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 Minchah BelulahBemidbar 20:12About R. Avraham Porto who asserts 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

In several places in Torah, commentators question Moshe's behavior and suggest that he might have sinned, even if this is not explicit in the text:

• Moshe's Killing of the Egyptian (Shemot 2) - Many laud Moshe for killing the Egyptian taskmaster and view him as championing the cause of justice. Others, though, question whether his response was not overly harsh and if Moshe was justified in taking the law into his own hands:
• Justified – The majority of commentators justify Moshe's actions by suggesting either that in killing the taskmaster Moshe was actively saving a life (Shemot Rabbah1:28About Shemot Rabbah) or that the Egyptian was guilty of a capital crime, having committed adultery with the slain Hebrew's wife (TanchumaShemot 9About the Tanchuma). R. D"Z HoffmanShemot 2:12About R. David Zvi Hoffmann, instead, argues that the trampling of human rights in Egypt was so massive that legal norms did not apply.
• Unjustified – Midrash Petirat Moshe[Otzar HaMidrashim (Eisenstein, p. 363)]About Midrash Petirat Moshe finds Moshe's deed blameworthy and suggests that he was even punished as a result.⁹
• Unintentional – R. Saadia GaonMishlei 17:19About 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 – Many Tannaitic sources. working backwards from the circumcision at the story's conclusion, suggest that Moshe must have been lax in circumcising his son. While some¹⁰ attempt to minimize Moshe's guilt by explaining that there was merely a slight delay due to the journey, R. Elazar HaModai18:3About Mekhilta DeRabbi Yishmael Shemot tries to find a crime more befitting Hashem's harsh response, and proposes that Moshe has sealed a pact with Yitro that one of his sons would never be circumcised.
• Sinned in delaying his mission – RashbamShemot 4:14Shemot 4:24About R. Shemuel b. Meir, in contrast, connects the sin to the larger context of the story and the national mission upon which Moshe was embarking.  He suggests that Moshe's bringing of his family to Egypt caused him to tarry and delay the redemption of Israel.¹¹
• Miscalculation – Ibn EzraShemot Second Commentary 4:20About R. Avraham ibn Ezra implies that Moshe did not so much sin as make an error in judgment.  As bringing his family to Egypt might have demoralized the nation,¹² Hashem told Moshe to circumcise his son enroute so as to  ensure that the family would behind.
• No sin – Ibn Kaspi Shemot 4:24Bemidbar 20:10About R. Yosef ibn Kaspi goes further to suggest that Moshe did not err at all. Moshe's anxiety at having to confront Paroh and warn him of his son's impending death is what made Moshe gravely ill.

• Moshe's Misstep and Mei Merivah (Bemidbar 20) – In this story Hashem explicitly punish Moshe (and Aharon), telling them "לֹא הֶאֱמַנְתֶּם בִּי לְהַקְדִּישֵׁנִי לְעֵינֵי בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל".  It is not at all clear, however, what specific action constituted the sin, and why this error was so grievous that it resulted in the brothers being refused entry into the Land. This leads commentators mine almost every word of the text, raising numerous possible sins.
• These include: lack of faith (Rashbam and Seforno),¹³ desecration of Hashem's name (R. Chananel, Rashi, R. Yosef Bekhor Shor),¹⁴ excessive anger (Rambam and ibn Kaspi),¹⁵ and faulty leadership ( Minchah Belulah).¹⁶ 
• Ralbag and Abarbanel also raise the possibility that Moshe did not sin at all in this episode and that his being denied entry was either collective punishment for sins of the nation, or due to to previous misdeeds.

Anger

Several commentators have faulted Moshe for unwarranted anger:

• Explicit cases – The Torah explicitly notes Moshe's wrath in three places:¹⁷  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.¹⁸

• 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 back¹⁹ and smashed the tablets.²⁰
• 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).²¹
• 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.²²
• 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.²³ 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.²⁴

Errors in Judgment

Commentators disagree as to whether this happened:

• Moshe could have made errors of judgment – see Mystery at the Malon, the Spies.
• 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, for example, Yerushalmi NedarimNedarim 3:9About Yerushalmi Nedarim and Shemot Rabbah5:8About Shemot Rabbah.

¹¹ He compares Moshe's sin to those of Bilam, Yaakov and Yonah who similarly tried to avoid fulfilling the mission assigned them by Hashem, and who were similarly punished. Each is put into a potentially fatal situation, and, like Moshe, each of Yaakov and Bilam are also injured or touched on the thigh. It is possible that in all three cases the leg is specifically chosen as a "measure for measure" punishment for not going to do what Hashem desired. For more on Rashbam's reading of each of these stories, see Wrestling With Angels and Men and Why Was Hashem Angry at Bilam.

¹² The people might have believed that Moshe was merely coming to live with his family in Egypt and that the redemption was not imminent.

¹³ They suggest that Moshe's hitting the rock rather than speaking to it was the problematic action. Moshe doubted whether simply talking to the rock would elicit the miracle.

¹⁴ According to Rashi hitting rather than speaking to the rock minimized the miracle and caused a lesser sanctification of Hashem's name. R. Yosef Bekhor Shor explains instead that Moshe's posing his words, "...הֲמִן הַסֶּלַע הַזֶּה", as a question caused the people to think that he doubted that Hashem could indeed bring forth water from the stone. Finally, R. Chananel points to Moshe's problematic use of the word "נוֹצִיא" specifically. Moshe's saying "we will bring forth water" led the nation to wonder whether he and Aharon, rather than Hashem, were the source of the miracle.

¹⁵ According to Rambam and Ibn Kaspi the nation did not deserve rebuke for their complaints as the lack of water legitimized their murmurings.  As such, Moshe's angry retort "listen you rebels" was unwarranted.

¹⁶ see above that Minchah Belulah blames Moshe and Aharon for not standing up to the people on their own, but instead "fleeing" to the Tent of Meeting.

¹⁷ 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.

¹⁸ 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.

¹⁹ Ramban uses the language of "לא יכול להתאפק".

²⁰ 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.

²¹ This second point is made only by Ibn Kaspi.

²² 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.

²³ Having left Egypt while still young, he was not as fluent as needed to feel comfortable speaking in the king's palace.

²⁴ See Ralbag's similar take on Moshe's administrative shortcomings in Did Moshe Need Yitro's Advice.