EXOD33 We must feel the suffering of others, even when it means a loss of personal pleasure. … Rashi sites the Midrash Shmos Rabbah 1 which states that Moshe set his eyes and heart to be grieved for his brothers. This is the first incident that the Torah relates about Moshe. The Jewish people were enslaved in Egypt, and Moshe, adopted by the daughter of Pharaoh, grew up in the Royal Palace surrounded by luxury. He personally was saved from the suffering and anguish experienced by the rest of his people and benefited from the opulence of his surroundings. But herein lies Moshe's greatness: he could have forsaken his people and chosen a life of material comforts; instead, he went out among his people and "set his heart to be grieved for them." He did not merely feel sympathy for their plight and then forget them. He intentionally went out of his way to feel the pain of their suffering to the degree that he could feel his own. This, says the Midrash, was what merited Moshe the right to the leadership of the Jewish people and to be chosen as the emissary who would receive the Torah at Mount Sinai. He risked his life and gave up his privileged status as a member of the royal family to save him (Verse 12). We must learn from Moshe to care about the suffering of others, even if it means sacrificing our personal pleasure. Rabbi Simcha Zissel Ziv in Chochmah Umussar, vol. 1, essay 1 and 99.