Moses, who recognized the injustices committed against the Israelites denied that he could make a difference, at least at first, because of his speech impediment. He cried out to God saying:
הֵן בְּנֵי-יִשְׂרָאֵל, לֹא-שָׁמְעוּ אֵלַי, וְאֵיךְ יִשְׁמָעֵנִי פַרְעֹה, וַאֲנִי עֲרַל שְׂפָתָיִם.
"The Israelites would not listen to me; how then should Pharaoh heed me, a man of impeded speech!"
He was expressing his fear that he was just one person. How could ONE PERSON make a difference?
Imagine if he let those fears stay with him and he just shrunk into the footnotes of history?
Thank Goodness one day, he mustered up enough courage to stand up and act for what he knew to be right. And from there, Aaron helped. And from there, the people followed their lead. And, the rest is history.
The lesson is that all we have to do is work in our little corner of the world-- to stand up against injustice when we see it. To not ignore it but to be counted and to make a difference in the best way we know how. To decide that we won’t shrink into the footnotes of history, but rather that we will stand up and be counted. To do SOMETHING.
The above is a reflection by Rabbi Heather Miller on this week's Torah portion, Parashat Bo, Exodus 10:1-13:16. Please visit rabbiheathermiller.com to subscribe and follow on social media.