Moses • Moses son of Amram
Moses our Teacher
Biblical EraMoses our Teacher was the greatest of the prophets, the leader of the Children of Israel in the Exodus from Egypt, and the recipient of the Torah. He brought the people of Israel out of Egypt, split the Red Sea, and led the nation to Mount Sinai, where he received the Torah. He i…
Biography
Moses our Teacher was the greatest of the prophets, the leader of the Children of Israel in the Exodus from Egypt, and the recipient of the Torah. He brought the people of Israel out of Egypt, split the Red Sea, and led the nation to Mount Sinai, where he received the Torah. He is called “our Teacher” because he taught Israel Torah and the commandments.
Life Story
Childhood
He was born in Egypt at the time of Pharaoh’s decree to cast every male child into the Nile. He was hidden for three months, and his sister Miriam placed him in an ark by the riverbank. Pharaoh’s daughter found him and adopted him.
Teachers
He learned the wisdom of Egypt and, according to tradition, studied under Jethro.
Students
Joshua son of Nun and the seventy elders.
Family
He was the son of Amram and Jochebed, and the brother of Aaron and Miriam. He married Zipporah, the daughter of Jethro, and his sons were Gershom and Eliezer.
Key Events
The burning bush, the Ten Plagues, the Exodus from Egypt, the splitting of the Red Sea, the giving of the Torah at Sinai, the sin of the golden calf, and the forty years of wandering in the wilderness.
Miracles
The splitting of the Red Sea, the manna from heaven, water from the rock, and the pillars of cloud and fire.
Influence
He led the people of Israel from slavery to freedom and bestowed upon them the Torah, which is the foundation of faith and halachah for all generations.
Death
He ascended Mount Nebo, saw the Promised Land, and died there by the kiss of the Holy One, blessed be He. The place of his burial is concealed.
Writings
Torah - the Five Books of Moses
בערך 1313 לפנה״סThe entire Torah
The books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy — the Written Torah given at Sinai.
His Way and Views
Torah Study
He received the entire Torah from the mouth of the Divine Presence and transmitted it to Israel.
Halacha
The source of all the laws of the Written Torah and the Oral Torah.
Faith
Perfect faith in God; a prophet above all other prophets.
Ethics
Utter humility — “Now the man Moses was exceedingly humble, more than any person on the face of the earth.”
Customs
He established the order of prayer and the observance of the commandments for future generations.
Character
Patient, humble, and the faithful emissary of God.
Public Role
A leader who gave of himself for the sake of the people of Israel at every moment.
Famous Quotes
"Hear, O Israel: the Lord is our God, the Lord is One."
Famous Stories
When Moses struck the Egyptian who had killed the Hebrew, he looked around and saw that there was no one; his intention was to save, not to kill.
At the giving of the Torah, Moses stood between God and the people, conveying the word of God to the people and the people’s response to God.
Students
Teachers
Timeline
The birth of Moses in Egypt
Flight to Midian and marriage to Zipporah
The burning bush and the Exodus from Egypt
Passing on Mount Nebo