Shemos- Character
For this year of Parsha Lesson, I will be focusing on one area of character growth, to think about in the week ahead and the benefits that a person would have from becoming better in that area.
Background
In this week’s parsha we learn about Moshe’s birth, unique upbringing (he was raised by the daughter of Pharoah in the palace), and subsequent happenings until he came back to Mitzrayim (Egypt) to begin the process of the redemption.
An important event during the early years of Moshe’s life was when he killed an Egyptian officer who was beating and oppressing a Jewish man in a particularly vicious way. Moshe killed the officer and hid him in the sand. News of this reached Pharoah and Pharoah gave orders to capture and execute Moshe. Upon seeing this, Moshe escaped from Mitzrayim and ended up in Midyan where he met his wife and settled down.
Rabbeinu Yonah comments that because Moshe had an amazing level of ‘zrizus’ (alacrity, swiftness) that is why he escaped from Mitzrayim.
Question
How does this show that Moshe was ‘perfected’ in the character trait of zrizus? There was a bounty on his head from the extremely powerful and overbearing ruler of the country- his life was in tremendous jeopardy! How does this show that Moshe was himself a ‘zariz’? Maybe he was spurred to act as one because of the tremendous danger?
To put it differently: how did Moshe escaping from Mitzrayim give us any indication as to whether or not Moshe would behave in day to day life with alacrity and zeal in going about his dealings?
Answer
R’ Henoch Leibowitz z”l answered that Rabbeinu Yonah here is teaching us a great lesson: a person is held captive by their character traits. If Moshe was not on the high level of zrezus that he was on, he would not have escaped and saved his life. Perhaps he would have tried to hide, he would have tried many different things- but he would not have been able to actually escape from Mitzrayim, despite the mortal danger of remaining there.
The Ramchal in his sefer (book) Mesillas Yesharim echoes the same idea. The Ramchal writes in the 9th chapter, when discussing the things which make it difficult for a person to attain the character trait of zrezus, ‘that someone who accustoms himself to these things, he is not the master of himself to do differently when he wants. This person’s will is chained up in the chains of habit which have become a second nature’
Lesson
How important it is for a person to constantly be engaged in perfecting their character! Character flaws, bad habits, undeveloped good habits and character will make it so difficult for a person to be successful. One’s character flaws will be a constant impediment to success. A person can have all sorts of conviction, ideas, etc. but this person will not be able to actually be successful without the proper character that is necessary for success.
Benefits of this…
When someone is constantly engaged in character development a person is always setting themselves up for success, to capitalize on opportunities that come one’s way. A person never knows when they will be called upon to perform and when they will need to tap into their character strengths, which is why it is important to always be as prepared as one can be.
None of us should ever be faced with a life or death situation which will be determined by our strength of character, like Moshe was, yet we never do know when and if we will be challenged. But more important than ensuring our safety with a properly developed character, is to ensure that we have the strength of character to maximize the gift of life.
Wishing everyone a wonderful Shabbos!
