As usual, please find my comments bolded in red.
There's a story in Shmos Rabba (with at least two parallels) which explains Moshe's speech impediment. It goes something like this:
Once baby Moshe reached for Pharaoh's crown and put it on his own head. His advisors said, "Ah-ha! [ALERT Letzanos ALERT] This is a sure sign that Moshe will one day dethrone you. Kill him now!" But Yisro intervened, saying the child has no sense yet, and we can prove it by putting before him a platter of gold and a platter of burning coals. If he takes the gold, by all means kill him, but if he takes the coal this is proof he meant nothing when he grabbed at Pharaoh 's crown. Pharaoh did as Yisro recommended, and when Moshe reached for the gold the angel Gabriel intervened and knocked the baby's hand aside. He took the coal instead, put it in his mouth and permanently burned his tongue.
Reasons why this story makes no sense:
(1) What child doesn't reach for sparkling jewels? [Many it seems. I doesn't seem to be so obvious a choice.] Why would such an ordinary act alarm the advisors to the point of wanting to execute an infant? [Because they were superstitious, that's why. Also, they had reason to believe that the Jewish savior was alive.] (In the Josephus parallel, Pharaoh gives Moshe the crown as a gesture of affection, and Moshe throws it on the floor and stomps on it. This is what alarmed the advisors) [Nice try! But why would such an ordinary act alarm the advisors, to the point of executuion?]?.
(2) Likewise, why would it prove anything if Moshe were to reach for the gold. Shouldn't that be expected? [It is totally expected for DovBear to ask the same question twice ;)]
(3) If the coal was hot enough to permanently maim Moseh's tongue, how was he able to hold it in his hand and bring it to his mouth? [Because he was young, and when he sensed heat, his hand went to his mouth to cool it.] (In the Armenian parallel Moshe burns his finger with the coal, and burns his tongue with the bunt finger. In Josephus there's no test: After an enraged advisor responds to the attack on the crown by calling for Moshe's death, Pharaoh and his daughter protected him.)
According to James Kugel, the error is assuming this story is historically true. Rather, the story was written (and not necessarily by Sages) for a particular purpose. See below The Bible as it Was by James Kugel pages 295-298. [These people REALLY know what the're talking about.]
Summary:
In the ancient word it was inconceivable that a leader, such as Moshe, would not be skilled at rhetoric. [Or was it?] Therefore the ancient interpreters needed to explain Exodus 4:10 "I am heavy of speech and heavy of tongue" in a way that made it clear that Moshe suffered from a deformity, and not from a poor education. The development of the famous story about the platter of coal was the result. [And we're all fools for believing the garbage our Rishonim/Achronim feed us. Sick.]
Reasons why this story makes no sense:
(1) What child doesn't reach for sparkling jewels? [Many it seems. I doesn't seem to be so obvious a choice.] Why would such an ordinary act alarm the advisors to the point of wanting to execute an infant? [Because they were superstitious, that's why. Also, they had reason to believe that the Jewish savior was alive.] (In the Josephus parallel, Pharaoh gives Moshe the crown as a gesture of affection, and Moshe throws it on the floor and stomps on it. This is what alarmed the advisors) [Nice try! But why would such an ordinary act alarm the advisors, to the point of executuion?]?.
(2) Likewise, why would it prove anything if Moshe were to reach for the gold. Shouldn't that be expected? [It is totally expected for DovBear to ask the same question twice ;)]
(3) If the coal was hot enough to permanently maim Moseh's tongue, how was he able to hold it in his hand and bring it to his mouth? [Because he was young, and when he sensed heat, his hand went to his mouth to cool it.] (In the Armenian parallel Moshe burns his finger with the coal, and burns his tongue with the bunt finger. In Josephus there's no test: After an enraged advisor responds to the attack on the crown by calling for Moshe's death, Pharaoh and his daughter protected him.)
According to James Kugel, the error is assuming this story is historically true. Rather, the story was written (and not necessarily by Sages) for a particular purpose. See below The Bible as it Was by James Kugel pages 295-298. [These people REALLY know what the're talking about.]
Summary:
In the ancient word it was inconceivable that a leader, such as Moshe, would not be skilled at rhetoric. [Or was it?] Therefore the ancient interpreters needed to explain Exodus 4:10 "I am heavy of speech and heavy of tongue" in a way that made it clear that Moshe suffered from a deformity, and not from a poor education. The development of the famous story about the platter of coal was the result. [And we're all fools for believing the garbage our Rishonim/Achronim feed us. Sick.]
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