וַיְהִ֣י ׀ בַּיָּמִ֣ים הָהֵ֗ם וַיִּגְדַּ֤ל מֹשֶׁה֙ וַיֵּצֵ֣א אֶל־אֶחָ֔יו וַיַּ֖רְא בְּסִבְלֹתָ֑ם וַיַּרְא֙ אִ֣ישׁ מִצְרִ֔י מַכֶּ֥ה אִישׁ־עִבְרִ֖י מֵאֶחָֽיו׃
Pada masa itu, setelah Musa menjadi besar, ia keluar mendapatkan saudara-saudaranya dan melihat beban kerja paksa mereka. Lalu dilihatnya seorang Mesir sedang memukul seorang Ibrani, salah seorang dari saudara-saudaranya.
Akeidat Yitzchak
A) Even though laws of nature have been appointed to govern the fates of the seventy nations of the world, this does not imply that G-d has totally relinquished control. Evidence is G-d’s direct interference at the time of the deluge, the tower of Babel, the destruction of Sodom etc. In each of these events the Torah uses the term "seeing," an attribute of G-d which invariably precedes G-d’s effort to bring about a correction in His universe.
Kol Dodi Dofek
Let us pose a simple question: Did we not sin with respect to the first covenant, the Covenant of Shared Fate (as in the Covenant of Encampment-Nation), with regard to our obligation to participate in the pain of the nation and to see and feel its suffering: as it is said, “And He witnessed their burdens” (Exodus 2:11)? Let us be honest. During the terrible Holocaust, when European Jewry was systematically destroyed in gas chambers and crematoria, the American Jewish community did not rise to the occasion, and did not acquit itself as a community with the collective consciousness of shared fate, shared suffering and shared action with which it should have been expected to act. We did not properly sense the suffering of the nation, and we did precious little to save our unfortunate brethren. It is hard to know what we could have accomplished had we been more active. I personally think we could have saved many. No doubt, however, if we had properly felt the pain of our brothers; had we raised our voices and shaken worlds, that Roosevelt issue a sharp warning of protest accompanied by action, we would have been able to significantly slow the process of mass destruction. We witnessed the most horrible tragedy in our history, and we were silent. I shall not now dwell on the particulars. It is an extremely painful chapter. We all sinned by our silence in the face of the murder of millions. Do we not all stand before God’s seat of judgment charged with the grievous sin of “You shall not stand idly by the blood of your neighbor” (Leviticus 19:16), especially when the sin applies not only to one individual but to millions? When I say “we” I mean all of us: including myself, the members of rabbinic and lay organizations both Orthodox and secular, and Jewish political organizations of all persuasions. “Your leaders, tribal heads, elders, and policemen, every person in Israel … from the hewers of your wood to the drawers of your water” (Deuteronomy 29:9–10). Do you know why we were so indifferent? I think it is because our sense of nationhood was damaged. We did not grasp the notion of the experience of Shared Fate and the essence of peoplehood. We were missing the attribute of loving-kindness that Job, at first, also lacked. Job, who suffered, was devoid of a sense of shared experience and therefore did not know how to pray for his brothers. His concern was only for his own and his family’s wellbeing. We were also devoid of the sense of [the Covenant of] Encampment-Nation and therefore did not offer heart-felt prayers, nor did we take any bold measures to save our brothers.
Kol Dodi Dofek
The Torah has always taught that a man is permitted, indeed, has a sacred obligation, to defend himself. With the verse, “If a burglar is caught in the act of breaking in” (Exodus 22:1), the Torah establishes the halakhah that one may defend not only one’s life but his property as well.7 If the thief who comes to take the property of the householder is capable of killing the householder (should the householder not comply with his demands), the householder may rise up against the criminal and kill him. For good reason the Torah relates that two of its great heroes, Abraham and Moses, took sword in hand to defend their brethren: “And when Abraham heard that his kinsman was taken captive, he led forth his retainers” (Genesis 14:14). “And when Moses saw the Egyptian smite a Jew … he struck down the Egyptian” (Exodus 2:11–12). This behavior does not contradict the principle of loving-kindness and compassion. On the contrary, a passive position, without self-defense, may sometimes lead to the most awesome brutality. “And I will gain honor from Pharaoh, and all his hosts, his chariots, and his horsemen. And the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord” (Exodus 14:17–18). God did not seek honor and recognition. He wanted Pharaoh, Moses’ contemporary, to know that he must pay a high price for his edict that “Every male child born shall be cast into the river” (Exodus 1:22). His present desire is that the blood of Jewish children who were slain as they recited the eighteen benedictions of the daily [Amidah] prayer shall also be avenged. When God smote the Egyptians, He sought to demonstrate that there will always be accountability for the spilling of Jewish blood. At present, it is necessary not only to convince the dictator of Egypt [Nasser], but the self-righteous Nehru, the Foreign Office in London, and the sanctimonious members of the United Nations, that Jewish blood is not cheap. Therefore, how laughable it is when they try to persuade us to rely on the declaration of the three Great Powers guaranteeing the status quo. We all know from experience what value can be attached to the pronouncements of the British Foreign Office and the so-called friendship of certain officials in our State Department. In general, how absurd is the request that an entire people be dependent on the kindnesses of others and remain without the ability to defend itself. Public and private honor is dependent upon the possibility of defending one’s life and one’s honor. A people that cannot defend its freedom and tranquillity is neither free nor independent. The third of the phrases of Divine redemption is “And I shall redeem you with an outstretched hand and with great judgments” (Exodus 6:6).Thank God we have lived to see the day when, with the help of God, Jews have it within their power to defend themselves.