Exodus 2: A Murder or a Metaphor?

“Some time after that, when Moses had grown up, he went out to his kinsfolk and witnessed their labors.” (Exodus 2:11) וַיְהִי בַּיָּמִים הָהֵם וַיִּגְדַּל מֹשֶׁה וַיֵּצֵא אֶל־אֶחָיו וַיַּרְא בְּסִבְלֹתָםHe saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his kinsmen. וַיַּרְא אִישׁ מִצְרִי מַכֶּה אִישׁ־עִבְרִי מֵאֶחָיוHe turned this way and that and, seeing no one about, he struck down the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. (Exodus 2:12) וַיִּפֶן כֹּה וָכֹה וַיַּרְא כִּי אֵין אִישׁ וַיַּךְ אֶת־הַמִּצְרִי וַיִּטְמְנֵהוּ בַּחוֹל These four verses explain Moshe’s realization that he is an Israelite and that the slaves are his brethren. But the Torah is silent on exactly how Moshe knew about this and what caused him to kill the Egyptian. The 1998DreamWorks movie The Prince of Egypt is a fascinating take on the Exodus story. Like most movies about the Torah, it takes several artistic liberties. But within those liberties are some very interesting interpretations of certain verses. In the movie, Moshe finds out from Miriam that he is an Israelite. At first, he does not believe her, but he then has a dream where he learns the truth about Pharaoh sending the Israelite babies to their death. In the clip attached, itis the day after. The scene does an amazing job showing the build-up of the torment in Moshe’s mind and heart. He is pulled by Ramses, his brother, in one direction, and then the cries of his brethren, the slaves, in the other. Finally, he breaks free and tries to save an old man being beaten, and accidentally kills the Egyptian taskmaster. Ramses attempts to console Moshe, but Moshe is so overwhelmed by his recent revelation that he runs away. The clip shows Moshe killing the Egyptian, but what about the burial in the sand? That part comes at the very end of the clip. After literally killing an Egyptian, Moshe then kills the Egyptian inside of him. At the very end of the clip, he rips off the trappings of royalty and buries them in the sand. Yes, the clip ignores his confrontation with the two Israelites and the fact that the text out right says that Pharaoh wished to kill Moses. But this interpretation of burying his past in the sand is an extremely powerful metaphor. Moses did grow up as a member of the royal household. By running away, he had to bury that part of him in the past. The Prince of Egypt offers that the Egyptian he buried was the Egyptian inside of him. .