Friday, May 3, 2013

Moses' greatness: Ruach HaChaim on Ethics of the Fathers 1:1


OSTT –NS Pirke Avot Shuir May 4 2013. 

Pirke Avot 1:1
Moshe received Torah from Sinai and transmitted it to Joshua, Joshua to the Elders, the Elders to the Prophets, and the Prophets transmitted it to the Men of the Great Assembly. 

Ruach HaChaim:

Why does it say that Moshe ‘received’ and with regard to Joshua and afterwards ‘transmit?’  Shouldn’t the text say ‘Moshe received… and Joshua received from Moshe’ or ‘The Holy One Praised be G-d transmitted Torah to Moshe and Moshe transmitted it to Joshua…?”  In order to respond to this question, we can also explain what was taught in Sifre and mentioned by Rashi that all prophets prophesied with the word ‘Thus says G-d’ while Moshe was more advanced and prophesied with ‘This is the thing G-d commands.’  What was the advancement that allowed Moshe to prophecy so?

We can understand this question about Moshe’s prophecy according to the story in Numbers 12.  “Miriam and Aharon spoke about Moshe… Does G-d only speak to Moshe?  Doesn’t he also speak to us?”  Following that “G-d descended and said, ‘Hear my words, if there be your prophets … “  The phrase “If there be your prophets” is problematic.  “I will make myself known to him (אליו)  in a vision; I speak to/within (בו) him in a dream” is strange.  Why does it say ‘to him’ and them ‘to/within him.’ 
It also says “I speak with/in (בו)  him face to face.”  Shouldn’t the text be ‘with him (עמו)?  The phrase ‘in/with my servant Moshe is also difficult. 

Behold we know what is taught in Talmud Yevamot, and in the Midrash, that all prophets prophesied with a unclear glass, while Moshe prophesied with a clear glass.  It also says that the Shechina spoke from Moshe’ throat. 

In the Zohar, it points out that in the Torah (Genesis 22:11) ‘Avraham -Avraham’ has an interruption within it, while (Exodus 3:4) ‘Moshe Moshe’ does not. That hints at to Moshe’s level, how exalted he was compared to our Father Avraham.  It says in Talmud Chullin, ‘What was said of Moshe was greater than that said of Avraham, for scripture says of Avraham, “I am dust and ashes” while it says of Moshe ‘What are we?”’  By means of this specifically Moshe merited that the Torah would be given by his hand.

In order to explain Moshe’s greatness related to the fact that there is no interruption in ‘Moshe Moshe’… the name is the essence of a person’s soul.  Evidence for this is (Genesis 2:18) ‘The Man gave names… whatever the Man called a living soul was its name.”  The language  ‘called a living soul’ is difficult, for it should have said ‘called the living soul.’  This can be explained that naming is not mere utterance, but rather Adam saw the source of each living thing in the upper world, and according to this source gave a name by means of combinations of letters of that upper world that binds that living thing.  Thus ‘Whatever the Man called the living soul was its name’ the essential appropriate thing by combination of letters from the part of the upper world binding its soul.  So too with people, the name is the soul essence of its biding upper source.

This is the matter of the double names.  With regard to “Avraham-Avraham” the first name relates to the upper soul essence that is the most important part of the soul, only a small part of which flows to the body.  The body is just a sandal for the soul.  Just as the sandal only dresses a small lower part of the body, so too the body only garbs a small lower part of the soul.  The body is like a sandal on the end of the soul’s feet.  Thus it says (Exodus 3) ‘Take your sandals from your feet,” that is the body.  The second ‘Avraham’ refers to small lower part of the soul that flows to the body.  This is the meaning of ‘Avraham-Avraham’ with an interruption in the middle, that is  between the upper Avraham which is the soul in its source of the upper world and the lower Avraham whose lowest small part is dressed in the body.  The interruption is present between the words because the body interrupts between the two parts of the soul.  However there is no interruption in “Moshe Moshe” because Moshe’ body was so pure that there was no separation between the parts of his soul in the upper world and the body.  This is because of the Moshe’ great humility, for Moshe thought of himself as having no body, and said, “What are we.”   Avraham thought of the body as ‘dust and ashes.’  Thus we learn that the Shechina spoke in Moshe’ throat for his body was no interruption, thus the Shechina literally spoke through his throat.

This is the matter of Aharon and Miriam speaking regarding Moshe, for they thought that they too were pure like Moshe, and thus they said ‘It is true that G-d only speaks within Moshe’ that is to say literally from within his throat, for they thought they were on the same level.  G-d replied with ‘If there be your prophets of Hashem’  that is to say actual prophets of G-d.  All names of G-d are nicknames, but Hashem is the proper name.  Thus, G-d said to them, don’t imagine that your prophecy is on such an exalted level like Moshe, whose prophesy came from the level of Hashem directly.  For your prophecy is not always on this level.  “If there be your prophets of Hashem’ that is to say if sometimes it happens that there is prophesy among you on that level. 
Then it will be ‘I will make myself known to him in a vision.’ … A ‘vision’ is like perception through a glass wall…  thus scripture says ‘I make myself known in a vision’ that is from a distance.  This is a glass that does not shine, like an image in glass that does not shine, its manner is to show the shadow only.  Thus Ezekiel said, ‘I heard someone speaking to me,’ that is a voice was speaking and he heard it, but the voice did not actually reach him.  “I speak to him in a dream” because in dreams the body does not interrupt between the soul in its upper source because during sleep the soul arises from the body and not a single trace of the soul is left in the body.  At such a time the rest of the prophets are, like Moshe, able to have the word within their throats.  ‘Not so with my servant Moshe, face to face I speak within him’ that is with Moshe’ voice and vision, not with an image, as our sages said a clear glass, like simple glass that shows the actual thing and not an image, not like other prophets who (Ezekiel 17)  ‘propound a riddle and relate an allegory.’
This is why the rest of the prophets spoke with a ‘Thus says G-d.’  ‘Thus’ is like an image of the essential thing, and they were not able to say that was the actual word that they heard, the word without change heard from the mouth of G-d.  However the prophesy of Moshe was so elevated that G-d spoke to him as one does to a companion, in a clear manner.  Thus Moshe could say ‘This is was G-d commanded, saying.”  This is the word I heard clearly and I speak it to you  This is because of his great purity, he was able to see the source… all of this was due to his great humility.

… One can further explain the matter of Moshe receiving and transmitting to Joshua through consideration of (B Talmud Sotah 49a) ‘When Yose ben Yoezer died, the grapes were annulled; he was a man that contained everything.’   The meaning of this is like (Midrash Leviticus Rabba) on ‘Your breasts are grapes.’  Just as a grape that is larger than its neighbor on the vine is lower than it, so too a scholar that is greater than his neighbor is humbler.  A person merits everything through humility, and even though Moshe was the lord of prophets and father of the wise, he was only praised for this humility and achieved everything through it.  If there were now a person as humble as Moshe he would surely merit the Torah in its entirety.  This is as our Sages say (B Talmud Ta’anit 7a) ‘Why are words of Torah like water?  Just as water leaves a high place and travels to a low place so too words of Torah only stay in one who is very humble.’  The Torah migrated to Moshe who was extremely humble.  Just as a vessel, as its walls become thinner it holds more, and if its walls become like an onion skin it is almost completely a receptacle, so too the more humble a person is more space is available and open to receive Torah.  (Deuteronomy 8) “Lest your heart be elevated and you forget.”  When one raises oneself up automatically there is less room available for Torah and thus the Torah, G-d forbid, flees.  (Isaiah 11) “For the land will be full of knowledge of G-d like the water covers the sea.”  Just as water covers the sea, in places that are deeper more water flows.  

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