We’d all like to teach the world to see

This Shomot-week column by Rabbi Freedman was previously published. His fresh columns will resume next week.

There is a puzzling story in this week’s portion, Shemot, which occurs just as Moshe is ready to return to Egypt to set his people free. When Moshe stops at a small inn before the last leg of the journey home, G-d actually attempts to put him to death!

After 39 verses (Exodus 3; 1-4: 19) where G-d convinces Moshe to leave Midyan and accept the mission of bringing the Jewish people out of Egypt, Moshe accepts and, taking his wife and children with him, sets forth on the journey south, back to Egypt. Suddenly, just as he has nearly arrived at his destination:

“And it was, on the way, in the inn, and G-d encountered him (Moshe) and desired to kill him. And Tsiporah took a rock and cut the foreskin of her son … And he [it?] abated [let go] from him [Moshe].” (4:24-26)

What of Moshe’s mission? And what has Moshe done wrong to warrant this wrathful decree from G-d? 

The Talmud (Nedarim 31a) suggests that Moshe had not yet circumcised his newborn son (Eliezer) and was being held accountable now, because previously they had been journeying and one does not perform a circumcision if one will be forced to travel for fear of endangering the health of the baby. However, now that they had finally stopped at an inn, there was no reason to delay the circumcision, and the decision not to do this immediately was what nearly got Moshe killed. 

Rebbe Yossi in the Talmud suggests that once Moshe and his family arrived at the inn, he could have performed the circumcision, but instead busied himself with the details of their stay (“Nita’sek Ba’Malon”), hence G-d’s severe reaction.

But again, the consequence hardly seems warranted by the infraction. 

The Maharal of Prague suggests that this inn was the first stop on the journey. Moshe now had the time to stop and fulfill his obligation to circumcise his son, because the mitzvah he had been given by G-d was not to actually arrive in Egypt; the mitzvah was to leave Midyan. 

Indeed, after G-d finishes telling Moshe to go to Egypt, Moshe goes back to his father-in-law in Midyan.