Importance of Moses to the Jewish Religion - Essay Example

The Jewish people have a long and interesting history full of hard times, challenges and brilliant acts of perseverance. Of all the individuals in Judaic times, Moses stands out as among the most influential figures. He is known for leading Israelites from Egyptian slavery and as a teacher of the Torah that he got from God. In fact, the first five books of the Bible are usually attributed to Moses and are proof that there is a link between God and him. The books also explain the numerous ways in which he helped lead the Jews to worship Yahweh in accordance to holy law. This essay looks at the importance of Moses to the Jewish religion.

The story of Moses starts when he was born in Egypt to Jewish parents Amram and Jochebed. At the time, the Israelites were working as slaves in Egypt and ruled by an oppressive and ruthless Pharaoh. When he was an infant, the Pharaoh ordered all Hebrew male children to be put to death. To save his life, his mother put him in a basket and hid him by floating him on River Nile. He was rescued by the Pharaohs daughter who took pity on the infant and raised him as her own son. Hence, Moses grew up in the royal palace as a prince until adulthood. One day, he got out of the palace and witnessed firsthand the brutality that his fellow Jews were going through as slaves in the hands of their Egyptian taskmasters. After rescuing an Israelite by killing an Egyptian, he is forced to flee from Egypt in order to save his life. He escapes to Midian and starts working as a shepherd for priest called Jethro. Moses eventually marries the priests daughter known as Zipporah. In the course of his stay in Midian, the Hebrew God appeared to him in the form of a burning bush. God inform him that he was destined to go back to Egypt and rescue the Israelites from slavery. Moses would eventually lead them to Canaan, the promised land of their forefathers.

Moses returns to Egypt and demands that the Israelites be set free. When the pharaoh initially refuses, God triggers the ten plagues that caused great suffering to Egyptians. The pharaoh relents and finally allows the people to go. Although he changes his mind and purses them into the wilderness, his army is drowned by the waters of the Red sea while the Jews make it to the other side safely. Upon arrival at Mount Sinai, Moses receives instructions and laws about the Hebrew religion which he teaches the people. In summary, Moses led the Jews through the desert for forty years until they arrived at the borders of Canaan where he died. The above is a summarized outline of Mosess story as narrated in the Torah. According to the tradition carried down for generations, these events were compiled by Moses himself while being directly dictated to by God. While this view is acceptable even today in Orthodox Judaism, it is subject to intense analysis by biblical criticism. Critics of the Bible perceive the Pentateuch as a composite work written during different times in the history of Israel. All in all, very few biblical scholars go the extent of utterly denying that Moses is a historical figure. Most of them agree that he played a crucial role in the Jewish religion.

The contribution that Moses made Judaism is evident is various events and occurrences. For one, he led the Israelites of Egypt where they were held in slavery and delivered them to the Holy Land they had been promised by God. This escape by the Jews from bondage is commemorated every year as a festival called the Passover. The Israelites were assisted through the journey by God; the same one who made a vow to Abraham that he would look after them. God helped them in many ways, such as parting the Red Sea to help them escape the pursuing Egyptian army. When they arrived at Mount Sinai, God spoke to Moses on top of the mountain whereby he made a deal known as a Covenant with the Jews. It was a renewal of the one he had earlier made with Abraham. God also presented them with set of rules that they should abide by.

On behalf of the Israelites, Moses received the Torah, which translates to law. However, this is not considered law in the contemporary sense, but rather instruction, guidance, or authoritative teaching. The most well-known of this law is the Ten Commandments. Moses set out a basis for morality that has been around for more than 3,000 years and is adhered to by two-thirds of the worlds population. In the real sense, there are actually more than six hundred commandments entailing all aspects of life of life such as family, diet, and personal hygiene. According to most scholars, the birth of Judaism as a structured and organized region was at around this time. Moses also happens to be a noteworthy character not just in Christianity, but also in Islam. Muslims consider him an influential prophet and refer to him as Musa.

Before Moses received the Ten Commandments, God told him that He would appear to him in the form of a dense cloud. This way, people would hear God speaking with Moses and will always put their trust in him. There were people who had their doubts before they witnessed God speak to Moses and saw him climb Mt. Sinai to receive the commandments. After the incidence, they no longer questioned Gods law or Moses delivering it them. also, his significance to the Jews and Judaism in general extends to his duty as a medium for displaying Gods tremendous powers, hence instilling faith in his people. For instance, he predicted the ten plagues of Egypt that brought misery to the Egyptians and spurred the Pharaoh to free the Hebrews. Moses also performed miracles such as parting the Red Sea to allow the Israelites to cross. When the people were suffering from extreme thirst in the wilderness, he provided fresh water for them by striking a rock with his staff.

Some Hebrew and biblical scholars may have divergent theories and opinions on the contribution Moses made in writing the Pentateuch. All in all, he is considered as an author of the first five books of the Bible. He could either be a contributing author or the main one. Hence, he holds a sizeable degree of significance for the making of the Pentateuch. None of the books have an introduction, express claim or superscription stating that the entire work is the doing of Moses. Nonetheless, there is resounding testimony, both of an internal and external nature that supports the notion that he actually wrote the Pentateuch.

There is a notable inconsistency in the Hebrew tradition when it comes to describing the personality of Moses. For one, he is perceived as a middleman between God and the Jews; the tool that God uses to reveal the Torah, as well as its teacher to the Israelites. He is seen as the person who spoke with God face to face. On the other hand, various arguments have been fronted that reject any idea that Moses possessed some divide powers. Even within the Torah, he is described as a human being with weaknesses present in mere mortars. For instance, he was initially reluctant to play the role of Gods messenger, and was known to lose his temper like when he struck the rock. He gets married and sires children; and eventually died like any other human being. For all his role as the link between God and the Israelites, it is not him that gave them the Torah. According to a certain rabbinic saying, if God had not handed him the Torah, He would essentially have given it to Ezra with just about the same effect.

In my own opinion, Judaism is not a religion that centers on a single individual. Rather, it belongs to the Hebrew people. During the Middle Ages, there were several Jewish scholars who evidently had been influenced by claims made by Christians about Jesus and by Muslims about Muhammad. This made them elevate the role of Moses to the extent that the Hebrew religion was made to revolve around him.

Works Cited

Freud, Sigmund. Moses and Monotheism. Leonardo Paolo Lovari, 2016.

Mayes, A. D. H. "The Call of Moses and the Exodus Story: A Redactional-Critical Study in Exodus 3-4 and 5-13." (2015): 62-63.

Wilson, R. F. "Moses the reluctant leader: Grumbling, Conflict, and Delegation (Exodus 15-18)." (2015).