Parashat Shemot: Who is the person?

Hebrew

When Moses grew older, he ventured out of the royal palace to see his enslaved brethren, “he saw an Egyptian man striking a Hebrew man, one of his brothers. And he turned this way and that way and saw that there was no man.” He then struck, killed him (perhaps intentionally but maybe not, but that’s a discussion for another day) and buried him (Exodus 2:11-12).

It is usual and logical, to the understand the Egyptian man as a slave master and the Hebrew man as a slave. However, the verse calls them both “man.” Their socio-economic standing is not the main point, rather their humanity is. Despite his aristocratic education, Moses sees people, and acts to defend the weaker party from attack. When he “saw some wrong that was done, he could not refrain from putting an end to it and was incapable of patience with regard to it” (Rambam, The Guide of the Perplexed, II:45 trans. Shlomo Pines). For Maimonides, this is the trait that prepared Moses for leadership.

There is also another “person,” one who is absent, who Moses sought but did not find. Who might that be?

On first reading, it is likely a witness to the action that Moses intends to take. Moses is concerned about being caught and so he makes sure that no one is watching. Verse 14 supports this reading: “And he said, ‘Who made you a commander and judge over us? Are you saying you’d kill me—the way you killed the Egyptian?!’ And Moses was afraid and said, ‘The thing is known for sure.’”

But on second thought, is it logical to think that at a construction site where many workers and slaves are employed, there wasn’t someone to see what’s happening in every corner?

According to a Midrash in Exodus Rabbah, “There was no person” actually refers to the Egyptian man, and claims that he had raped the Hebrew man’s wife and been caught. Therefore, he was beating him, not as a slave master punishing a slave, but rather in order eliminate the witness to his crime. When Moses looked at him, a spirit of prophecy informed him that the Egyptian was guilty of a capital crime and therefore, Moses was the agent of a lawful execution.

Modern commentators understand Moses’s search in more earthly ways. Some examples:

Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch, Moses indeed wanted to ascertain that there were no witnesses, but not because was concerned about being caught but rather out of humility. “He has a deep feeling of duty which makes him jump to the aid of any innocent person who he is being tortured through no fault of his own... But that daring boldness which rushes without thinking into danger is foreign to him… he was completely lacking in the basic desire to be a historical hero” (Commentary on Exodus 2:12).

Rabbi Yaakov Zvi Mecklenburg and Rabbi Naphtali Zvi Yehuda Berlin (“Netziv”) agree that Moses was looking for someone else to get involved, but disagree on the identity of that person, a Hebrew or an Egyptian.

Mecklenburg:

And he turned this way and that way – Moses thought one of his fellow Hebrews standing around would stand up to the Egyptian and save his fellow who was struck with a deathly blow. 

And saw that there was no man – He saw there was not one among them who was willing to demonstrate strength (lit. a man with strength), and no one was paying attention to the suffering of a fellow to try and save him... (HaKtav veHaKabbalah on Exodus 2:12)  

Netziv:

He turned this way and that – Moses sought advice on what to do about the Egyptian.

And saw that there was no man – He looked for someone to report the wrongdoing, [but] all were an assembly of traitors and haters of Israel.

He struck down the Egyptian – “In a place where there is no person strive to be the person (cf. Mishnah Avot 2:5)”  (He’emek Davar on Exodus 2:12).

Rabbi Reuven Margaliot (Margaliot Ha-yam on Sanhedrin 58b) has a different perspective. Moses was not looking for someone to act in his stead, but for someone to work with him, in hopes of ending the oppression without bloodshed: “Had there been other people there at the time he could have prevented the hitting in other ways, and only because there were no other ways of saving the victim did he kill him.”

Who is correct? What is the plan meaning of the text? What is the homiletical meaning that we need to hear, here and now? 

What do you think? Please share your thoughts.

Click here for a bi-lingual collection of sources on Moses striking the Egyptian