You Can't Be Nice on the Outside if You're Not Decent on the Inside

What would you say if you were given an opportunity to redeem the people of Israel? Could there be anything more important in the world? Wouldn't you drop whatever you were doing at a moment's notice and run?

And yet, we find in the Torah that when Hashem sent Moshe Rabbeinu (Moses) to bring out the Jewish People from Egyptian slavery, Moshe asked for a postponement for something "very important." What was so important that Moshe delayed the redemption for an entire week?

According to the Midrash, "When Hashem said to Moshe, 'Go now; I am sending you to Pharaoh,' Moses said to Him: 'Master of the Universe, I cannot, because Jethro welcomed me and opened the door of his home to me, and I am like a son to him. And one whose friend opens his door to him owes him his soul ... Master of the Universe! Jethro welcomed me and accorded me honor. Shall I leave without his permission?' Therefore it is written [in the Torah], 'Moshe went back to Jethro his father-in-law..."

Unbelievable!

The Jews who are suffering so much will now wait and suffer for another week, just because Moshe feels a need to "be nice" to his father-in-law, "to get his permission" (if only for the sake of politeness...)?!

Even more unbelievable is that Hashem agrees with him. Instead of heading straight to Egypt, Moshe returns from the Burning Bush to Midian, which is in exactly the opposite direction!

What's going on here?

Perhaps now we can internalize the significance of our hearts, and what "Rachmana liba ba'ei" (Hashem wants the heart) really means.

We can illustrate this concept with the example of a chess game. In chess, each piece has its own value. The pieces are ranked according to their ability to defend their king. The king himself has no value, because he is the heart of the game. Without the king, the game is over, and it makes no difference how many other pieces you may have left on the board.

Being a "decent human being" is the essence of our lives. The heart.

If you don't have a heart, it no longer matters how many other values -- even important ones -- you have. The game is over. Moshe understood this, and Hashem agreed with him.

Moshe understood what most public figures, the "leaders" of today, need to be taught. If you're not a decent human being, with a heart -- caring genuinely about others -- then it makes no difference how many accolades you collect. It makes no difference how many red carpets are rolled out in your honor. It doesn't even make a difference if people can be convinced you're a nice guy. If you're not decent, you're nothing.