The Rambam in Moreh Nevuchim [ Section 2; Ch’ 45] writes, that the first and most basic manifestation of prophecy is that the prophet is induced to act heroically – such as saving a group of upright people from the clutches of the wicked.
The Rambam substantiates his words by citing the way the Torah introduces Moshe’s personality. The Torah relates three stories regarding Moshe. The first, that Moshe witnessed an Egyptian taskmaster beating a Jewish slave and unable to tolerate the cruelty kills the Taskmaster and saves the Jew. The second episodeinvolves a quarrel between two Jews, as the one is about to smite his neighbour, Moshe intervenes calling out to him “Why do you smite your neighbour?!” The third incident occurs when Moshe having been forced to flee to Midian (because of the “mesirah” of one of the quarrelers) saves the daughters of Yitro from the molestation of some shepherds.
From all the above it emerges that “ruach hakodesh” is expressed in the courage of the prophet to stand up to the forces of evil and to confront them.
The next incident related in the Parsha, is of Moshe coming to Har Chorev and experiencing the revelation of the burning bush. Through the Midrash we can extend the Rambam’s approach so it connects even this fourth episode to the previous three.
The Midrash relates that Moshe ‘arrived’ at Har Chorev “by chance”; – that a sheep strayed from the flock and Moshe tracked it down and carried it on his shoulder back to the flock.
In light of the above Midrash the following logical sequence emerges; Moshe could not tolerate –
1) Foremostly an injustice done by gentile to Jew (his people).
2) An injustice done by one Jew against another Jew.
3) An injustice done by a gentile to another gentile
4) An injustice done not only in the human world but even in the animal world. Why should there be a rule of the jungle?! Why should the sheep suffer?
5) Finally, even in the plant world – why does fire have to exist at the expense of a plant ?! Why can’t there be a world where the “fire is burning but the bush is not consumed” ?!
Moshe thus wasn’t only the greatest and most sensitive of prophets but also the greatest fighter amongst the prophets. His sensititvity to pain didn’t cause him to recoil from the world but ‘davkah’ to confront and to conquer the suffering in the world
