Moses, who was raised as a prince, went out to see his Hebrew brethren and was exposed to their distress. The Sages describe how he aided them by both empathizing with their distress and physically assisting them. Moses’ sensitivity to the suffering of others was the reason for God’s selecting him as leader.

“Moses grew and he went out to his brethren and he saw their burdens” (Exodus 2:11). What is the meaning of: “And he saw”? It is teaching that he saw their burdens, and would cry and say: I am so sorry for you, if only I could die in your place; as there is no labor more arduous than labor with mortar. Moses would lend a hand and aid each and every one of them. Rabbi Elazar son of Rabbi Yosei HaGelili says: Moses saw a great burden on a child and a small burden on an adult, and the burden of a man on a woman and the burden of a woman on a man, and the burden of an old man on a young man and the burden of a young man on an old man. He would leave his entourage and go and redistribute their burdens on the pretense that he was aiding Pharaoh. The Holy One, blessed be He, said: You set aside your affairs, went to see the suffering of Israel, and acted with them in a brotherly manner. I will set aside My involvement in the heavenly and the earthly matters and I will speak to you. Our Sages said: When Moses our teacher, of blessed memory, was herding Yitro’s flock in the wilderness, a goat fled from him, and he pursued it until it reached a sheltered area. Once the goat reached the sheltered area, it happened upon a pool of water and began to drink. When Moses reached it, he said: I didn’t realize that you were running because you were thirsty; now I see you are thirsty. He carried it on his shoulders and walked with it back to the flock. The Holy One, blessed be He, said: You have the compassion to lead the flock belonging to flesh and blood in this manner. I take an oath by your life that you will shepherd My flock, Israel. (Shemot Rabba 1–2)