Shemos

While Moshe was tending Yisro's flock he took them to the desert to graze & he arrived at the mountain of 'ה where he saw a strange phenomena. There was a bush burning but not being consumed. Moshe then said אסרה נא ואראה את המראה הגדל הזה, let me turn aside & see this great sight.

The Midrash brings a disagreement as to what Moshe did. ר' יוחנן says that he took three steps closer to look & ריש לקיש says he just turned his neck to see. The Midrash continues that after Moshe looked 'ה said "you troubled yourself to look, they will be redeemed through you". Immediately after the posuk says ויאמר משה משה, ויאמר הנני , & He said Moshe Moshe & he answered here I am.

The לקח טוב asks, how could it be that such great reward, the revelation of the divine presence, the appointment of Moshe to be the leader & the one who takes them out of Egypt could be because of such a small insignificant matter as walking three steps or the mere turning of his head?

There was once a gathering of the communal leaders & rabbis in Lublin on a very important & pressing matter involving the saving of many Jewish lives. As the meeting went on the leaders threw up their hands & said this matter is too much for us; it's beyond the grasp of man.

Then ר' מאיר שפירא got up & posed the following question. When the daughter of Pharaoh went down to the river & saw the basket in the middle of the river the Posuk says ותשלח את אמתה. Rashi explains that it means she sent her hand out to get it & even though her arm was too short to reach it, once she stretched it out to save Moshe, miraculously her arm stretched & she got the basket. ר' מנחם מנדל מקוצק asks, what was she thinking that she even tried to reach the basket that was so far from her? From here he says, we learn that when one is trying to do the right thing one should not reckon with his natural limitations rather one should do the best that he can & then rely on 'ה to do the rest. We have to take action to make that first move & whether we accomplish or not is in the hands of 'ה
We too, continued ר' מאיר, must do all that we can & 'ה will help us to succeed.

In a similar vein there's a story told over about a taxi driver who used to drive the Steipler Gaon. The Steipler once asked him if he was able to find time for learning after a long hard day of driving. He told the Steipler that he regularly attends the daf yomi shiur, however, within a few minutes he falls asleep & doesn't really gain anything from it. The Steipler smiled & when he left the cab he said, "I know that you don't consider yourself anything special but you should know that in the next word you are considered a major general." You just do your best and keep going to the shiur, even if you sleep, for 'ה only demands of us what we can do & no more.

This concept says the מכתב מאליהוin the name of הרש"ז מקלם, is why Moshe got so much reward for just those few steps. That was considered for him, doing his part. He was making the first move, & once he made the first move then all the gates of the heavens were opened for him & he became our leader. This teaches us that all we have to do is try, make that first move, & show 'ה we want to do it & then He will make it happen!