Burning Bush -- Based upon the Rav’s Theme Concerning Moshe in :(תשפ״א) Parshat Shemot ​ Midian Rabbi Chananya Berzon

Moshe attempted to completely sever his relationship with Israel, and remain in Midian as a permanent resident, not just as a temporary sojourner. The posukim at 2:24-25 read: “Ribbono Shel Olam heard the anguish of Bnei Yisroel. G-d heard their cry, and G-d remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” In the posuk that follows, 3:1, the Torah describes Moshe pasturing the flocks of Yitro. The Rav writes that Hashem was ready to act in the twenty-fourth posuk (i.e. 2:24), but there was no ! The Rav continues, “He [Moshe] had fled and parted from his brethren with the intention of never returning; he [Moshe] had no thoughts of renewing the kinship or the friendship or the common destiny that bound him to his brothers.” Next, the Torah discusses the topic of the Sneh, the Burning Bush. “An appeared to him in a flame, a fire, within the thorn bush. And behold, the thorn bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not being consumed” (3:2). The Rav writes that G-d wanted to reassure Moses regarding the people of Israel’s worthiness of freedom. While Moshe gave up on the People of Israel, Hashem did not! “When you [Moshe] encountered the two feuding Jews and became the target of informers, you gave up and ran away and you assimilated yourself into the Midianite community. But I [Hashem] have not given up.” At the Burning Bush, G-d proclaims that He will protect His people, because they are worthy of protecting. “Moses,” says G-d, “You are making a mistake! You gave up on them [the People of Israel], but you are wrong.” Moshe responds to the scene of the Burning Bush, “Let me return now and see the great spectacle -- why does the thorn bush not burn up?” Hakadosh Baruch Hu imparted His message: while the Jews are in Egyptian slavery, the Jews externally appear cold in their hearts, ​ ​ but they really are hiding a fire! The pintele yid, the simple Jew, was present at the Sneh! ​ ​ This can be applied to different Torah-oriented attitudes. First, the Litvish Yeshivas in America. In the forties, fifties, and sixties, the Litvish Yeshivas felt as though they needed to keep the European style alive -- there was no place for a “Yankee” i.e. an American, coming from an American home, to remain a Ben Torah! And yet, we found that the American-American yeshiva bochur was that burning bush in the way his fire came out! When I learned in Eretz Yisroel in 1959-1960, it was popular for American Jews looking for religious experiences in India and Thailand to begin their travels in Israel so that they could see what Israel was all about. At the Kotel, there would always be someone waiting to approach the individual and kiruv work would ensue, often ending with the individual becoming a Ba’al Tshuva. The Israeli Torah culture thought it was nuts! How could you consider bringing a “Jewish Hippie” back to the Fold? And yet, there was a Ner Tamid continuing to burn inside the heart of each seemingly-lost Jew. Another attitude: the Israeli scene. Who would believe that there could be a concept like a yeshivat hesder -- that a boy could drop everything after graduating yeshivat tichonit and join hesder, ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ and eventually become a serious Talmid Chacham! It couldn’t be -- a born and bred Israeli kid with his kippa sruga and his sandalim should want to devote the next five years to a yeshivat hesder and ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ continue a Torah life?! In those days, the Chareidi stream of thought was that no Mizrochnikim could ​ ​ be incredibly devoted to limud Torah! ​ ​ At the Burning Bush Hashem told Moshe, “You gave up and you made a mistake!” Nowadays, Hashem tells us, “Don’t give up on them, don’t make that mistake!” Those of us who have a feeling toward outreach, whether through chinuch or rabbanut, askanut, being a president on a shul board, or a community activist, understand that the despondent Jew of Mitzrayim is not lost! Imirtze Hashem we can work with all of them, to bring each individual closer to Torah and to Yiddeshkeit, very close to it -- so that it becomes part and parcel of their lives! That they should be zocheh to a geula sheleima and maamad Har Sinai. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Amen!