When we study Moshe's life, we find many examples and lessons in emunah. Pharaoh told the midwives, Shifrah and Puah to kill all male children. Rashi (1:16) explains, "He was only concerned about the male children because the astrologers told him that a son would save them."
When Moshe was born, Pharoah increased the severity of the decree. Now, even the non-Jewish children were to be killed. It states (1:22) היארה הילוד הבן כל לאמר עמו לכל פרעה ויצו תחיון הבת וכל תשליכהו, "Pharaoh commanded his entire nation, saying, 'Every son that will be born, in the river shall you throw him! And every daughter you shall keep alive!'"
Rashi explains, "The day that Moshe was born, the astrologers told Pharaoh, 'Today, the savior of the Jewish nation was born, only, we don't know whether he is Egyptian or Jewish. But we do see that he will be punished with water.' Therefore, Pharaoh decreed on that day, also for the Egyptians [that they should be thrown into the Nile]."
Pharaoh's daughter, Basyah, found Moshe in the Nile and took him to her father's home to raise him there. We discover from this episode that Hashem does as He wants with His world, and all our plans that contradict His will, fail. Pharaoh's efforts couldn't eliminate Moshe. Hashem wanted Moshe to live, and Pharaoh's attempts actually helped Moshe survive.
When Moshe was placed in the Nile, the astrologers told Pharaoh that the savior of the Jewish nation was already smitten in water. Pharaoh thought he had succeeded in destroying the savior of the Jewish nation, and he retracted the decree.
Let us contemplate how Moshe's mother, Yocheved, felt when she heard they were no longer obligated to throw the children into the Nile. When Moshe was born, Yocheved hid him for three months (see 2:2). She couldn't hide him anymore because the Mitzrim were searching for their child (see Rashi 2:3), so she placed him in the Nile. Almost immediately afterward, the decree was abolished. How did Yocheved feel at this time? She could have been sick with guilt, saying, "I hid him for three months. Had I held on to him for one more day, he would have been saved!"
We are all familiar with that painful feeling of regret when one asks himself, "Why did I do that? It could have been so much better if I had done something else." However, with the foundations of emunah, we know that what needs to occur happens. This story is an example. Yocheved didn't realize that had Moshe remained at home, the decree wouldn't have been abolished. It was abolished only because Moshe was placed into the Nile, and the astrologers thought the savior of Bnei Yisrael had already been punished with water. (They didn't know that Moshe would be punished in the future with the מריבה מי, when he hit the stone to bring forth water.)
This reminds us that we shouldn't be bitter with regret over our decisions in life because matters aren't in our hands, and Hashem leads the world as He desires it.
The Midrash (Shemos Rabba 1:26) tells us how it occurred that Moshe had a speech impediment. When Moshe was a young child, growing up in Pharaoh's home, Pharaoh would kiss and hug Moshe, and Moshe would take Pharaoh's crown off his head and put it on his own head. Pharaoh's sorcerers and advisors said, "We fear this is the child that will take away your kingdom in the future." Some of his advisors advised Pharaoh to kill or burn Moshe, r'l. At this time, Yisro was one of Pharaoh's advisors. He said, "He is just a child. He doesn't know what he is doing. We can test it. Place a tray with gold and hot coals before Moshe. If he takes the gold, that's a sign that he has intelligence and knows what he is doing. But if he takes the coals, that proves he is acting as children do, and the fact that he takes the crown doesn't have significance."
The Midrash writes, "Moshe stretched out his hand to take the gold, and Malach Gavriel pushed Moshe's hand to grab the coals. Moshe put his hand to his mouth and burned his tongue. This caused Moshe's speech to be impaired.
When this story occurred, it seemed like a tragedy for the child. His hand hurt, his tongue hurt; he was maimed for life. He probably cried. However, this was a great chesed and an incredible miracle. It saved Moshe's life. This reminds us that we only see half of the picture when something seems bad for us. If we knew the whole story, we would understand that it is good for us.
Hashem told Moshe to be the leader of Bnei Yisrael and to take them out of Mitzrayim. Moshe responded that he isn't fitting for this position (4:10) לשון וכבד פה כבד כי אנכי, "for I am heavy of mouth and heavy of speech."
Drashos HaRan (Drush 3) teaches that Moshe's speech impediment caused him to be the most fitting candidate to be the redeemer of Bnei Yisrael. If Moshe spoke well, there would be room for mockers to claim that he succeeded in convincing the Jewish nation that he was the redeemer, even if it wasn't true. And this is because people get swayed by a polished speaker and believe everything he says, even when he preaches falsehoods and foolishness. In contrast, people tend to disbelieve those who don't speak well.
The Ran writes, "Hashem doesn't do things by accident. Everything is for a purpose. So, too, Moshe's speech impediment wasn't by chance. It was part of Hashem's perfect plan. It was by hashgachah pratis that Moshe should have a speech impediment so that no one should think that Klal Yisrael and their gedolim were drawn after Moshe because he spoke well. For it is known that a good speaker, even when he speaks falsehoods, people accept what he says as truth. But when one has a speech deficiency, they won't accept what he says, even when he tells the truth, until he proves it. It was by Hashem's hashgachah that Moshe should be hard of speaking. It wasn't by chance..."
Hashem replied (4:11), מי או לאדם פה שם מי 'ה אנכי הלא פקח או חרש או אלם ישום, "Who gave man a mouth, or who makes one dumb or deaf or seeing or blind? Is it not I, Hashem?" The answer was that Hashem does...
