We also see the birth, quite literally, of the first Jewish leader, Moshe Rabbeinu. Indeed, the Torah presents him as the very archetype of what a leader should be - certainly not without flaw (no Biblical characters are), but absolutely without peer. He is the only individual in all of Tana"kh to wield all Biblical forms of leadership: political, judicial, priestly, and prophetic. And, while his successor Joshua is without a doubt great in his own right, the Torah ends on a wistful note, implicitly sighing, "If only Moshe had been the one to lead us into the Promised Land!"
What can we then glean, from the narrative of his early life, about the character of this man destined to become the paradigmatic leader?A fundamental lesson can be seen in an apparently small detail - his name. He is named "Moshe" by Pharaoh's daughter when he is returned to her after being weaned (his own mother having clandestinely served as his hired wet-nurse). What had he been called before that point? The Torah says nothing - the only name relevant to its narrative is just this one, "Moshe". In fact, the Yalkut Shimoni states that he had many other names, and yet he is referred throughout Tana"kh only as "Moshe", the name given to him by his Egyptian foster mother. This name is clearly of great significance.
The Torah tells us that she gave him this name because, as she says on naming him, "I have drawn him out of the water" - כִּי מִן-הַמַּיִם מְשִׁיתִהוּ. The name Moshe derives from the Hebrew root מ.ש.ה meaning to draw something out of the water, and so memorializes for the rest of his life the fact that he was saved by the princess' hand.
Yet, as R. S. R. Hirsch points out, the grammar is wrong. If the name was to mean "The one who was drawn from the water," it should have been "Mashui" (משוי). The name "Moshe" (משה), by contrast, means "One who draws out of water." By naming him Moshe, Pharaoh's daughter is charging him with a mission, saying, "I drew you out of water. Now grow up and be someone who will draw others out of water!" This charge of hers propelled him to leadership, and is key to understanding the Torah's view of what true greatness is.
She tells him, in effect, "You were saved from a dangerous and traumatic situation. Do not view yourself as a victim, as helpless. Use this experience to help others. Let your memory of salvation guide you to save others. You were afraid, so be sensitive to the fear of others. You were in pain, alleviate the pain of others. You were in danger, save others. You felt threatened, protect others."
Pharaoh's daughter teaches this infant, through his very name, how to have an Existence of Destiny, in R. Joseph Soloveitchik's formulation - how to respond to suffering not with "Why do I suffer?" but with "What do I do with my suffering?" By reorienting himself thusly, the victim becomes the hero.
Such heroism as a response to trauma is the character of the Torah's archetypal leader, Moshe.
There never was, nor ever will be a leader as great as Moshe. However, we are, all of us, capable of following a similar path. Of taking our suffering, our fears, our pain, whether great or small, and using them as an impetus, and as a teacher, to help others. In this way, we can redeem our own suffering, and also bring a measure of redemption to the world.
