What is in a Name?

 The Yalkut Shimoni quotes a tradition that Moshe had 10 names, in addition to Moshe. What was it about the name Moshe that made it his primary identity? There are at least three answers that speak to the essential character of Moshe and lessons we can learn from Moshe- the name and the man.

One, Moshe was a non-conformist. Rabbi Yehuda Amital pointed out that water, being a liquid, takes on the shape of the container into which it is poured. Having no shape of its own, water is constantly adjusting to its surroundings. Water represents the ultimate in conformity. Moshe was drawn out of the water. In a sense, he is the anti-water. Moshe did not conform to Egyptian society, nor to the norms of Jewish behavior in Egypt. He riles against the status quo- and when he is at first successful, he does not give up- rather he runs away to fight another day. The name Moshe alludes to the nonconformist behavior that our rabbis identify as the merit and reason Bnai Yisrael were able to maintain a unique identity even during the bondage of Egypt.

Two, Moshe was exceedingly humble. The Torah testifies that Moshe was the most humble of all human beings. It was this humility that allowed him to be so great- for God would have never allowed a person with ego to be the greatest prophet in history. Such concentrated power combined with ego would have been too dangerous of a mixture. What were the origins of this humble quality? There may have been a genetic predisposition, but it was surely his early life experience of being saved from the Nile River that solidified his emphasis on humility. Moshe lived his life with the acute awareness that he might not be alive at all had it not been for the grace of God and the kindness of the daughter of Pharaoh. When a person thinks that his very existence is a kindness afforded to him or her by others- it changes one’s whole outlook on life. No longer are we preoccupied with our rights- what we deserve and what we feel is coming to us. Rather everything that we get in life is now viewed as a gift. Nothing is taken for granted, and everything is appreciated.

Third, Moshe felt that the response to his gift of life must go beyond gratitude- and extend to responsibility. Many commentators have difficulty understanding the relationship between the name Moshe and the reason offered by the Torah for that name. The Daughter of Pharaoh claims that she named him Moshe because she drew him from the water. If that was the case, then his name should have been Mashuy, the passive form of the verb, one who was drawn from the water. Moshe is the active form- ie one who draws / saves others. Seforno explains Batya’s rationale. She said, “the reason why I named him Moshe is to indicate that he will rescue others.” Batya wanted Moshe to remember that he was saved from the waters, and that created a responsibility for him to go out and attempt to save others. Moshe’s name here was a call to action in the future. He was to realize that his blessings were meant to be used to create more accomplishments and more blessings for others.

We can learn much from Moshe the person, but Parshat Shemot introduces us to the man by teachings us lessons from his main name, the one that is associated with his role in the transmission of Torah from God to the Jewish People.