In today’s Chumash, Hashem chooses Moshe to take the Yidden out of Mitzrayim. Hashem appears to Moshe in a burning bush and tells him to go to Paraoh.

We learned that Moshe had to run away from Paraoh, and he went to Midyan. There, he married Tziporah, the daughter of Yisro, and became a shepherd of Yisro’s sheep.

Hashem wanted to make Moshe the one to take the Yidden out of Mitzrayim, but first tested him while he was a shepherd.

The way someone treats animals, who can’t take care of themselves, shows how they will treat people they lead, who also need help and can’t do certain things themselves. Hashem saw that Moshe was very careful with every sheep, and knew he would be a good choice to lead the Yidden.

Todays’ Chumash begins with one of the times that Moshe was taking care of the sheep:

Moshe would take Yisro’s sheep deep into the wilderness so they wouldn’t eat from other people’s fields.

One day he came to a mountain called Har Chorev (this would later become Har Sinai, the mountain from which Hashem would give the Yidden the Torah).

On the mountain, Moshe saw a thorn bush that was on fire. A malach of Hashem appeared to him through the fire. Moshe saw that even though the bush was on fire, the fire wasn’t burning up the bush!

Moshe realized that he needed to stop what he was doing and pay attention to this Ruchnius sight: Why wasn’t the bush being burned up?

Moshe understood that Hashem was appearing through a malach in a prickly bush to show that He is with the Yidden in the painful Golus. But Moshe couldn’t understand — if Hashem is with the Yidden, how can there even be a Golus? If Hashem, like a flame of fire, is in the painful Golus, how come the Golus is not getting burned up? How can the Golus exist at all?

When Hashem saw that Moshe was trying to understand, Hashem called out to him from the bush. He called in a loving way, “Moshe, Moshe!” Moshe answered with humility, “Here I am. I am ready to hear what Hashem has to say.”

Hashem told Moshe not to come too close. He should take off his shoes, because this is a holy place! Then Hashem said to Moshe, “I am Hashem, the Aibershter of the Avos, Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov.” Moshe hid his face because he was afraid to look at Hashem!

Hashem told Moshe that He always saw how the Yidden were suffering in Mitzrayim, and will never close His ears to their cries. But now has come the time to do something about the Golus! Hashem now wants to take the Yidden out of Mitzrayim, and bring them to Eretz Yisroel. Hashem told Moshe that he should go to Paraoh and tell him to let the Yidden go.

Moshe asked Hashem, “First of all, am I able to go speak to Paraoh without getting hurt? Second of all, do the Yidden deserve that a miracle should happen for them to go out of Mitzrayim?”

Hashem answered, “About the first question you asked, don’t worry, I will go with you. The burning bush that you see, where the bush isn’t getting burned by the fire, is a sign for you that you won’t get hurt. And for your second question, the Yidden deserve to come out of Mitzrayim because they are coming out to serve Hashem, to get the Torah on this very mountain where you are standing now.”

Then Moshe asked Hashem, “When I come to the Yidden, they are going to ask me how Hashem could let such terrible things happen. What should I tell them?”

Hashem answered, “Say to them that even though they can’t always tell, I am always with them in Golus.”