It’s humane to feel for those less fortunate. Is sympathy enough?
In Parashat Shemot, the regime of the Pharaoh brutally oppresses Bnai Yisrael. Egyptian society appears to tolerate this cruelty in its name. Then Moshe, an Israelite raised by the Pharaoh's own daughter, begins to intercede: “...when Moshe had grown up, he went out to his kinsfolk and looked at their labors.”
Surely, others in the court felt sympathy with the Israelite slaves. Yet Moshe took an additional step. As the Midrash describes it, Moshe not only sympathized with his brothers, but also strove to alleviate their suffering: [If] he saw a large burden on a small person and a small burden on a large person... he would leave aside his rank and go and right their burdens.”
If we see our fellow suffering, how do we respond? Sympathy is a positive response. Active involvement, to the extent we are able, is even better.
(יא) וַיְהִ֣י ׀ בַּיָּמִ֣ים הָהֵ֗ם וַיִּגְדַּ֤ל מֹשֶׁה֙ וַיֵּצֵ֣א אֶל־אֶחָ֔יו וַיַּ֖רְא בְּסִבְלֹתָ֑ם וַיַּרְא֙ אִ֣ישׁ מִצְרִ֔י מַכֶּ֥ה אִישׁ־עִבְרִ֖י מֵאֶחָֽיו׃ (יב) וַיִּ֤פֶן כֹּה֙ וָכֹ֔ה וַיַּ֖רְא כִּ֣י אֵ֣ין אִ֑ישׁ וַיַּךְ֙ אֶת־הַמִּצְרִ֔י וַֽיִּטְמְנֵ֖הוּ בַּחֽוֹל׃
(11) Some time after that, when Moses had grown up, he went out to his kinsfolk and witnessed their labors. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his kinsmen. (12) He turned this way and that and, seeing no one about, he struck down the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.
וירא בסבלתם. נָתַן עֵינָיו וְלִבּוֹ לִהְיוֹת מֵצֵר עֲלֵיהֶם (שמות רבה א'):
וירא בסבלתם AND HE SAW THEIR BURDENS — he set his eyes and mind to share in their distress. (Exodus Rabbah 1:27)
(כז) וַיְהִי בַּיָּמִים הָהֵם וַיִּגְדַּל משֶׁה, בֶּן עֶשְׂרִים שָׁנָה הָיָה משֶׁה בְּאוֹתָהּ שָׁעָה, וְיֵשׁ אוֹמְרִים בֶּן אַרְבָּעִים. וַיִּגְדַּל משֶׁה, וְכִי אֵין הַכֹּל גְּדֵלִים, אֶלָּא לוֹמַר לָךְ שֶׁהָיָה גָדֵל שֶׁלֹא כְּדֶרֶךְ כָּל הָעוֹלָם. וַיֵּצֵא אֶל אֶחָיו, שְׁתֵּי יְצִיאוֹת יָצָא אוֹתוֹ צַדִּיק וּכְתָבָן הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא זוֹ אַחַר זוֹ. וַיֵּצֵא בַּיּוֹם הַשֵּׁנִי, הֲרֵי שְׁתַּיִם.
וַיַּרְא בְּסִבְלֹתָם. מַהוּ וַיַּרְא, שֶׁהָיָה רוֹאֶה בְּסִבְלוֹתָם וּבוֹכֶה וְאוֹמֵר, חֲבָל לִי עֲלֵיכֶם מִי יִתֵּן מוֹתִי עֲלֵיכֶם, שֶׁאֵין לְךָ מְלָאכָה קָשָׁה מִמְּלֶאכֶת הַטִּיט, וְהָיָה נוֹתֵן כְּתֵפָיו וּמְסַיֵּעַ לְכָל אֶחָד וְאֶחָד מֵהֶן. רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר בְּנוֹ שֶׁל רַבִּי יוֹסֵי הַגְּלִילִי אוֹמֵר רָאָה מַשֹּׂוֹי גָדוֹל עַל קָטָן וּמַשֹּׂוֹי קָטָן עַל גָּדוֹל, וּמַשֹּׂוֹי אִישׁ עַל אִשָּׁה וּמַשֹּׂוֹי אִשָּׁה עַל אִישׁ, וּמַשֹּׂוֹי זָקֵן עַל בָּחוּר וּמַשֹּׂוֹי בָּחוּר עַל זָקֵן. וְהָיָה מַנִּיחַ דְּרָגוֹן שֶׁלּוֹ וְהוֹלֵךְ וּמְיַשֵּׁב לָהֶם סִבְלוֹתֵיהֶם, וְעוֹשֶׂה כְּאִלּוּ מְסַיֵּעַ לְפַרְעֹה.
אָמַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא אַתָּה הִנַּחְתָּ עֲסָקֶיךָ וְהָלַכְתָּ לִרְאוֹת בְּצַעֲרָן שֶׁל יִשְׂרָאֵל, וְנָהַגְתָּ בָּהֶן מִנְהַג אַחִים, אֲנִי מַנִּיחַ אֶת הָעֶלְיוֹנִים וְאֶת הַתַּחְתּוֹנִים, וַאֲדַבֵּר עִמְּךָ, הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב (שמות ג, ד): וַיַּרְא ה' כִּי סָר לִרְאוֹת, רָאָה הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא בְּמשֶׁה שֶׁסָּר מֵעֲסָקָיו לִרְאוֹת בְּסִבְלוֹתָם, לְפִיכָךְ (שמות ג, ד): וַיִּקְרָא אֵלָיו אֱלֹקִים מִתּוֹךְ הַסְּנֶה.
(27) And it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown up (Exodus 2:11). Moses was 20 years old at the time, and some say 40 years old. "When Moses was grown up" - and does not everyone grow up? Rather, this tells you that he grew up [in a manner] unlike the whole world.
"He went out unto his brethren." This righteous man went out twice, and the Holy One Blessed is He wrote them one after another. "And he went out the second day" (Exodus 2:13)--this is two.
"And [he] looked on their burdens." What is, "And [he] looked?" For he would look upon their burdens and cry and say, "Woe is me unto you, who will provide my death instead of yours, for there is not more difficult labor than the labor of the mortar." And he would give of his shoulders [i.e. use his shoulders to] assist each one of them. Rabbi Eliezer the son of Rabbi Yose the Galilean said: [If] he saw a large burden on a small person and a small burden on a large person, or a man's burden on a woman and a woman's burden on a man, or an elderly man's burden on a young man and a young man's burden on an elderly man, he would leave aside his rank and go and right their burdens, and act as though he were assisting Pharaoh.
The Holy One Blessed is He said: You left aside your business and went to see the sorrow of Israel, and acted toward them as brothers act. I will leave aside the upper and the lower [i.e. ignore the distinction between Heaven and Earth] and talk to you. Such is it written, " And when the LORD saw that [Moses] turned aside to see" (Exodus 3:4). The Holy One Blessed is He saw Moses, who left aside his business to see their burdens. Therefore, "God called unto him out of the midst of the bush" (ibid.).
(א) וּמֹשֶׁ֗ה הָיָ֥ה רֹעֶ֛ה אֶת־צֹ֛אן יִתְר֥וֹ חֹתְנ֖וֹ כֹּהֵ֣ן מִדְיָ֑ן וַיִּנְהַ֤ג אֶת־הַצֹּאן֙ אַחַ֣ר הַמִּדְבָּ֔ר וַיָּבֹ֛א אֶל־הַ֥ר הָאֱלֹקִ֖ים חֹרֵֽבָה׃ (ב) וַ֠יֵּרָא מַלְאַ֨ךְ ה' אֵלָ֛יו בְּלַבַּת־אֵ֖שׁ מִתּ֣וֹךְ הַסְּנֶ֑ה וַיַּ֗רְא וְהִנֵּ֤ה הַסְּנֶה֙ בֹּעֵ֣ר בָּאֵ֔שׁ וְהַסְּנֶ֖ה אֵינֶ֥נּוּ אֻכָּֽל׃ (ג) וַיֹּ֣אמֶר מֹשֶׁ֔ה אָסֻֽרָה־נָּ֣א וְאֶרְאֶ֔ה אֶת־הַמַּרְאֶ֥ה הַגָּדֹ֖ל הַזֶּ֑ה מַדּ֖וּעַ לֹא־יִבְעַ֥ר הַסְּנֶֽה׃ (ד) וַיַּ֥רְא ה' כִּ֣י סָ֣ר לִרְא֑וֹת וַיִּקְרָא֩ אֵלָ֨יו אֱלֹקִ֜ים מִתּ֣וֹךְ הַסְּנֶ֗ה וַיֹּ֛אמֶר מֹשֶׁ֥ה מֹשֶׁ֖ה וַיֹּ֥אמֶר הִנֵּֽנִי׃
(1) Now Moses, tending the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian, drove the flock into the wilderness, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. (2) An angel of the LORD appeared to him in a blazing fire out of a bush. He gazed, and there was a bush all aflame, yet the bush was not consumed. (3) Moses said, “I must turn aside to look at this marvelous sight; why doesn’t the bush burn up?” (4) When the LORD saw that he had turned aside to look, God called to him out of the bush: “Moses! Moses!” He answered, “Here I am.”