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asher553At the beginning of Deuteronomy, Moses recalls some of the events of the exodus from Egypt, and mentions his own appointment of judges and magistrates to assist in the administration of justice.
Moses is largely silent on his own role in the miraculous liberation of the Israelites from slavery, and in fact the Passover Haggadah scarcely mentions Moses by name at all. Moses is remembered in Jewish tradition, not as the "Redeemer of Israel" (after all, that title properly belongs to G-d) but as "Moses our teacher".
The miracles described in Exodus were things that were done for man - or provided for man - by the Creator. Moses may have been instrumental in this process, but he was only an instrument. The miracles were singular events, never to be repeated. By contrast, teaching is a uniquely and quintessentially human activity, and one meant to be replicated from one human to another, and from one generation to another.
As human beings, and as parents, there is a satisfaction that we get from providing things for our children, or to others in need. But there is a greater satisfaction in teaching our children how to take care of themselves and of others, and a still greater satisfaction in seeing them, in turn, teach others.
One of the constant themes running through 'Hannah's Children' is the joy and satisfaction that mothers of large families find as they watch their older children learning how to care for the younger ones. "They contribute and they feel much more positive, welcome. They feel useful." (p.68) This is the transition between the mother being simply a provider (doing things for the kids, providing things for the kids) and being an empowerer (enabling them to do things for themselves and for others). [298]
Moses is largely silent on his own role in the miraculous liberation of the Israelites from slavery, and in fact the Passover Haggadah scarcely mentions Moses by name at all. Moses is remembered in Jewish tradition, not as the "Redeemer of Israel" (after all, that title properly belongs to G-d) but as "Moses our teacher".
The miracles described in Exodus were things that were done for man - or provided for man - by the Creator. Moses may have been instrumental in this process, but he was only an instrument. The miracles were singular events, never to be repeated. By contrast, teaching is a uniquely and quintessentially human activity, and one meant to be replicated from one human to another, and from one generation to another.
As human beings, and as parents, there is a satisfaction that we get from providing things for our children, or to others in need. But there is a greater satisfaction in teaching our children how to take care of themselves and of others, and a still greater satisfaction in seeing them, in turn, teach others.
One of the constant themes running through 'Hannah's Children' is the joy and satisfaction that mothers of large families find as they watch their older children learning how to care for the younger ones. "They contribute and they feel much more positive, welcome. They feel useful." (p.68) This is the transition between the mother being simply a provider (doing things for the kids, providing things for the kids) and being an empowerer (enabling them to do things for themselves and for others). [298]
