וַיְדַבֵּ֥ר אֱלֹקִ֖ים אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֑ה וַיֹּ֥אמֶר אֵלָ֖יו אֲנִ֥י יקוק׃ וָאֵרָ֗א אֶל־אַבְרָהָ֛ם אֶל־יִצְחָ֥ק וְאֶֽל־יַעֲקֹ֖ב בְּאֵ֣ל שַׁדָּ֑י וּשְׁמִ֣י יקוק לֹ֥א נוֹדַ֖עְתִּי לָהֶֽם׃ וְגַ֨ם הֲקִמֹ֤תִי אֶת־בְּרִיתִי֙ אִתָּ֔ם לָתֵ֥ת לָהֶ֖ם אֶת־אֶ֣רֶץ כְּנָ֑עַן אֵ֛ת אֶ֥רֶץ מְגֻרֵיהֶ֖ם אֲשֶׁר־גָּ֥רוּ בָֽהּ׃ וְגַ֣ם ׀ אֲנִ֣י שָׁמַ֗עְתִּי אֶֽת־נַאֲקַת֙ בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל אֲשֶׁ֥ר מִצְרַ֖יִם מַעֲבִדִ֣ים אֹתָ֑ם וָאֶזְכֹּ֖ר אֶת־בְּרִיתִֽי׃ לָכֵ֞ן אֱמֹ֥ר לִבְנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵל֮ אֲנִ֣י יקוק וְהוֹצֵאתִ֣י אֶתְכֶ֗ם מִתַּ֙חַת֙ סִבְלֹ֣ת מִצְרַ֔יִם וְהִצַּלְתִּ֥י אֶתְכֶ֖ם מֵעֲבֹדָתָ֑ם וְגָאַלְתִּ֤י אֶתְכֶם֙ בִּזְר֣וֹעַ נְטוּיָ֔ה וּבִשְׁפָטִ֖ים גְּדֹלִֽים׃ וְלָקַחְתִּ֨י אֶתְכֶ֥ם לִי֙ לְעָ֔ם וְהָיִ֥יתִי לָכֶ֖ם לֵֽאלֹקִ֑ים וִֽידַעְתֶּ֗ם כִּ֣י אֲנִ֤י יקוק אֱלֹ֣קֵיכֶ֔ם הַמּוֹצִ֣יא אֶתְכֶ֔ם מִתַּ֖חַת סִבְל֥וֹת מִצְרָֽיִם׃ וְהֵבֵאתִ֤י אֶתְכֶם֙ אֶל־הָאָ֔רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֤ר נָשָׂ֙אתִי֙ אֶת־יָדִ֔י לָתֵ֣ת אֹתָ֔הּ לְאַבְרָהָ֥ם לְיִצְחָ֖ק וּֽלְיַעֲקֹ֑ב וְנָתַתִּ֨י אֹתָ֥הּ לָכֶ֛ם מוֹרָשָׁ֖ה אֲנִ֥י יקוק׃ וַיְדַבֵּ֥ר מֹשֶׁ֛ה כֵּ֖ן אֶל־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל וְלֹ֤א שָֽׁמְעוּ֙ אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֔ה מִקֹּ֣צֶר ר֔וּחַ וּמֵעֲבֹדָ֖ה קָשָֽׁה׃ {פ}
וַיְדַבֵּ֥ר יקוק אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֥ה לֵּאמֹֽר׃ בֹּ֣א דַבֵּ֔ר אֶל־פַּרְעֹ֖ה מֶ֣לֶךְ מִצְרָ֑יִם וִֽישַׁלַּ֥ח אֶת־בְּנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל מֵאַרְצֽוֹ׃ וַיְדַבֵּ֣ר מֹשֶׁ֔ה לִפְנֵ֥י יקוק לֵאמֹ֑ר הֵ֤ן בְּנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ לֹֽא־שָׁמְע֣וּ אֵלַ֔י וְאֵיךְ֙ יִשְׁמָעֵ֣נִי פַרְעֹ֔ה וַאֲנִ֖י עֲרַ֥ל שְׂפָתָֽיִם׃ {פ}
God spoke to Moses and said to him, “I am יקוק. I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as El Shaddai, but I did not make Myself known to them by My name יקוק. I also established My covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land in which they lived as sojourners. I have now heard the moaning of the Israelites because the Egyptians are holding them in bondage, and I have remembered My covenant. Say, therefore, to the Israelite people: I am יקוק. I will free you from the labors of the Egyptians and deliver you from their bondage. I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and through extraordinary chastisements. And I will take you to be My people, and I will be your God. And you shall know that I, יקוק, am your God who freed you from the labors of the Egyptians. I will bring you into the land which I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and I will give it to you for a possession, I יקוק.” But when Moses told this to the Israelites, they would not listen to Moses, their spirits crushed by cruel bondage. יקוק spoke to Moses, saying, “Go and tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the Israelites depart from his land.” But Moses appealed to יקוק, saying, “The Israelites would not listen to me; how then should Pharaoh heed me, me—who gets tongue-tied!”
"Heavy of Mouth" and "Heavy of Tongue" on Moses' Speech Difficulty, by Jeffry Tigay, Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research
History has known other creative geniuses and national leaders, from Demosthenes to Felix Mendelsohn and Churchill, who worked their effect on humanity despite speech impediments. The bible viewed Moshe as an agent of God whose success owed nothing to his natural endowments, but only to the persuasion worked by the words and deeds he uttered and performed under divine direction.
The Particulars of Rapture: Reflections on Exodos by Avivah Gottlieb Zornberg
...let me emphasize that Moses, too, belongs to the complex party of those who block God’s message of redemption. In his protest, in his ironic interrogation of God’s narrative, in his questioning of the people’s “fitness for redemption,” he essentially refuses the role to which God has called him. The heart of his refusal is in these last words: “… I am of uncircumcised lips.”
Their power and poignancy can be estimated if one asks why he uses this particular form of kal vachomer logic, moving from minor to major conclusion: if the children of Israel would not listen, how can I expect Pharaoh to listen? A simpler argument might have been to speak of Pharaoh’s proven obduracy: Moses and Aaron have already experienced his willful deafness (“Who is God that I should listen to His voice?” [5:2]). Indeed, this deafness had resulted, as we have noticed, in a tragic tightening of the stranglehold of slavery. Why, then, should he listen this second time? This, however, is not the argument that Moses uses. In his words, the real pain emerges with great lucidity: it is a “hearing problem” that besets him. To put it very simply, Moses is saying, “I cannot make them listen—I am of foreskinned lips.” What he is expressing is a sense of impotence: “I am incapable of communicating with either of my two audiences—the evidence is devastatingly clear if even those who have an interest in hearing me will not listen!”
Exodus Rabbah 1:26
"And she brought him unto Pharaoh's daughter," etc (Exodus 2:10). Pharaoh's daughter used to kiss and hug Moses, loved him as if he were her own son, and would not allow him out of the royal palace. because he was so handsome, everyone was eager to see him, and whoever saw him could not turn his eyes away from him.
Pharaoh also used to kiss and hug him, and Moses used to grab at Pharaoh's crown and put it on his own head. The magicians of Egypt sitting there said, "We fear this one who grabs Pharaoh's crown and puts it on his own head may be the one, as we have been saying, who will take your kingdom away from you." Some of the magicians suggested that he be slain, others that he burned alive.
But Jethro, who sat among them, said, "This child has yet no understanding. Why not test him? Place before him a vessel with a gold piece and burning coal in it. If he reaches for the gold, he has understanding, and you may slay him. But if he reaches for the coal, he has no understanding, and a stance of death is not called for."
The items were brought at once. Then, as Moses put forth his hand to grab the gold, Gabriel came down and shoved it to the side, so that Moses not only seized the goal but also put the hand with the coal into his mouth and burned his tongue. As a result, he became slow of speech and slow of tongue.
וַתְּבִאֵהוּ לְבַת פַּרְעֹה וגו'. הָיְתָה בַת פַּרְעֹה מְנַשֶּׁקֶת וּמְחַבֶּקֶת וּמְחַבֶּבֶת אוֹתוֹ כְּאִלּוּ הוּא בְּנָהּ, וְלֹא הָיְתָה מוֹצִיאַתּוּ מִפַּלְטֵרִין שֶׁל מֶלֶךְ, וּלְפִי שֶׁהָיָה יָפֶה הַכֹּל מִתְאַוִּים לִרְאוֹתוֹ, מִי שֶׁהָיָה רוֹאֵהוּ לֹא הָיָה מַעֲבִיר עַצְמוֹ מֵעָלָיו. וְהָיָה פַּרְעֹה מְנַשְׁקוֹ וּמְחַבְּקוֹ, וְהוּא נוֹטֵל כִּתְרוֹ שֶׁל פַּרְעֹה וּמְשִׂימוֹ עַל רֹאשׁוֹ, כְּמוֹ שֶׁעָתִיד לַעֲשׂוֹת לוֹ כְּשֶׁהָיָה גָּדוֹל. וְכֵן הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא אָמַר לְחִירָם (יחזקאל כח, יח): וָאוֹצִא אֵשׁ מִתּוֹכְךָ הִיא וגו'. וְכֵן בַּת פַּרְעֹה מְגַדֶּלֶת מִי שֶׁעָתִיד לִפָּרַע מֵאָבִיהָ. וְאַף מֶלֶךְ הַמָּשִׁיחַ שֶׁעָתִיד לִפָּרַע מֵאֱדוֹם יוֹשֵׁב עִמָּהֶם בַּמְּדִינָה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (ישעיה כז, י): שָׁם יִרְעֶה עֵגֶל וְשָׁם יִרְבָּץ וגו'. וְהָיוּ שָׁם יוֹשְׁבִין חַרְטֻמֵּי מִצְרַיִם, וְאָמְרוּ, מִתְיָרְאִין אָנוּ מִזֶּה שֶׁנּוֹטֵל כִּתְרְךָ וְנוֹתְנוֹ עַל רֹאשׁוֹ, שֶׁלֹא יִהְיֶה זֶה אוֹתוֹ שֶׁאָנוּ אוֹמְרִים שֶׁעָתִיד לִטֹּל מַלְכוּת מִמְּךָ. מֵהֶם אוֹמְרִים לְהָרְגוֹ, מֵהֶם אוֹמְרִים לְשָׂרְפוֹ, וְהָיָה יִתְרוֹ יוֹשֵׁב בֵּינֵיהֶן וְאוֹמֵר לָהֶם, הַנַּעַר הַזֶּה אֵין בּוֹ דַּעַת, אֶלָּא בַּחֲנוּ אוֹתוֹ, וְהָבִיאוּ לְפָנָיו בִּקְעָרָה זָהָב וְגַחֶלֶת, אִם יוֹשִׁיט יָדוֹ לַזָּהָב יֵשׁ בּוֹ דַּעַת וְהִרְגוּ אוֹתוֹ, וְאִם יוֹשִׁיט יָדוֹ לַגַּחֶלֶת אֵין בּוֹ דַּעַת וְאֵין עָלָיו מִשְׁפַּט מָוֶת. מִיָּד הֵבִיאוּ לְפָנָיו וְשָׁלַח יָדוֹ לִקַּח הַזָּהָב, וּבָא גַּבְרִיאֵל וְדָחָה אֶת יָדוֹ וְתָפַשׂ אֶת הַגַּחֶלֶת וְהִכְנִיס יָדוֹ עִם הַגַּחֶלֶת לְתוֹךְ פִּיו וְנִכְוָה לְשׁוֹנוֹ, וּמִמֶּנּוּ נַעֲשָׂה (שמות ד, י): כְּבַד פֶּה וּכְבַד לָשׁוֹן. וַתִּקְרָא שְׁמוֹ משֶׁה, מִכָּאן אַתָּה לָמֵד שְׂכָרָן שֶׁל גּוֹמְלֵי חֲסָדִים, אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁהַרְבֵּה שֵׁמוֹת הָיוּ לוֹ לְמשֶׁה, לֹא נִִקְבַּע לוֹ שֵׁם בְּכָל הַתּוֹרָה אֶלָּא כְּמוֹ שֶׁקְּרָאַתּוּ בַּתְיָה בַּת פַּרְעֹה, וְאַף הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לֹא קְרָאָהוּ בְּשֵׁם אַחֵר:
“And she brought him to the daughter of Pharaoh…” The daughter of Pharaoh would kiss and hug and adore him (Moses) as if he were her own son, and she would not take him out of the king’s palace. And because [Moses] was so beautiful, everyone yearned to see him. One that would see him would not leave his presence. And it was that Pharaoh would kiss him (Moses) and hug him, and he would remove Pharaoh’s crown and place it on his own head, as he would do to him in the future when he was great. And just as the Holy One Blessed is He said to Hiram (Ezekiel 28:18), “…I have brought fire from within you, it will consume you…”, similarly the daughter of Pharaoh raised the one who would punish her father in the future. And even the anointed king, that is destined to punish Edom, sits among them in their [own] province, as it says (Isaiah 27:10) “…there shall the calf (the Messiah) graze and there lie down and destroy its branches.” And some of the observers sitting among them were the magicians of Egypt that said, “We are wary of this, that he is taking your crown and placing it on his head, that he not be the one we say (i.e. prophesy) that will take the kingship from you.” Some said to kill him, and some said to burn him. And Jethro was sitting among them and said to them, “This child has no intent [to take the throne]. Rather, test him by bringing in a bowl [a piece of] gold and a coal. If he outstretches his hand towards the gold, [surely] he has intent [to take the throne], and you should kill him. And if he outstretches his hand towards the coal, he [surely] does not have intent [to take the throne], and he does not deserve the death penalty.” They immediately brought the bowl before him (Moses), and he outstretched his hand to take the gold, and Gabriel came and pushed his (Moses’) hand, and he grabbed the coal. He then brought his hand along with the coal into his mouth and burned his tongue, and from this was made (Exodus 4:10) “slow of speech and slow of tongue.” “And she called his name ‘Moshe’” – From here you can learn about the merit of those that perform acts of kindness. Even though Moses had many names, the only name that was set throughout the Torah, was the name that Bathyah daughter of Pharaoh called him. Even the Holy One Blessed is He did not call him by another name.
Aviva Zornberg, The Particulars of Rapture, 11-12.
... the people who left Egypt were perhaps unfit for redemption, incapable of hearing God's word in any real fullness. Their hopes of leaving the land of terror were shriveled by the cramped conditions of their nurture; they were cramped hopes, Egyptian-shaped hopes. Like the patient entering analysis, who can have only a distorted view of the process awaiting him, of the way in which it will expand the underlying structures of experience, the Israelites leave Egypt "more like a man / Flying from something that he dreads than one / Who sought the thing he loved" (William Wordsworth, "Tintern Abbey").
And like the analyst whose hopes for the patient are radically different from those of the patient himself, God begins a process with His people in a stage of arrested development, a process that will lead them into fuller, unimagined life.
However, in this scenario, in which God's hopes and people's hopes are profoundly different, there is a hidden assumption about the arrested "truer self" of Israel, the self that harks back to the foundational narratives of Genesis. Both analyst and patient share a hope for the unfolding of that truer self. But such a shared hope is at first almost invisible; only the discordance is visible.
שפת אמת, וארא
ובלשון הפסוק הן בנ"י כו' ואני ערל שפתים. יתכן לפרש כי כפי קבלת ושמיעת בנ"י למרע"ה. כך נפתח פיו ולשונו. וע"י שלא שמעו הי' ערל שפתים. ולכך אחר קי"ס דכ' ויאמינו כו' ובמשה. אז ישיר משה. הרי שנפתח פיו ע"י קבלת בנ"י. והעיקר הגאולה לעולם תלוי' בהכנת בנ"י כדאיתא בגמ' דשאל ריב"ל למשיח אימת אתי מר. אמר היום. ואמר שקורי קא משקר כו'. והשיב היום אם בקולו תשמעו. משמע שבהכנת בנ"י לקבל ולשמוע הארות הבאין משמים ללבות בנ"י כ"א לפי מדרגתו. בזה יצמח הגאולה בב"א:
Sefat Emet, Va'era
...I have uncircumcised lips. To me it seems that Moshe's ability to speak is inseparable from the people's ability to hear. Therefore we should read this [statement of Moshe] this way- 'because they can't listen I have uncircumcised lips'. This pattern can also be seen at the Splitting of the Reed Sea where it says, 'They believed in G-d and in Moshe His servant, etc' and immediately, 'Then Moshe broke out in song (az yashir Moshe).