Moses – The man whom God is believed to have chosen to lead the Israelites to freedom from slavery in Egypt

(Pronounced mows-ehz)

Note: Moses is also believed to have received the Ten Commandments from God and agreed a covenant between God and the Jewish people.

To remember the meaning of Moses in Judaism, use the following mnemonic:

As he moseys on down the mountain, a voice says (Moses) his people will be freed from slavery.

Moses is not only the most important prophet in Judaism – he is also a major figure in Christianity, Islamism and a number of other religions.

As a baby, Moses was placed in a basket and hidden among reeds at the edge of the River Nile, to save him after the Pharaoh, the Egyptian king, ordered all newborn Hebrew boys to be killed. The Pharaoh wanted to reduce the growing population of Israelites in Egypt, which he saw as a threat.

Moses was discovered in the reeds by a princess, one of the Pharaoh's daughters. She took him home and he was brought up among the Egyptian royal family.

The story goes that Moses killed an Egyptian slave master who was beating a Hebrew. Moses then fled Egypt, but God spoke to him out of a burning bush, telling him to go back and lead the Israelites to their own land.

Although he was a great leader, the Bible reveals that he was not a great speaker, so his brother, Aaron, became his spokesperson.

Moses was not able to enjoy the fruits of his labours – he died before the Israelites reached the land they believed had been promised to them by God.