Vision and Action

וַיְהִי בַּיָּמִים הָהֵם וַיִּגְדַּל מֹשֶׁה וַיֵּצֵא אֶל אֶחָיו וַיַּרְא בְּסִבְלֹתָם.

It happened in those days, Moshe grew up and went out to his brethren and saw their burdens. (2:11)

Commenting on this verse, the midrash relates that not only did Moshe observe the burdens of his brethren, he also involved himself in helping them.[1] It is interesting to note, nonetheless, that of all the things that Moshe did, the Torah chooses to emphasize that “he saw their burdens.” Why is this so? Surely it was his actions that were of significance!

Rav Chaim Friedlander writes that while kindness ultimately takes the form of actions, its inception and essence lies in the faculty of sight. Much of what determines whether or not a person will perform an act of kindness begins with what they see — or what they don’t see. This can express itself in one of two ways:

1.   Perhaps they are so wrapped up their own needs and affairs that they simply do not “see” or notice that someone nearby is in need of kindness. In that mindset, the attention they pay to others only ever focuses on what that person can do for them, not the other way around.

2.   Perhaps their egocentricity leads them to devalue others from being worthy recipients of their kindness. In this respect, even when they look at another person and notice his needs, they do not “see” someone of value who deserves their generosity.[2]

In light of this, we can appreciate that a person may consider himself kind — and in a certain sense he may well be — yet his diminished vision bars him from achieving the true level of kindness he is capable of and the full difference he can make to other people’s lives. In truth, many of life’s opportunities for great deeds start out in the corner of our eye. It is up to us whether we choose to face them, bringing them into sharp focus, or turn away, allowing them to leave our field of vision entirely.

With the above in mind, we can understand that the critical decision for Moshe when he left the palace was not whether or not to help, but whether or not to see. It would have been very easy for Moshe to ignore the slavery and misery around him. He could simply have stayed at home in Pharaoh’s palace, or chosen routes that didn’t contain scenes of affliction which might disturb his serenity or otherwise make him feel uncomfortable. The attribute highlighted by the verse is the pivotal one — that Moshe chose to see his brethren. To then offer to help them was a natural product of his decision to admit them into his field of vision.

In identifying the concept of “seeing” as the root of Moshe’s acts of kindness, the midrash is teaching us two fundamental and related ideas:

1.   The kindness that we do is a product of the things we see.

2.   The things we see are a product of what we choose to see.

We all have an enormous capacity and potential to do good and bring blessing to the world. To that end, we do well to take note of the quality first highlighted by the Torah regarding Moshe Rabbeinu, and seek to emulate him in developing an eye for kindness.

[1] Shemos Rabbah 1:27.

[2] Sifsei Chaim, Moadim vol. 3, pp. 154–55.