Moses - Moshe Rabbeinu | Jewish Heroes

Moshe Rabbeinu - Our Teacher Moses

Moses (Moshe in Hebrew) is the greatest prophet in Jewish tradition, the lawgiver who received the Torah at Mount Sinai and led the Israelites from slavery in Egypt to freedom. He is revered as "Moshe Rabbeinu" (Moses our Teacher), the mediator between God and Israel, and the founder of the Jewish nation and religion.

The Lawgiver and Prophet

Born during Pharaoh's decree to kill all Hebrew male infants, Moses was saved by being placed in a basket on the Nile, where Pharaoh's daughter found and adopted him. Raised as an Egyptian prince yet aware of his Hebrew heritage, he killed an Egyptian taskmaster who was beating a Hebrew slave and fled to Midian, where he married Zipporah and became a shepherd.

The Burning Bush

At Mount Horeb, God appeared to Moses in a burning bush that was not consumed. There, God revealed His personal name— YHWH (the Tetragrammaton)—and commissioned Moses to return to Egypt and demand Pharaoh release the Israelites. Despite his protests about inadequacy and his speech impediment, God appointed him as deliverer, with his brother Aaron as spokesman.

The Exodus

When Pharaoh refused to free the Israelites, God sent ten plagues upon Egypt: water to blood, frogs, gnats, flies, livestock disease, boils, hail, locusts, darkness, and death of the firstborn. The Israelites marked their doorposts with lamb's blood (the origin of Passover), sparing them from the final plague. After this, Pharaoh released them, but then pursued with his army. Moses stretched out his staff, and God parted the Red Sea, allowing Israel to cross while drowning Pharaoh's army.

Mount Sinai and the Torah

At Mount Sinai, Moses ascended to receive the Torah—both the Written Law (Ten Commandments and the Pentateuch) and, according to tradition, the Oral Law (later codified in the Talmud). He spent forty days and nights on the mountain, receiving God's comprehensive law that would govern every aspect of Israelite life: moral, civil, ceremonial, and ritual. When he descended and found the people worshiping a golden calf, he shattered the tablets in anger, interceded for the people, and later received replacement tablets.

Forty Years in the Wilderness

Moses led Israel through forty years of wandering in the wilderness. God provided manna from heaven, water from rocks, and quail for meat. Moses constructed the Tabernacle according to God's precise instructions, established the priesthood through Aaron, and led the people despite constant rebellion and complaint. At Kadesh, when the people demanded water, Moses struck the rock in anger rather than speaking to it as commanded, failing to sanctify God before the people. For this, God decreed that Moses would see but not enter the Promised Land.

Death and Legacy

At age 120, Moses ascended Mount Nebo and viewed the Promised Land from afar. There he died, and God Himself buried him in an unknown location. Deuteronomy declares: "And there has not arisen a prophet since in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face."

Significance in Judaism

Moses is the supreme prophet, lawgiver, and teacher of Judaism. The Five Books of Moses (Torah) are the foundation of Jewish faith and practice. Every Jewish prayer service, every Sabbath, every holiday references Moses' teachings. The revelation at Sinai is the defining moment of Jewish identity, when Israel became God's covenant people through the mediation of Moses. His humility (described as the most humble man on earth), his intimacy with God (speaking "face to face"), and his absolute dedication to his people make him the model of Jewish leadership and faith.