Jews sing out, let my people go. From Egypt to Queen Esther to Judah the Maccabee, all the way to Martin Luther King Jr., Moses has inspired oppressed people throughout the centuries in what was perhaps the world's first liberation movement. Through Moses' leadership, the children of Israel are now entering the promised land as a force. They have endured years of hardship in the wilderness, transitioning out of the psychological shackles of servitude in Egypt and into a resilient and fortified nation. After 40 years of ups and downs and twists of fate, the Jewish people are ready to enter the promised land to create a unique national existence that will influence the history of mankind. If you like this video, make sure to check out these other ones that we made.