Parshas Bo - Moshe's Anger

After Moshe warns Pharoah that in the tenth plague, the first born in each family in Egypt will die, the verse tells us: “And he left Pharoah’s presence in a burning anger” (Exodus 11:8).

Why was Moshe so incensed? It seems unlikely that Moshe was upset that Pharoah’s continued obstinacy blocked Jewish liberation, because God has promised him moments earlier that after this last plague, the Jews would be imminently released (11:1). So why is Moshe filled with anger?

Rashi suggests that Moshe is upset because shortly before he warned Pharoah about the last plague, Pharoah said “Don’t come see me again!” (10:28). Given that we’re told later that Moshe “was exceedingly humble, more than any person on the earth” (Numbers 12:3), we can probably rule out a personal slight as the motivation for Moshe’s fury. So what then? I suggest that Rashi is pointing to a critical, though perhaps often overlooked, aspect of Moshe’s character – his universal outlook.

We will recall that Moshe’s adoptive mother was an Egyptian princess and he was raised in the palace. Though his current mandate as God’s messenger led him to focus exclusively on the liberation of the Jewish people, Moshe may have retained some attachment to and concern for the Egyptian people. We know as well that when he fled Egypt, after executing the Egyptian taskmaster who was needlessly torturing a Jew, Moshe arrived in Midian and saved Yisro’s daughters – all non-Jews – from being harassed by the local shepherds (2: 17). It appears that Moshe actively cared about all people, not just his Jewish co-religionists. It is possible, then, that Moshe’s anger stemmed from his concern for the Egyptians and his frustration that Pharoah – in his great arrogance - had just needlessly squandered an opportunity to save them from incredible suffering.

As Jews, we believe that we follow a particular destiny. This Torah verse should prompt us to consider that our unique destiny does not preclude us, and indeed should prompt us, to exercise compassion for the broader world around us.