Appreciating Moses' Greatness

Parashat Naso 5777, 2017:
Appreciating Moses Greatness

Rabbi David Etengoff
Dedicated to the sacred memories of my mother, Miriam Tovah bat Aharon Hakohen, father-in-
law, Levi ben Yitzhak, sister-in-law, Ruchama Rivka Sondra bat Yechiel, sister, Shulamit bat
Menachem, Chaim Mordechai Hakohen ben Natan Yitzchak, Yehonatan Binyamin ben
Mordechai Meir Halevi, Avraham Yechezkel ben Yaakov Halevy, Shayna Yehudit bat Avraham
Manes and Rivka, the refuah shlaimah of Devorah bat Chana, Shoshanah Elka bat Etiel Dina and
Yitzhak Akiva ben Malka, and the safety of our brothers and sisters in Israel and around the
world.
The final verse of our parasha is fascinating in form and content:
When Moses would come into the Tent of Meeting to speak with Him (ledaber eto), he
would hear the voice (vayishma et hakol) speaking to him (medaber aluv) from the two
cherubim above the covering which was over the Ark of Testimony, and He spoke to him
(vayidaber aluv). (Sefer Bamidbar 7:89, this and all Bible and Rashi translations, with
my emendations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach)
This pasuk (verse) is directly focused upon the communications that took place between
the Almighty and Moses when the latter entered the Ohel Moed (Tent of Meeting). Rashi
(1040-1105) explicates four aspects of this exchange: The origin and projection of
Hashems Voice, the manner in which G-d spoke to Moses, the nature of the Almightys
Voice and the use of the term aluv. His analysis of these points enables us to gain a
more profound understanding of our pasuk.
Based upon the Sifrei, the halachic Midrash to Sefer Bamidbar, Rashi notes that the
Voice emanated from heaven to [the area] between the two cherubim, and from there it
went out to the Tent of Meeting. In other words, the Voice originated in shamayim
(Heaven), transported itself to the space between the cherubim, and finally became
audible to Moshe when its sound filled the Ohel Moed.

According to Rashi, these Ohel Moed communications were indirect in nature:
The word midaber (to speak) is similar to mitdaber (to speak to oneself, i.e. the reflexive
form) and, therefore, it connotes Hashem speaking to Himself. It is out of reverence for
the Most High to express it in this way. [The Voice] would speak to itself, and Moses
would listen to it.
When the pasuk states, vayishma et hakol, we immediately wonder, What kind of
voice did Moshe hear? Was it the Voice that Eliyahu heard on Mount Horeb? As the text
states: After the earthquake fire, not in the fire was the L-rd, and after the fire a still
small sound (kol dimamah dakah, Sefer Melachim I:19:12). Or, was it the Voice of the
Revelation at Mount Sinai that King David describes as:
The voice of the L-rd is upon the waters; the G-d of glory thunders; the L-rd is over the
vast waters. The voice of the L-rd is in strength; the voice of the L-rd is in beauty. The
voice of the L-rd breaks the cedars, yea, the L-rd breaks the cedars of LebanonThe
voice of the L-rd cleaves with flames of fire. The voice of the L-rd causes the desert to
quake; the L-rd causes the desert of Kadesh to quake. The voice of the L-rd will frighten
the hinds and strip the forests (Sefer Tehillim 29:3-5, 7-9)
Rashi answers our question in no uncertain terms:
I might think it was in an undertone. Therefore, Scripture teaches us: the Voice- the
very Voice which spoke with him at [Mount] Sinai. But when it [the Voice] reached the
entrance, it stopped and did not proceed outside the tent.
Rashis statement, when the Voice reached the entrance, it stopped and did not proceed
outside the tent, facilitates our understanding of his interpretation of and He [the
Almighty] spoke to him (vayidaber aluv). Rashi opines that this section of our pasuk
excludes Aaron. In addition, many Rabbinic sources inform us that it was not only Aaron
who was denied access to the Divine utterances to Moses in the Ohel Moed; rather, no
other person in the world was privy to these messages. Clearly, Moses was different in
kind and degree from all other prophets of his time, and as we know, for all time to come.
2
What were the constitutive elements of Moses uniqueness? We are fortunate that the
Rambam (Maimonides, 1135-1204) addressed exactly this question in his classic work,
Perush HaMishnah. Therein, Maimonides presents four distinctive characteristics of
Moses prophetic encounters:
Unlike all other prophets, Moses spoke to Hashem in a direct manner, i.e. without any
intermediary.
In contrast to all other prophets, Moses communicated with the Almighty during the day
and when he was completely conscious.
All other prophets felt anguish, trembled, shuddered and became weak due to their
meeting with Hashem. Moses, however, remained fully in control of his physical and
psychological powers throughout his prophetic engagements with Hashem.
All prophets, with the exception of Moses, received their visions whenever G-d appeared
to them and without their control. Moses, however, spoke to Hashem whenever he so
chose. (Synopsis based upon, Perush HaMishnah, Sanhedrin, Introduction to Perek
Chalek, Rav Kapach edition)
Maimonides describes the unique spiritual intimacy that obtained between Moses and the
Creator. As such, the portrait of Moses that emerges is that of a singularly gifted
individual who enjoyed unparalleled access to the Almighty due to his exceptional
spiritual gifts. Truly, Moses was Moshe Rabbeinu (Moses our Teacher), the rebbe of the
Jewish people forevermore. While none of us will ever be able to reach his exalted level,
each of us, like Moses, can try on our own level to establish a personal and existentially
meaningful connection with Hashem. With His help may this be so. Vchane yihi ratzon.
Shabbat Shalom
Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org They may

also be found on YUTorah.org using the search criteria of Etengoff and the parashas
name.
The email list, bchasdei Hashem, has expanded to hundreds of people. I am always
happy to add more members to the list. If you have family or friends you would like to
have added, please do not hesitate to contact me via email mailto:[email protected].
3
*** My audio shiurim for Women on the topics of Tefilah and Megillat Esther may be
found at: http://tinyurl.com/8hsdpyd
*** I have posted 164 of Rabbi Soloveitchiks English language audio shiurim (MP3
format) spanning the years 1958-1984. Please click on the highlighted link.

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Parashat Naso 5777, 2017:

Appreciating Moses Greatness

The final verse of our parasha is fascinating in form and content:

more profound understanding of our pasuk.

audible to Moshe when its sound filled the Ohel Moed.

Revelation at Mount Sinai that King David describes as:

Rashi answers our question in no uncertain terms:

Perush HaMishnah. Therein, Maimonides presents four distinctive characteristics of

Moses prophetic encounters:

Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org They may

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