PARSHA & PROSE: TORAH PORTION, SHEMOTH THROUGH THE LENS OF MARK TWAIN'S 'THE PRINCE AND THE PAUPER' (Audio)

The Avrum Rosensweig Show

💠 In this episode of 'Parsha and Prose', Rabbi Shlomo Gemara and Avrum Rosensweig discuss the Torah portion Shemoth (Exodus), we witness the transformation of Moses from a prince in Pharaoh’s court to a reluctant leader of the oppressed Israelites, paralleling the classic themes of The Prince and the Pauper. In Mark Twain’s tale, the two protagonists swap lives, experiencing vastly different worlds—one of privilege and the other of hardship. Similarly, Moses begins as a privileged figure, raised in the wealth and security of the Egyptian royal family, yet his identity as a Hebrew and his growing empathy for the suffering of his people lead him to renounce his royal status. Like the pauper in Twain’s story, Moses enters the world of his oppressed kin, where he must fight for justice and lead them to freedom, navigating the harsh realities of enslavement and political struggle. The contrast between Moses’ early life of comfort and his later mission to deliver his people mirrors the dramatic change in perspective that comes when Edward and Tom, in 'The Prince and the Pauper' one steps into the shoes of the downtrodden, bringing forth themes of social justice, identity, and responsibility.