Speaker 1: Previously on the chosen people.
Speaker 2: These Hebrews are like rats breeding in the shadows.
Speaker 3: They already outnumber my soldiers.
Speaker 2: We must cut the Hebrews off before they become unmanageable.
Speaker 1: When Pharaoh's men arrived, they did so with the violence
Speaker 1: of a summer storm. The streets that had buzzed with
Speaker 1: life now rang with the screams of mothers as soldiers
Speaker 1: tore their children from their arms.
Speaker 3: Ygerbed, know, poor, what's going on?
Speaker 2: Take your son and hide now Pharaoh's men are coming.
Speaker 1: Jokobed's hands trembled as she placed the basket into the water,
Speaker 1: her heart breaking with each breath.
Speaker 3: I sleep, my child. I pray that our God will
Speaker 3: protect you.
Speaker 1: I feel I can't do more.
Speaker 3: I have to believe something greater for you myself. I
Speaker 3: have to believe.
Speaker 1: The basket was a vessel of salvation. Although chaos raged
Speaker 1: around him, the baby was safe inside. Miriam watched the
Speaker 1: basket flow into the banks near Pharaoh's palace, where a
Speaker 1: group of women were bathing in the morning sun. Princess
Speaker 1: Bitcher waded toward the basket and brought it back to
Speaker 1: the steps. His name shall be Moses, because I drew
Speaker 1: him out of the water. When Moses was weaned, he
Speaker 1: was returned to Princess Bitcher and raised as a prince
Speaker 1: of Egypt. He grew up alongside Ramsays, the son of
Speaker 1: Pharaoh SETI, the future ruler of the land. But despite
Speaker 1: the opulence of the palace, a shadow hung over Moses,
Speaker 1: a lingering scent of the Hebrews that clung to him
Speaker 1: like a second skin. While rousings embodied the glory of raw,
Speaker 1: Moses remained a figure suspended between two worlds. He was
Speaker 1: neither fully Egyptian nor entirely Hebrew, neither slave nor free.
Speaker 1: He was Moses, the stray Hebrew pop raised in the
Speaker 1: heart of Pharaoh's.
Speaker 4: Crut between royalty and rebellion, Moses lashed out in a
Speaker 4: moment that would shape nations. Shallo, my friends from here
Speaker 4: in the Holy Land, Welcome to the Chosen People. I'm
Speaker 4: ya l Extein. With the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews.
Speaker 4: Each day we'll hear a dramatic story inspired by the Bible,
Speaker 4: stories filled with timeless lessons of faith, love, and the
Speaker 4: meaning of life. Through israel story, we find this truth
Speaker 4: that we are all chosen for something great. If you
Speaker 4: haven't yet followed the podcast. Be sure to do so now.
Speaker 4: That way you never have to miss an episode, and
Speaker 4: that small step helps us tremendously as we try to
Speaker 4: be discovered by more people so that we can inspire them.
Speaker 4: If you're interested in finding out more about the prophetic,
Speaker 4: life saving work of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews,
Speaker 4: you can visit our website at IFCJ dot org. Have
Speaker 4: you ever been caught between two worlds, torn between duty
Speaker 4: and identity?
Speaker 3: What do we do?
Speaker 4: And we witness injustice when our hearts burn with a
Speaker 4: call to act? Moses found himself at such a crossroad
Speaker 4: in this cinematic retelling of Exodus two eleven to fifteen.
Speaker 4: Let's ponder our own place among the chosen people.
Speaker 1: Moses planted his right foot firmly into the dust, his
Speaker 1: sandal grinding into the loose earth, and cocked his shoulder back.
Speaker 1: The wooden, practiced sword felt heavy in his hand, not
Speaker 1: from its weight, but from the rage simmering beneath his skin.
Speaker 1: With a guttural shout, he lunged forward, swinging wildly, but
Speaker 1: Ramses was quicker. The Prince sidestepped, and Moses stumbled forward,
Speaker 1: his momentum, carrying him off balance. Ramses seized the opening,
Speaker 1: driving his knee hard into Moses's ribs. A sharp gasp
Speaker 1: escaped Moses's lips as he crumpled to the ground, the
Speaker 1: taste of blood on his tongue. Ramses swung his sword
Speaker 1: in a swift arc, aiming to end about with a
Speaker 1: single blow, but Moses rolled away just in time. He
Speaker 1: scrambled to his feet, clutching his side where the pain glanced,
Speaker 1: sharp and unyielding. Anger flared hotter than the desert sun,
Speaker 1: and Moses felt the familiar loss of control, the fire
Speaker 1: in his blood demanding release. He roared and charged at
Speaker 1: Ramses again, swinging wildly recklessly. Ramses ducked the first strike
Speaker 1: and parried the second. His movements were fluid and precise.
Speaker 1: Behind them, their survey's voice cut through the clash of
Speaker 1: wood on wood.
Speaker 3: Easy, young Moses, don't lose your temper again.
Speaker 1: But Moses heard nothing save the rush of blood in
Speaker 1: his ears. He snarled his teeth bead like a cornered beast,
Speaker 1: and lunged once more. Ramses saw it coming, stepping lightly
Speaker 1: aside and driving the wooden blade hard to Moses back
Speaker 1: Moses fell forward, hitting the ground with a breathless gasp,
Speaker 1: his fingers clawing at the dirt.
Speaker 2: You'll fight like a frightened animal, Moses, stop bedding her
Speaker 2: claws and think.
Speaker 3: Like a man. Don't tell me what to do. You're
Speaker 3: not ar of yet.
Speaker 1: The words were hot and reckless, and they spurred Moses
Speaker 1: to his feet. Abandoning his sword, he charged Ramses, his
Speaker 1: only thought to close the distance, to bring the fight
Speaker 1: to the ground where he was strongest. Ramses braced himself,
Speaker 1: raising his sword, but Moses slipped low, dipping his shoulder,
Speaker 1: untackling Ramses to the dust. The two of them hit
Speaker 1: the ground in a tangle of limbs, and Moses was
Speaker 1: on him in an instant, his arms and legs coiling
Speaker 1: around Ramses like a python. Grappling in the dirt, Moses
Speaker 1: squeezed with all his might, his teeth gritted, his breath ragged.
Speaker 3: Yield, Ramses, a.
Speaker 2: Lover.
Speaker 3: You're too proud to lose to a Hebrew, I said,
Speaker 3: yield refuse.
Speaker 1: Rage blinded Moses, drowning out all reason. He squeezed tighter,
Speaker 1: oblivious to Rams's desperate gasps for air, to the darkening
Speaker 1: of his face. He did not hear the instructor's shouts,
Speaker 1: did not feel the sting of command that echoed around them.
Speaker 3: Enough, Moses, release your hord.
Speaker 1: Moses couldn't hear him. His fury burned too hot. I
Speaker 1: said enough, but Moses was deaf to all but his
Speaker 1: own fury, lost in a tempest of his own making.
Speaker 1: The Instructor's hand came down hard on the back of Moses' head,
Speaker 1: a sharp blow that jolted him from his red haze.
Speaker 1: He blinked, breath hitching and released his hold. Ramses rolled away,
Speaker 1: clutching his throat, gasping for breath that would not come.
Speaker 3: By Manto's big.
Speaker 2: I thought you were going to kill me.
Speaker 3: Ah I, I'm sorry, Ramses. I shouldn't have done it.
Speaker 2: Lucky, my sister found you in that water. If it
Speaker 2: were me who saw you floating on the nile, I
Speaker 2: would have pushed you closer to the crocks. The temper
Speaker 2: of yours will be your undoing. Moses.
Speaker 3: Yes, abate I, I don't know what came over me.
Speaker 2: That was your Hebrew showing. That's why they need the whip.
Speaker 2: They're animals in need of a master. Remember that you're
Speaker 2: not one of them. Moses, you're in the household of Pharaoh.
Speaker 2: Act like it.
Speaker 3: Yes, Ramses I really didn't mean to.
Speaker 1: But Ramses had already turned his back, leaving Moses standing alone,
Speaker 1: his brow furrowed with a mix of shame and anger.
Speaker 1: Rameses was the favored son, the heir to the throne
Speaker 1: the dawn of Egypt. Moses was a prince only by
Speaker 1: the will of the gods and the whim of fate,
Speaker 1: a prince by right but not by blood. His Hebrew
Speaker 1: birth clung to him like a shadow, a constant reminder
Speaker 1: of a truth he could never escape.
Speaker 3: Who am I?
Speaker 1: Moses let his wooden sword drop into the dust. His
Speaker 1: eyes followed it, staring, as though the answer to his
Speaker 1: turmoil might lie in the splintered wood. He turned and
Speaker 1: walked away, his steps slow and heavy, each foot fall
Speaker 1: dragging through the sand, as if weighed down by invisible chains.
Speaker 1: He meandered through the palace courtyards. Moses wrestled with his
Speaker 1: place in the world, a prince trapped between two identities,
Speaker 1: between two names. Was he an Egyptian prince or a
Speaker 1: Hebrew or a lord or a survivor? The sun hung
Speaker 1: low over thieves, a golden disk of fire, casting its
Speaker 1: dying light across the city of Pharaohs. The air was
Speaker 1: filled with the smell of incense and the sounds of
Speaker 1: the market place, merchants, hawking wares, the chatter of slaves,
Speaker 1: and the rhythmic pounding of drums from a distant temple.
Speaker 1: This was the beating heart of Egypt, a city of
Speaker 1: splendor and power, where the Niles sacred waters carved a
Speaker 1: path through the desert, bestowing life upon all who dwelt
Speaker 1: in its shadow. Moses walked among the throngs, his stride
Speaker 1: measured and regal, a prince garbed in linen, finer than
Speaker 1: the webs of spiders, sandals of gilded leather strapped to
Speaker 1: his feet. The people parted before him, head's bowing eyes averted.
Speaker 1: It was a figure of reverence, the adopted son of
Speaker 1: Pharaoh's daughter, raised in the lap of luxury and trained
Speaker 1: in the arts of war and state craft. Yet as
Speaker 1: he moved through the streets of thieves, passed the towering
Speaker 1: obelisks and grand colonnades, he could not escape the unease
Speaker 1: that gnawed at his heart. The city was a marvel,
Speaker 1: an endless sprawl of white stone and gleaming gold, adorned
Speaker 1: with statues of gods and kings. Here, Horace and Rah
Speaker 1: watched with eyes of Lapis, and the Sphinx guarded the
Speaker 1: secrets of ages past. The palace loomed in the distance,
Speaker 1: a fortress of power, its walls painted with the victories
Speaker 1: of pharaohs long dead. Yet to Moses, the grandeur of
Speaker 1: thieves had begun to feel like a facade, a gilded
Speaker 1: mask hiding a festering wound. As he passed procession of
Speaker 1: priests leading a sacred bull to the temple, he found
Speaker 1: his gaze drawn not to the finery of the ceremony,
Speaker 1: but to the faces of the men who labored to
Speaker 1: clear the path. They were Hebrews, their skin burned dark
Speaker 1: by the sun, their bodies lean from toil. They did
Speaker 1: not look up as he passed, their eyes fixed on
Speaker 1: the ground, their expressions hollow. They were his people, his blood.
Speaker 1: A voice whispered in his mind, insidious and relentless.
Speaker 3: You are not one of them.
Speaker 1: The thought was both a curse and a comfort. Moses
Speaker 1: knew he was a prince of Egypt, yet he felt
Speaker 1: no kinship with the land of his upbringing. He was
Speaker 1: a son of the Nile, but his blood was the
Speaker 1: blood of slaves. The sound of hammer on stone drew
Speaker 1: him from his days, and he turned his eyes toward
Speaker 1: the outskirts of the city, where the pyramids rose against
Speaker 1: the horizon like mountains of despair. Here Pharaoh's vision of
Speaker 1: eternity was etched into the earth. He drew closer to
Speaker 1: a work site. Slaves swarmed over the stones like ants,
Speaker 1: their backs bent beneath the weight of granite blocks. Overseers
Speaker 1: stalked among them, whips cracking like thunder, their shouts harsh
Speaker 1: and unforgiving. The slaves did not meet Moses eyes as
Speaker 1: he passed, but he could feel their silent plea, a
Speaker 1: cry for mercy that went unanswered day after day. Guilt
Speaker 1: twisted in his gut. He was a prince of Egypt,
Speaker 1: and yet what had he done to deserve his station?
Speaker 1: He had lived in luxury while his people bled and died,
Speaker 1: to build monuments to gods they did not worship. He
Speaker 1: was a Hebrew by birth, but he had been raised
Speaker 1: as an Egyptian, taught to revere the very men who
Speaker 1: enslaved him. Kid he belonged to neither world, poured between
Speaker 1: two identities like a man trapped between two mirrors, his
Speaker 1: reflections split and distorted. Moses stopped at the edge of
Speaker 1: the work site, his gaze lingering on a young man
Speaker 1: no older than himself, struggling to lift a stone that
Speaker 1: was too heavy for him. The overseer's whip lashed out,
Speaker 1: striking the man across the back, and he staggered, falling
Speaker 1: to his knees. The man screamed in pain.
Speaker 3: He Brew Dog get up and left.
Speaker 1: Moses felt a surge of anger, hot and fierce, but
Speaker 1: it was quickly tempered by Shane. He turned away, unable
Speaker 1: to bear the sight any longer. But as he did,
Speaker 1: the young man's eyes met his, and for a moment
Speaker 1: time seemed to stand still. The sound of the cracking
Speaker 1: of the whip echoed. His heart beat intensified, and his
Speaker 1: fists bawled with ten. The taskmaster's whip was heavy against.
Speaker 3: The Hebrew's back.
Speaker 1: His arm fell like lightning.
Speaker 5: What will it take to get you working?
Speaker 3: Your wife and children?
Speaker 2: Here to remind you of what.
Speaker 5: I am capable of, Unzi? Did I say you could
Speaker 5: streak work faster? I said faster, wool dog.
Speaker 1: Moses heart pounded, his blood boiling. No one else would act,
Speaker 1: no one else would intervene. His feet moved of their
Speaker 1: own accord, his voice coming out as a shout roar
Speaker 1: and commanding.
Speaker 3: That's enough, leave him alone.
Speaker 5: These dogs need to know who their masters are.
Speaker 1: I said it up. In a blur of motion, Moses
Speaker 1: leaped at the overseer, and his fist connecting with the
Speaker 1: man's temple. The commanders staggered back, raising his whip to strike,
Speaker 1: but Moses tackled him the ground, the two of them
Speaker 1: rolling in the dust. They struggled. The commander's hands cloyed
Speaker 1: at Moses, but the prince pinned him down, his hands
Speaker 1: closing around the man's throat.
Speaker 3: How does it feel to be the one afraid for
Speaker 3: your life? M How does it feel?
Speaker 1: The Overseer's eyes bulged, his face darkening as Moses squeezed tighter.
Speaker 1: The world now to the sound of his own breath,
Speaker 1: the rush of blood, the pandied flailing of the man
Speaker 1: beneath him. Then, as suddenly as it had begun, the
Speaker 1: struggle ended. The Overseer's body went limp, his eyes glassy
Speaker 1: and still. Moses released his grip, stumbling back in horror.
Speaker 1: He looked down at his trembling hands. Unable to comprehend
Speaker 1: what he had done, he turned to the hebrew who
Speaker 1: stared at him with a mixture of fear and gratitude.
Speaker 1: But when Moses stepped forward, the man flinched. These don't
Speaker 1: hurt me, Lord Moses.
Speaker 3: No, I I didn't, I I would never.
Speaker 1: The hebrew Man ran, disappearing into the maze of stone
Speaker 1: and sand, leaving Moses alone with the lifeless body of
Speaker 1: his victim. His breath hitched in his throat as he
Speaker 1: dragged the corpse to a pile of rubble, hastily burying
Speaker 1: it beneath loose stones. When he was finished, he stared
Speaker 1: at the crude grave, his heart pounding with the weight
Speaker 1: of his crime.
Speaker 3: Oh what have I done? H oo ooh.
Speaker 5: Am I.
Speaker 1: Moses fled back to the palace, his steps frantic and unsteady,
Speaker 1: tears streaking his dust covered face. He stumbled through the
Speaker 1: torch lit corridors, his breath coming in ragged sobs. Finding
Speaker 1: a secluded corner, he sank to the floor, burying his
Speaker 1: face in his hands as the reality of his actions
Speaker 1: crashed over him. But even in the stillness, there was
Speaker 1: no solace. Footsteps echoed through the hall, and Moses hurriedly
Speaker 1: wiped his face, trying to compose himself from the shadows.
Speaker 1: Emerged Rameses, his expression unreadable. Moses bowed his head, hoping
Speaker 1: he would pass by without notice, but Ramses stopped studying
Speaker 1: him with a mix of curiosity and disdain.
Speaker 2: You look like cow done.
Speaker 3: I feel like caldon.
Speaker 1: Ramses hesitated, his usual arrogance tempered by something softer.
Speaker 2: Oh listen, Moses, Well what I said earlier about pushing
Speaker 2: you to the crocs it was unbecoming of me. You
Speaker 2: are a member of this household and a brother.
Speaker 3: It's all right, Rameses, I provoked you. Bait is right.
Speaker 2: I need to control my temper and I need to
Speaker 2: control my tongue. If I'm ever to ascend to the
Speaker 2: heights of Rah and touch the Sun, I shouldn't lower
Speaker 2: myself to such words.
Speaker 3: You are kind to apologize.
Speaker 1: Ramses nodded, but there was a warning in his eyes
Speaker 1: as he turned to leave.
Speaker 2: Today will be behind us. But I warn you, Moses,
Speaker 2: I will not be dishonored in such a way again,
Speaker 2: my sister's son or not, I will be mocked by no.
Speaker 3: One understood Rameses.
Speaker 1: Moses watched him go, feeling the familiar sting of rejection
Speaker 1: mingled with a desperate longing for Ramsey's approval. When his
Speaker 1: uncle disappeared around the corner, Moses let out a long,
Speaker 1: shuddering breath. He dragged himself to his bed, but sleep
Speaker 1: did not come easily. The image of the dead man's
Speaker 1: eyes haunted his dreams, I relent specter that kept him
Speaker 1: tossing and turning, until at last he could stand it
Speaker 1: no longer. Rising, he made his way to the river.
Speaker 1: The first light of dawn had yet to touch the sky,
Speaker 1: and the Niles waters ran dark and swift, whispering secrets as.
Speaker 3: They cut through the land.
Speaker 1: Moses stood at the edge, staring out at the currents,
Speaker 1: the wind tugging at his robes. He closed his eyes,
Speaker 1: trying to remember what had happened all those years ago.
Speaker 1: The stories his mother had told him came to mind,
Speaker 1: of the basket that carried him through the reeds, of
Speaker 1: the gentle hands that cradled him against the cold waters.
Speaker 1: But it all felt like a half remembered dream, a
Speaker 1: puzzle missing too many pieces. The breeze carried a soft
Speaker 1: murmur Mooses, a stirring in the reeds that almost sounded
Speaker 1: like a v Moses' eyes snapped open, his heart quickening.
Speaker 1: He peered into the mist, but saw nothing save the
Speaker 1: shifting shadows of the river bank.
Speaker 3: Who Who's there?
Speaker 1: There was no answer. Moses shook his head, pushing the
Speaker 1: strange feeling aside. The whisper was gone, but the questions
Speaker 1: remained gnawing at him. As he turned away from the
Speaker 1: river's edge, Moses wandered back into the city, the early
Speaker 1: morning still cool with the last remnants of night. As
Speaker 1: he walked, he saw two men locked in a heated argument,
Speaker 1: their voices raised in anger. They were Hebrews, their tunics
Speaker 1: stained with the dust of their labor.
Speaker 3: Every time you take a break, you leave me carrying
Speaker 3: an entire load. Myself finish the job carrying the load.
Speaker 2: Anyways, I take more breaks because you refuse to do
Speaker 2: your fair share of the work.
Speaker 3: Take that back, that make me.
Speaker 1: The smaller of the two took a jab at the other.
Speaker 1: The larger man returned with an even greater woe to
Speaker 1: the man's jaw. Moses immediately stepped into help.
Speaker 3: Stop why do you fight each other? Stop this nonsense.
Speaker 1: At once, the men hesitated, but when they looked at Moses.
Speaker 1: Their expressions turned cold. They saw not a fellow Hebrew,
Speaker 1: but a prince in fine linen, an Egyptian in every
Speaker 1: way that mattered?
Speaker 3: Were you a task master? Now, Moses? You're going to
Speaker 3: whip us into submission? Who made you prince over us?
Speaker 2: Anyway?
Speaker 3: I heard rumors you're a Hebrew just like the rest
Speaker 3: of us. No, I'd be careful.
Speaker 2: You might lose his temper on you, like you did
Speaker 2: with that Egyptian yesterday.
Speaker 3: Ah, yes, we all heard about that.
Speaker 1: How did you know about that? Moses stepped back. Terror
Speaker 1: coursed through his veins. If these slaves knew about the murder,
Speaker 1: surely word had reached the palace by now?
Speaker 2: Are you going to murder us like you did the Egyptian?
Speaker 1: Who are you, Moses?
Speaker 3: A vigilante? A tyrant? Whose side are you one?
Speaker 1: Moses turned and fled, his heart pounding as he bolted
Speaker 1: through the streets. He reached the palace courtyard, but skidded
Speaker 1: to a halt when he saw the guards, a dozen
Speaker 1: of them, their eyes scanning the grounds. They were looking
Speaker 1: for him. Moses spun on his heel and ran, his
Speaker 1: breath hitching in his throat As he stumbled down the
Speaker 1: palace steps, he crashed into a vendor's cart, ascending figs
Speaker 1: spilling onto the stones.
Speaker 3: These after him.
Speaker 1: Moses ran his feet barely touching the ground as he
Speaker 1: tore through the crowded marketplace. He dodged past startled merchants,
Speaker 1: sprinted down the cobblestone streets, and ducked into the narrow
Speaker 1: alleys that twisted through the city. The guards were close behind,
Speaker 1: their shouts growing louder get.
Speaker 3: Back by the order silen. They had to get out
Speaker 3: of here.
Speaker 1: Moses didn't stop. He bolted through the eastern gate, diving
Speaker 1: into the dense brush that lined the river bank. The
Speaker 1: reeds rustled around him as he crawled toward the water,
Speaker 1: Slipping into the nile's embrace. He stayed hidden, his body
Speaker 1: submerged as the guards passed by, their torches flickering in
Speaker 1: the dark. When dusk finally fell, Moses emerged from the water,
Speaker 1: shivering and spent. He crossed to the far shore, each
Speaker 1: step taking him farther from the city that had been
Speaker 1: his home and his prison. The land stretched out before him,
Speaker 1: a barren expanse of sand and stone, unforgiving and uncharted.
Speaker 1: Moses wandered the desert, his thoughts a whirlwind of guilt
Speaker 1: and fear. He was no longer a prince, nor was
Speaker 1: he a slave. He was an exile, a fugitive with
Speaker 1: no home and no kin. The desert wind howled around him,
Speaker 1: biting at his skin, and the sun beat down with
Speaker 1: merciless intensity. Moses trudged on, driven by a need he
Speaker 1: could not name, haunted by the man he had killed
Speaker 1: and the questions that nor did his soul. In the
Speaker 1: vast emptiness of the wilderness, Moses was utterly desperately alone. Wow.
Speaker 4: What an incredible story. Moses's struggle to belong and his
Speaker 4: bold yet dangerous act reminds us of the cost of
Speaker 4: standing up for what's right, even when the world stands
Speaker 4: against us. Yet there's a haunting complexity to this story,
Speaker 4: isn't there. Moses's act of violence and from a heart
Speaker 4: of righteousness, blurs the lines of morality. It challenges us
Speaker 4: to grapple with the gray areas of justice and the
Speaker 4: difficult choices we face in the quest for what is right.
Speaker 4: Before we look at Moses's actions, let's set the scene
Speaker 4: and Verse eleven tells us one day after Moses had
Speaker 4: grown up, he went out to where his own people
Speaker 4: were and watched them at their hard labor. Well, actually,
Speaker 4: the more precise Hebrew here translates that Moses quote looked
Speaker 4: at them, not watched them. If you translated exactly, says
Speaker 4: that Moses looked at them and at their hard labor.
Speaker 4: You see throughout Egypt, anywhere you looked, you would see
Speaker 4: Hebrew slaves being mistreated. But the great Jewish sage known
Speaker 4: as Rashi gives a deeper meaning to the word looked.
Speaker 4: Rashi says that Moses directed his eyes and his heart
Speaker 4: to share their distress. You know, we look at things
Speaker 4: all the time. We look at poor people, we look
Speaker 4: at people with serious problems in their lives.
Speaker 3: We look at people who.
Speaker 4: Are ill or in pain. But how often, my friends,
Speaker 4: do we really look to the extent that we share
Speaker 4: the pain and the distress of these people. Moses really
Speaker 4: looked at the slaves who are being mistreated. And actually,
Speaker 4: that's exactly what the Fellowship does every single day here
Speaker 4: in Israel. We look at the people who are suffering,
Speaker 4: we really feel their pain and distress, and then we
Speaker 4: go in to help, and we hope that you'll consider
Speaker 4: joining us to really look at the people here in
Speaker 4: Israel who need our help to feed them, to clothe them,
Speaker 4: to shelter them, to be there for them and give
Speaker 4: them hope. Insights from Rabbi Jonathan Zach's of Blessed Memory
Speaker 4: always leave me in awe. His teachings peeled back layers
Speaker 4: of these Bible stories were studying each day, revealing deeper truths.
Speaker 4: I'll share some of what I've learned from him. One
Speaker 4: is that Moses, that revered figure in Jewish history, faced
Speaker 4: a moment of profound conflict. In this story, it all
Speaker 4: started with an act of passion and a quest for justice.
Speaker 4: Moses saw an Egyptian who was beating the Hebrew and
Speaker 4: in a moment of righteous anger, Moses killed the Egyptian.
Speaker 4: Now let that sink in. Moses, the Prince of Egypt,
Speaker 4: was raised in a palace with all its luxuries, all
Speaker 4: its lure, all its temptations. But in that moment, Moses
Speaker 4: actually aligned himself with the enslaved, with the oppressed. Yes,
Speaker 4: Moses chose sides. That's a big deal for someone who
Speaker 4: was raised in the palace to side with the slaves.
Speaker 4: Think about the magnet of his decision. He was raised
Speaker 4: an Egyptian royalty. Moses looked and spoke like a member
Speaker 4: of the royal family. He wore their clothes, he embraced
Speaker 4: their customs. But in that one moment of violence, something
Speaker 4: within Moses snapped into place. He wasn't just acting as
Speaker 4: an impulsive young man. He was declaring his allegiance, an
Speaker 4: allegiance not to the throne, but to his people, the Hebrews.
Speaker 4: Rabbi Sax points out that this act was not just
Speaker 4: a moment of losing one's temper. Rather, it was defining
Speaker 4: moment of identity.
Speaker 3: Who am I?
Speaker 4: Moses would later ask God at the Burning Bush, But
Speaker 4: in a way, Moses was already asking that question here,
Speaker 4: not with his words, but with his actions. Moses could
Speaker 4: have lived comfortably, basking in the privileges of royalty. Instead,
Speaker 4: he chose the path of hardship, identifying what his people suffering.
Speaker 4: This act of killing the Egyptian more than just defending
Speaker 4: a fellow Hebrew. It was Moses recognizing his own blood,
Speaker 4: his own roots, and his own destiny. In our next
Speaker 4: few stories, we'll find Moses wrestling with this choice. Like
Speaker 4: each of us, Moses's life was informed by just one
Speaker 4: decision Moses will flee, he'll find a place in Midyan,
Speaker 4: and then he'll return, and even then he will wrestle
Speaker 4: with his place among God's chosen people. But in each
Speaker 4: one of these stories we'll find one abiding truth that
Speaker 4: Moses was a Hebrew, and no matter the cost, Moses
Speaker 4: could not stand idly by while his people suffered. This
Speaker 4: brings us to an essential truth that Rabbi Sacs so
Speaker 4: eloquently uncovers. That Jewish identity is forged in the fires
Speaker 4: of shared fate and destiny. Just about birth or upbringing.
Speaker 4: It's about a profound connection to our people suffering and
Speaker 4: their triumphs. Moses's sense of justice and his protective instinct
Speaker 4: for his fellow Hebrews showed that despite his Egyptian upbringing,
Speaker 4: he was still.
Speaker 3: A Jewe at heart.
Speaker 4: And God saw this in Moses, this deep, unshakable connection
Speaker 4: to the Chosen people's pain, the traits that we have
Speaker 4: found in Moses so far, his empathy and his justice
Speaker 4: made him the perfect leader. Not his royal education, not
Speaker 4: his palace manners, but his heart that beat with the
Speaker 4: Hebrew cries of his people. Moses didn't become a hero
Speaker 4: because he saw greatness. He became a hero because he
Speaker 4: couldn't ignore the suffering of his people. This is our responsibility,
Speaker 4: each one of us, as people of God, to see
Speaker 4: another's pain as our own, to respond to the cause
Speaker 4: of justice, even when it demands much of us in
Speaker 4: moments of faith, moments that truly define who we are.
Speaker 4: Let's look inward like Moses and ask this question, who
Speaker 4: am I and what am I called?
Speaker 1: Right now to do? You can listen to The Chosen
Speaker 1: People with yle Eckstein ad free by downloading and subscribing
Speaker 1: to the prey dot Com app today. This Prey dog
Speaker 1: comproduction is only made possible by our dedicated team of
Speaker 1: creative talents. Steve Katina, Max Bard, Zach Shellabarger and Ben
Speaker 1: Gammon are the executive producers of The Chosen People with
Speaker 1: Yil Eckstein, Edited by Alberto Avilla, narrated by Paul Coltefianu.
Speaker 1: Characters are voiced by Jonathan Cotton, Aaron Salvato, Sarah Seltz,
Speaker 1: Mike Reagan, Stephen Ringwold, Sylvia Zaradoc and the opening prayer
Speaker 1: is voiced by John Moore. Music by Andrew Morgan Smith,
Speaker 1: written by bre Roe and Aaron Salvato. Special thanks to
Speaker 1: Bishop Paulinier, Robin van Ettin, Kayleb Burrows, Jocelyn Fuller, and
Speaker 1: the team at International Fellowship of Christians and Jews. You
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