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Why does Moshe Rabbeinu compare leading the Jewish people to motherhood? The shiur develops a fundamental yesod that true parenting means taking abuse while nurturing independence—the only way children know they're truly loved. Taking verbal abuse without reacting proves the relationship is about them, not us.
The shiur opens with Moshe Rabbeinu's complaint to Hashem (ה׳) in Parashas Beha'aloscha (Bamidbar 11:11-12), where he protests the burden of leading the Jewish people. Moshe asks rhetorically, "Did I conceive this nation? Did I give birth to it?" suggesting that only a mother would be expected to carry such a burden. Rabbi Zweig extracts a profound insight: Moshe is saying that if he were their mother, he would understand having to endure their complaints and even verbal abuse—but since he's not their mother, why should he bear this? The shiur establishes that every human being experiences the fundamental trauma of being "thrown out" of the womb into independence. This creates an inherent tension between the parent's obligation to foster independence and the child's rage at being forced from dependency. Even when parents do everything correctly, children will resist independence because dependency feels safer and more comfortable.
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Parshas Beha'aloscha, Bamidbar 11:11-12
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