Moshe/0

Moshe – Overview

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Unique Traits

Prophetic Powers

See

Miracles

The concluding verses of Torah suggest that no other prophet compares to Moshe, not only in his prophetic prowess, but also in all of the signs and wonders he wrought. What, though, was so exceptional about Moshe's miracle-making? Did not other prophets perform similar feats?¹ Commentators differ in their understanding of what made Moshe's miracles unique: [See Moshe's Epitaph – Signs and Wonders and Miracles for more.]

• Abundance – RambanDevarim 34:10-12About R. Moshe b. Nachman, RalbagDevarim 34:10-12About R. Levi b. Gershom and ShadalDevarim 34:10-12About R. Shemuel David Luzzatto assert that Moshe's miracles were unparalleled due to their sheer numbers, duration, and/or the area which they affected.
• Wide audience – R"Y Bekhor ShorDevarim 34:12About R. Yosef Bekhor Shor and RambamMoreh Nevukhim 2:35About R. Moshe b. Maimon suggest, instead, that Moshe's wonders surpassed those of others because they were viewed by a wider audience. While most prophets performed miracles for individuals or a small portion of the nation, Moshe's were known to all of the Children of Israel as well as the surrounding nations
• Instantaneous – AbarbanelDevarim 34:11About R. Yitzchak Abarbanel explains that in contrast to other prophets, Moshe could bring miracles without needing to first pray. Moshe's face to face connection enabled a direct hotline to Hashem and instantaneous implementation.
• Not unique – SefornoDevarim 34:11-12About R. Ovadyah Seforno uniquely suggests that the verse is saying only that Moshe's prophetic powers were singular, but not that his miracle making was superior to others.

Wisdom

See

Standing up for Justice

Possible Flaws

Misunderstanding Hashem

Commentators disagree as to whether it is legitimate to maintain that Moshe could have ever misunderstood Hashem. After all, if a prophet can make a mistake, how can he be trusted to correctly transmit Hashem's word?

• Moshe could have misunderstood Hashem – Several sources assert that it is possible that, on occasion, Moshe erred in understanding Hashem:
• Korach's rebellion – Both R. ChananelCited by Ramban Bemidbar 16:21About R. Chananel b. Chushiel² and SefornoBemidbar 14:12,13,20Bemidbar 16:22,24,26About R. Ovadyah Seforno suggest that Moshe misunderstood Hashem's statement "הִבָּדְלוּ מִתּוֹךְ הָעֵדָה הַזֹּאת וַאֲכַלֶּה אֹתָם" (Bemidbar 16:21) to mean that Hashem intended to wipe out the entire nation, when Hashem really was referring only to the congregation of Korach.³ See Dialogue with the Divine During Korach's Rebellion for discussion and additional sources.
• The spies – Seforno suggests that Moshe similarly misunderstood Hashem in the aftermath of the spies' report.⁴ When Hashem said, "אַכֶּנּוּ בַדֶּבֶר" (Bemidbar 14:12), he thought that Hashem planned to exterminate the nation all at once.⁵ Hashem, though, had really meant that he planned to destroy the nation slowly, over forty years in the Wilderness.
• Moshe could not have misunderstood Hashem –  R. Mubashir HaLeviCritique of the Writings of R. Saadia Gaon (p. 109)About R. Mubashir HaLevi,⁶ and RambanBemidbar 16:21About R. Moshe Nachmanides⁷ vehemently argue against the possibility that Moshe could err in understanding Hashem.⁸ 

Misunderstanding the Nation

How well did Moshe and the nation communicate?  Is it possible that Moshe ever erred in understanding the nation's requests or needs?

The issue comes to the fore in the story of the Petition of the Two and a Half Tribes in Bemidbar 32. Moshe initially responds negatively to the tribes' request to settle the eastern bank of the Jordan, chastising them for leaving the burden of fighting to the rest of the nation.  Immediately thereafter, Reuven and Gad express their willingness not just to fight, but even to lead the nation in battle, whereupon Moshe agrees to their original demands. What leads to the about-face both on the part of the tribes and on the part of Moshe? Did the tribes change their stance only due to Moshe's condemnation, or had they always planned to take part in the Conquest?

• Moshe misunderstood the nation – AbarbanelBemidbar 32About R. Yitzchak Abarbanel maintains that Moshe misunderstood the tribes' request and wrongly assumed that they did not want to participate in the Canaanite campaign when they had meant to all along. Thus, when they clarified their true intent he acquiesced.
• Moshe understood the nation – Akeidat YitzchakBemidbar Peirush 32About R. Yitzchak Arama, in contrast, justifies Moshe's angry reaction, opining that Moshe correctly read the tribes' petition and that it really was problematic both on the interpersonal level (as the tribes did not initially intend to join their brethren in the Conquest), and in relation to Hashem (as they rejected His Promised Land.) In face of Moshe's anger, the tribes revise their proposition and only then does Moshe agree.

Administrative Shortcomings

Some exegetes suggest that Moshe exhibited certain weaknesses as an administrator, while others think that saying so borders on the blasphemous:

• Yitro's Advice (Shemot 18) – When Yitro sees the nation standing online to await Moshe's judgment, he suggests that Moshe delegate some of his responsibilities to lighten the load. Yitro's advice seems like such an obvious and simple solution that one cannot help but wonder: How could it be that Moshe, the greatest of all men and in possession of a direct line to Hashem, needed Yitro's help to figure this out? [For discussion, see Did Moshe Need Yitro's Advice.]
• RalbagShemot Toalot 18:14-15About R. Levi b. Gershom suggests that due to Moshe's closeness to Hashem, he was indeed deficient in civic leadership.
• AbarbanelShemot 18About R. Yitzchak Abarbanel strongly disagrees, claiming that it is impossible that Moshe was flawed in this regard.
• Moshe and Mei Merivah.(Bemidbar 20) – Though many suggest that Moshe's sin at Mei Merivah related to the realm of man and God, others suggest that the problem was one of faulty leadership.
• See the Avvat Nefesh and Minchah BelulahBemidbar 20:12About R. Avraham Porto who assert that in "fleeing" to the Tent of Meeting, Moshe betrayed a fear of the nation and an inability to take initiative and rebuke them on his own. For elaboration, see Moshe's Misstep and Mei Merivah.
• Bemidbar 11  

Sins

Commentators question Moshe's behavior in several stories, allowing for the possibility that he sinned even when not explicit in the text:

• Moshe and the Egyptian (Shemot 2) - Many laud Moshe for killing the Egyptian taskmaster and view him as championing the cause of justice, yet others question whether his response was not overly harsh and if he was justified in taking the law into his own hands. [See Moshe's Killing of the Egyptian.]
• Justified – The majority of commentators justify Moshe's actions, by suggesting either that in killing the taskmaster Moshe was actively saving a life (Shemot Rabbah) or that the Egyptian was guilty of a capital crime, having committed adultery with the slain Hebrew's wife (Tanchuma). R. D"Z Hoffman, instead, argues that the trampling of human rights in Egypt was so massive that legal norms did not apply.
• Unjustified – Midrash Petirat Moshe finds Moshe's deed blameworthy and suggests that he was even punished as a result.⁹
• Unintentional – R. Saadia Gaon charts a middle ground, suggesting that Moshe's action was indeed problematic, but unintentional.  He had meant only to harm the Egyptian, not to kill him.

• Moshe at the Malon (Shemot 4) – Hashem's attempt to kill Moshe (or perhaps his son) during the incident at the inn implies that there had been some serious transgression.  Yet, there is no explicit mention of any wrongdoing in the text.  Moreover, attributing a crime to Moshe implies that Hashem had chosen an unworthy messenger! How, then, is the story to be understood?  Is it a tale of sin and punishment or something else?
• Sinned in not circumcising his son
• Sinned in delaying his mission
• No sin

• Moshe's Misstep and Mei Merivah.

Anger Several commentators have faulted Moshe for unwarranted anger:

• Explicit cases – The Torah explicitly notes Moshe's wrath in three places:¹⁰  Shemot 16:20 (after the nation leaves over from the manna), Vayikra 10:16 (when Aharon's sons burn the goat of the sin-offering), and Bemidbar 31:14 (when the officers leave the women alive in the war with Midyan).
• Numerous Rabbinic sources criticize Moshe for this loss of control and say that Moshe's anger caused him to forget either the Halakhah or the need to convey it to the people – see SifraShemini 2:12About Sifra, Sifre BemidbarBemidbar 157About Sifre Bemidbar, Bavli PesachimPesachim 66bAbout the Bavli, Vayikra Rabbah13:1About Vayikra Rabbah.
• However, RalbagVayikra 10:20Shemini Toelet 9About R. Levi b. Gershom excuses such outbursts by saying that Moshe was so spiritual that he was angered even by what appeared to be slight deviations from Halakhah.¹¹

• Non explicit cases – There are a number of additional cases where some commentators claim that Moshe's temper got the better of him:
• Moshe's Killing of the Egyptian – R" Y Bekhor ShorShemot 2:11About R. Yosef Bekhor Shor attributes Moshe's killing of the Egyptian taskmaster in Shemot 2 to his anger boiling over out of mercy for his brethren, rather than to a strict sense of law and order.  [It is not clear, though, if he necessarily views this as a flaw.]
• Breaking the tablets – RambanShemot 32:16Devarim 9:17About R. Moshe b. Nachman attributes Moshe's breaking of the tablets to a loss of control upon seeing the nation sin with the Calf.  Moshe was so upset that he could not hold back¹² and smashed the tablets.¹³
• Moshe and Mei Merivah – RambamShemonah Perakim chapter 4About R. Moshe b. Maimon and Ibn KaspiBemidbar 20:10About R. Yosef ibn Kaspi assert that Moshe's sin at Mei Merivah was his excessive anger and loss of control, leading him to inappropriately refer to he nation as "rebels" and to defy God's instructions by hitting the rock (Bemidbar 20:10-11).¹⁴
• Bemidbar 32.

Speech Impediment

The three verses of Shemot 4:10, 6:12, and 6:30 describe Moshe's speech impediment using the terms of "כְבַד פֶּה וּכְבַד לָשׁוֹן" and "עֲרַל שְׂפָתָיִם‎". Exegetes debate whether or not this disability was of a physical nature, and why Hashem would choose a disabled messenger to be His spokesman. See Moshe's Speech Impediment.

• Physical disability – According to Shemot Rabbah1:26About Shemot Rabbah, R. ChananelCited by R. Bachya Shemot 4:10About R. Chananel b. Chushiel and R. Yosef Bekhor ShorShemot 4:10-11About R. Yosef Bekhor Shor, Moshe's speech impediment was of a physical nature and involved difficulties in letter pronunciation or stuttering. The RanDerashot HaRan 5About R. Nissim Gerondi
  states that Hashem intentionally chose a leader who was not a charismatic speaker to insure that all would recognize that the miracles of the Exodus were brought about not by oratorical talents but rather by Hashem's will.¹⁵
• Non-physical disability – RashbamShemot 4:10About R. Shemuel b. Meir deems it impossible that Hashem would elect to transmit the Torah through a stutterer, leading him to posit that Moshe's challenge was an inability to speak Egyptian well.¹⁶ Lekach TovShemot 4:10About R. Toviah b. Eliezer and RalbagShemot Beur HaMilot 4:10About R. Levi b. Gershom more simply suggest that Moshe was not a gifted orator and incapable of ordering his speech in a clear and organized manner. Ralbag explains that this was a result of Moshe's high spiritual level which led him to have difficulties in mundane dealings with humans.¹⁷

Errors in Judgment

Commentators disagree as to whether this happened:

• Moshe could have made errors of judgment – see Mystery at the Malon.
• Moshe did not make errors of judgment – 

Religious Identity

Was Moshe's Son Uncircumcised and Why?

• See the various approaches in Mystery at the Malon

Upbringing, Marriage and Family Life

Miraculous Birth?

Commentators divide in how they views Moshe's birth and early years, with some presenting

Palace Upbringing

Moshe's Marriage

¹ Was Yehoshua's making the sun stand still or Eliyahu's reviving of the dead any less remarkable than Moshe's miracles?

² This interpretation is cited by Ramban who apparently obtained a copy of R. Chananel's commentary only upon his arrival in Israel. This passage is one of Ramban's Eretz Yisrael additions to his commentary. For further discussion, see Ramban's Updates, and specifically Ramban Bemidbar 16:21.

³ This leads Moshe to question Hashem's seeming injustice in collectively punishing the innocent.  These sources claim that Hashem was never unjust as He had never planned to wipe out the innocent.

⁴ Commentators also suggest that in certain cases, it is possible that Moshe might have not been privy to Hashem's full intentions and that he did not always understand the reasons behind Hashem's actions. For example, RanDerashot HaRan 11About R. Nissim Gerondi assumes that the entire ruse regarding the three day journey and the borrowing of the Egyptians' vessels was intended to induce the Egyptians to chase after the nation (in order to retrieve their loaned belongings) so that they would drown in Yam Suf. This goal, though, might have been unknown to Moshe,  "וכונת כל אלו הדברים, היתה נעלמת מישראל, ואולי גם ממשה" (see A Three Day Journey and Reparations and Despoiling Egypt). 
See also R. Yosef AlboSefer HaIkkarim 4:25About R. Yosef Albo with regards to Hashem's command that the nation ask permission to cross through the lands of Edom and Moav only to then veer from them.  He writes that Moshe was surprised at this,  "והיו משה וכל ישראל תמהין מזה", being unaware of Hashem's larger goal. Only later did he realize that Hashem had orchestrated this so as to harden Sichon's heart into thinking that the nation was weak and would be easy to defeat.

⁵ See Moshe's words in Bemidbar 14:15, "וְהֵמַתָּה אֶת הָעָם הַזֶּה כְּאִישׁ אֶחָד". According to Seforno, it is this misunderstanding which led Moshe to question, "what will the nations say."

⁶ Cf. R. Mubashir's position regarding Zipporah's religious identity discussed in Moshe's Family Life.

⁷ Ramban's commentary on this verse was augmented significantly upon his arrival in Israel. For further discussion, see Ramban's Updates, and specifically Ramban Bemidbar 16:21.

⁸ See also Abarbanel with regards to Korach's rebellion, "והראב"ע פירש שלא היתה כוונתו לכלות אלא קרח ועדתו ושמשה לא הבין הכוונה האלהית ולכך השיבו כן והוא זר מאד".  As far as the more general question of whether prophets as a whole (i.e. not just Moshe) can err in their understanding of Hashem's will, see Prophetic Actions Without Explicit Divine Sanction and Prophecy.

⁹ The Midrash contains a picturesque account of Moshe's dialogue with Hashem before his death, where Moshe pleads with Hashem not to die. Hashem responds that he is deserving of death for this very incident, telling Moshe, "כלום אמרתי לך שתהרוג את המצרי".

¹⁰ See below that there is one other episode in which Tanakh explicitly presents Moshe as filled with anger.  Upon seeing the people worship the Golden Calf, Moshe's ire is raised: "וַיְהִי כַּאֲשֶׁר קָרַב אֶל הַמַּחֲנֶה וַיַּרְא אֶת הָעֵגֶל וּמְחֹלֹת וַיִּחַר אַף מֹשֶׁה". In this case, though, no  commentators criticize Moshe's reaction as being unwarranted.

¹¹ This is consistent with Ralbag's explanations of Moshe's other flaws – see the discussions below regarding Moshe and Yitro's Advice and Moshe's Speech Impediment.

¹² Ramban uses the language of "לא יכול להתאפק".

¹³ Though the verse explicitly mentions Moshe's anger, many other commentators suggest that the breaking of the tablets themselves was not a purely emotional response but rather an intentional, though-out action.

¹⁴ This second point is made only by Ibn Kaspi.

¹⁵ R. Yosef Bekhor Shor similarly suggests that Hashem wanted to demonstrate that the Divine will could be realized even via a messenger lacking a silver tongue.

¹⁶ Having left Egypt while still young, he was not as fluent as needed to feel comfortable speaking in the king's palace.

¹⁷ See Ralbag's similar take on Moshe's administrative shortcomings in Did Moshe Need Yitro's Advice.