Adapted by Channie Koplowitz Stein
One of the many extraordinary scenes in Parshat Shemot is the scene of the burning bush. Moshe Rabbenu is shepherding his father in law's flocks in the desert when he notices an unusual sight. A little way off, there is a bush on fire, but although the flames are in full force, the bush itself is not being consumed! "Moshe Rabbenu said to himself, I will turn aside/go now and look to see this great sight, why will the bush not be burned." Thereupon, Hashem reveals Himself to Moshe Rabbenu and thus begins the process of redeeming Bnei Yisroel and receiving the Torah through Moshe Rabbenu.
Our commentators disagree on exactly what "turning aside" meant -- three steps, five steps, or just turning his head -- the physical action is quite minimal. The overriding question, as Rabbi Wachtfogel zt”l writes, is why Hashem revealed Himself to Moshe Rabbenu just because he turned to see. After all, this was an extraordinary sight; who wouldn't go closer to see? [Who doesn't "rubberneck" when passing even a minor fender bender across the road?]
On this basis, Rabbi Nison Alpert zt”l presents the greater, followup question. Why does the Torah repeat that Moshe Rabbenu went to see why the bush was not being burned. We were just told that it was not burning in the previous verse. This turning to see is obviously more than mere curiosity. It is turning to take a closer look, to understand more deeply. It is the very reason that Hashem revealed Himself to Moshe Rabbenu. As Rebbetzin Smiles points out, this is one of the major themes not only of Parshat Shemot, but of the entire Sefer Shemot. It is the catalyst for personal and national redemption.
In Sichot Mordechai, Rabbi Weinberg zt”l points to other instances where this theme is relevant. First, when Pharaoh's daughter saw the crying baby in the Nile, she did not dismiss it. She reasoned that this must be a Jewish child, and she took action. For her personal involvement, well beyond curiosity, she merited marrying Calev ben Yefuneh and entering the Land of Israel with him and with Yehoshua even as the rest of that generation perished in the desert. In contrast, we see Pharaoh's reactions to stranger happenings and obvious miracles. When Moshe Rabbenu and Aharon Hacohen first entered Pharaoh's, they had passed through armed guards and ferocious guard animals without a scratch. Yet, when Moshe Rabbenu and Aharon Hacohen tell Pharaoh that Hashem says, "...Send out My people...to celebrate for Me in the wilderness," Pharaoh's response is, "Who is this Hashem...?"
Pharaoh continues to be blind to miracles. In plague after plague, he refuses to see the hand of God. Even some of his Egyptian subjects listened and took action. When the Egyptians were warned about the plague of hail, many Egyptians took the warning to heart and brought their animals indoors to be safe. Not Pharaoh. He refused to listen, to see, and his animals all died. Eventually, as we know, Pharaoh himself was doomed. His eyes saw, but he refused to let his mind and heart see.
Rabbi Wolbe zt”l notes that others may have seen the burning bush, wondered at its unusualness. But only Moshe Rabbenu sought to find the message within this experience.
"Moshe Rabbenu said," writes the Torah. Since Moshe Rabbenu was alone, this can only mean that he said to himself, he thought. As Rabbi Mordechai Ezrachi zt”l notes, Moshe Rabbenu did not move in any way unless that movement was warranted. As he looked, he contemplated. He could appreciate the "logic" of some miracles. The sun naturally rises and sets, so Hashem could change the timing. Water can stop flowing. But here, fire is continuing to burn, but its fuel is not being consumed. It is totally contradictory and beyond imagination. What is the message inherent in this strange sight?
The message is the eternal message of Bnei Yisroel's existence. We are being consumed by flames, the flames of the Inquisition, the fires of the Holocaust, the flames of October 7th. Yet we survive; we are not consumed.
This was the answer to Moshe Rabbenu's continuous question. Moshe Rabbenu was always concerned with the fate of his brethren. Bnei Yisroel were being so heavily oppressed in Egypt, would they survive? In answer to the question that "consumed" Moshe Rabbenu, Hashem showed him this phenomenon, writes Rabbi Svei zt”l in Ruach Eliyahu. Because this question was always on Moshe Rabbenu's mind, Moshe Rabbenu understood that this was the message of the burning bush. [As Rebbetzin Smiles pointed out, the Rorschach inkblot test is an effective psychological tool because one sees in the inkblot what is on his mind.] Because the suffering and welfare of Bnei Yisroel was always on Moshe Rabbenu's mind, Hashem chose him to be close to Him and lead the people out of Mitzrayim.
What is the major difference between Judaism, based on Torah, and other religions? Rabbi Belsky zt”l observes that other religions are based on so overpowering their adherents with mystery and awe that they are deprived of questioning. In contrast, Torah is based on questioning, on trying to understand why, albeit there will be things beyond human understanding. Moshe Rabbenu's question was why, why is the bush not consumed. [Rabbi Zimmerman explains that everyone want to connect to his Source. God gave mankind two methods of knowing Him, Torah and science. While science can explain the how of the world, only Torah can give you a why. CKS] Other religions discourage questions; Judaism's essence demands questioning. [That is at the heart of every page of learning.] Moshe Rabbenu, whose mind was constantly looking for answers, was the ideal person to bring Torah from heaven down to mortal man, to Bnei Yisroel.
Moshe Rabbenu turned aside to contemplate. Rabbi Walkin zt”l uses both the Seforno zt”l and Ramchal zt”l to suggest that this contemplation was a form of searching for closeness to Hashem, and one who seeks such closeness, Hashem helps him go in that direction. Contemplation, turning thoughts inward, changes a person. Therefore, one of the main tactics of the yetzer horo is to keep people constantly busy, bombard them with stimuli that keep requiring their attention, and they will not look for deeper meaning or meaningful activity. Pharaoh knew this, so when Moshe Rabbenu and Aharon Hacohen asked that Bnei Yisroel be given time to celebrate with Hashem, Pharaoh piled more work on Bnei Yisroel so they would have no time to think about God. As a metaphor, Pharaoh represents the yetzer horo, and Moshe Rabbenu represents the yetzer hatov. Should we not do some contemplation ourselves? How much Pharaoh-like distractions, "must do's", "must checks" present us with continuous distractions so our thinking time is constantly interrupted?
Throughout our day, there are constant signs around us. A tzadik is one who not just sees, but makes note of what is going on around him. He sees in everything ways Hashem is communicating with him and acts accordingly, writes Rabbi Gamliel Rabinowitz. When he sees or hears something that seems a bit out of place, he pays attention. For a tzadik, it is not mere curiosity. He contemplates to find the reason he was in this place at this time to see or hear this. For us as well, what lesson are we supposed to learn? What action are we meant to take? Everything around us is a message from Hashem, writes Rav Dessler zt”l.
Supporting this idea, the Netivot Shalom points out that the first verse in Sefer Vayikra says, "He called to Moshe Rabbenu, and Hashem spoke..." without telling us who called. But Moshe Rabbenu Rabbenu heard every call as a call from Hashem, and he understood he was to come closer to hear His words. The first step in coming close to Hashem is to listen to His voice, as it says in Devorim30:2, "...And you will return to Hashem... and you will listen to His voice..."
It is important to take a moment to reflect on what you are witnessing. If you do not take that time to internalize, the entire experience will pass you by, unnoticed. That is why right before Hashem split the Sea, Moshe Rabbenu told Bnei Yisroel, "Hityatzvu/Stand strong, and see the salvation of Hashem...," stop and take the time to contemplate and internalize this moment. Focus. Be aware of what you are witnessing, for, as Rebbetzin Smiles tells us, you are the driver of your life, not the passenger; you must be aware of everything on the road of your life. As Rabbi Weinberg zt”l laments, we tend to go through life on remote. Even when we see something unusual we acknowledge it for a moment or two and then move on and forget. Really stop and internalize the experience.
If we want to come closer to Hashem, we must take the first step. Hashem will test you with something small to see if you are ready for the greater challenge., writes Rabbi Kofman zt”l in Mishchat Shemen. It is up to us to pay attention to the small things and seize the opportunity. Even if we already have a relationship, if we want it to grow, we have to look for the other opportunities. Rabbi Beyfus points out that Moshe Rabbenu already had a relationship with Hakodosh Boruch Hu from when he looked in the future to see if anyone good would descend before he killed the Egyptian. Yet here, at the burning bush, Moshe Rabbenu searched for a deeper understanding of Hashem. Had Moshe Rabbenu not turned to examine the phenomenon more closely looking for the message it conveyed, Hashem would not have spoken to him from within the fire and appoint him to lead the Jews.
ArtScroll Mid rash-Insights cites Rav Aharon Hacohen Kotler zt”l in explaining why Moshe Rabbenu's turning to see was so important. Although Moshe Rabbenu had already shown he was in tune with Bnei Yisroel's suffering and would be an appropriate leader, he still needed one small, final test before he would be appointed to this mission. Moshe Rabbenu had to prove that he was always searching, trying to get closer to Hashem in every way possible. The medrash presents a parable of a deep well with water at the bottom. The only way of accessing it would be to tie several ropes together until it was long enough to reach the bottom. If even one piece of rope is missing, the water is inaccessible. For Moshe Rabbenu to reach the living waters of Torah, he had to dig deeper so that he could climb higher. We cannot know what Hashem wants from us. We need to keep adding to the rope.
We are all capable of growing our faith, but we get in our own way, writes Rabbi Alpert zt”l. The signs are all around us, but we refuse to ask the question. Moshe Rabbenu saw a burning bush and asked,"Why is it not burning?" How often do we see, but take everything for granted? All we need to do is see not only with open eyes, but with an open mind. When we ask why is this happening, what can I learn from this, we are strengthening our faith and building a deeper connection to Hakodosh Boruch Hu.