Tanach · Acharonim on Tanach · Or HaChaim · Torah

Or HaChaim on Exodus 3:11/אור החיים על שמות ג׳:י״א

אמִי אָנֹכִי כִּי אֵלֵךְ וְגוֹ׳. פֵּרוּשׁ, אֲפִילּוּ בִּשְׁלִיחוּת שֶׁאֵינָהּ הֵפֶךְ רְצוֹנוֹ, כִּי אֵינִי חָשׁוּב לְדַבֵּר לִפְנֵי מֶלֶךְ, וּמֵאֶמְצָעוּת כֵּן לֹא יֵאָמֵן בִּשְׁלִיחוּתוֹ וְיִסְתַּכֵּן, שֶׁהָאָדָם בַּעַל בְּחִירָה וְרָצוֹן. וְצֵא וּלְמַד מִמַּאֲמַר שְׁמוּאֵל (שמואל א טז:ב) ״אֵיךְ אֵלֵךְ וְשָׁמַע שָׁאוּל וַהֲרָגָנִי״, וְתִמְצָא שֶׁלֹּא יֵאָמֵן אָדָם בִּנְבוּאָה לְצַד בְּחִינַת הַשִּׁפְלוּת, כָּאָמוּר בִּנְבוּאַת עָמוֹס (קהלת רבה א א ב) שֶׁהָיוּ מְזַלְזְלִין בּוֹ בְּנֵי דּוֹרוֹ וְכוּ׳. וְעוֹד כִּי אוֹצִיא וְגוֹ׳, כִּי לָזֶה צָרִיךְ אָדָם גָּדוֹל בְּמַעֲשִׂים שֶׁיִּזְכֶּה לִזְכוּת גָּדוֹל כָּזֶה, וְחָשׁ שֶׁמָּא יֶאֱרַע תַּקָּלָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל בְּאֶמְצָעוּת מְנִיעַת זְכוּתוֹ, וְזֶה מֵהָעֲנָוָה וְהַשִּׁפְלוּת.
1 מי אנכי כי אלך, "who am I that I should be qualified to go?" Moses meant that even if he were anxious to accept such a mission he did not consider himself qualified to speak up in front of a king. Seeing that he lacked that self-confidence his mission was unlikely to succeed. We have other examples of prophets who lacked confidence that their mission would succeed because they were personally not confident; compare Samuel I 16,2 or Amos who is reported in Kohelet Rabbah 1 as having suffered from a lack of self-confidence because his peers belittled him. Moses added וכי אוציא את בני ישראל, "and that I should lead the Israelites out of Egypt," in order to emphasize the enormity of the task G'd was about to place on his shoulders, i.e. to orchestrate the Exodus. He implied that in order for such an undertaking to succeed the messenger G'd chose would have to be an outstanding personality. He was afraid that if Israel would suffer some setback on the road to freedom he might be held responsible since he was not qualified to be that leader.