In our previous article, we began exploring the uniqueness of Moshe’s prophecy. To review, the Rambam famously formulates thirteen principles of faith that he believes to be the absolute foundational pillars of Jewish belief, emphasizing that every Jew must believe in these principles.
The sixth principle states that all the words of the N’viim (prophets) are true. The seventh principle specifies that the prophecy of Moshe Rabbeinu is true, and that he was the greatest Navi of all time, greater than both those that came before him and those that came after. The sixth principle is obviously crucial; the seventh seems redundant. If all of the N’viim’s words were true, of course Moshe’s were true as well. What is so fundamentally important about the superiority of Moshe’s prophecy that the Rambam deemed it necessary to state it as a separate principle of faith? And more broadly, what does it mean that Moshe was the greatest prophet to ever live?
Clarity of Vision
The first unique characteristic of Moshe’s prophecy was his level of clarity. (See Rambam’s introduction to perek Chelek to see the Rambam’s description of Moshe’s unique characteristics that are mentioned in this article.) The Gemara explains that while all other prophets saw through a clouded lens, Moshe saw through a clear lens. Another way of formulating this distinction is as follows: While all other N’viim received their prophecy through an angel (intermediary), Moshe received prophecy directly from Hashem.
The Content
Interestingly, while other N’viim saw only that which Hashem chose to reveal to them, Moshe was allowed to experience whatever he wanted to see in the spiritual realm. When Moshe asks Hashem to reveal His “Goodness,” Hashem agrees. The Ramchal and the Rambam explain that Moshe wished to understand the nature and depth of all that exists in the created world. While there were still limits to Moshe’s nevuah, in that he could not see Hashem “Himself” [the “front” of Hashem’s head], Hashem allowed Moshe to see His full expression into the physical world [the “back” of Hashem’s head]. In other words, Hashem allowed Moshe to see as much as a human being could possibly comprehend.
Moshe’s Speech Impediment
This sheds new light on an oft-misunderstood topic. Moshe served as the leader of the Jewish People, yet he had a seemingly ironic flaw: a speech impediment. How can the leader of a nation, a person called upon to represent and guide them, possibly have a speech impediment? Some, like the Rashbam, suggest that Moshe did not have a speech impediment but was limited in his speech simply because he had forgotten the Egyptian language. The Ran, on the other hand, suggests that while Moshe did indeed speak with a speech impediment, this was to make it clear that Klal Yisrael accepted the Torah for its innate truth and not because Moshe swayed them with inspiring, persuasive speech.
The Maharal suggests an even deeper explanation. He explains that Moshe’s speech impediment was not a defect; rather, it was a reflection of his perfection. Speech is the concretization of the infinite into finite packages of words and sentences. Speech takes that which is beyond words, that which is infinite, and limits it to the finite. Silence reflects the notion that something cannot be formulated or constricted into mere words. When you experience something truly deep and powerful, it is difficult to formulate it into concrete thoughts or words. This is because your mind experiences the idea as it is, in its pure, root state, while words only reveal a limited expression of that original perfection and clarity. (Silence is also powerful in that it allows you to process your learning, think, and absorb ideas.)
For mathematics, logic, and technical thinking, such as learning Gemara, if one can’t formulate his thoughts in words, he doesn’t understand it. For post-rational, deep spiritual wisdom, it is when one thinks that he can express it in words that he doesn’t understand it. Moshe could not speak because he lived in a dimension of such absolute clarity and truth. He simply could not bring such lofty and transcendent concepts down into the finite and limited dimensions of this physical world. His speech defect was actually a revelation of his perfection — a reflection of the lofty spiritual state he existed in perpetually.
This is the paradox of the Torah. Hashem took the infinite truth of reality, something far beyond words, and miraculously constricted that endless wisdom into the finite words of Torah, words that we have written in our own Sifrei Torah. Nevertheless, although the words of the Torah are finite and written down, they still loyally and completely reflect their eternal and infinite truth. And amazingly, once Hashem did this, expressing the eternal truths of Torah in finite form, Moshe gained the ability to speak as well. Why? Because Moshe was the voice of Torah, the shaliach (messenger) of Hashem. When Hashem committed the Torah to words, through the mechanism of speech, Moshe gained the ability to speak as well — to fully express the infinite within the confines and constructs of speech without betraying the root source that transcends those words. Sefer Devarim begins with the words, “Eileh ha’devarim asher diber Moshe…” Moshe now gained the ability to speak, i.e., to faithfully express the infinite within the finite.
A Pillar of Faith
We can now explain why the Rambam separates between the sixth and seventh ikarim of emunah. The sixth ikar is our belief in nevuah itself — that nevuah is a message of spiritual truth from Hashem. Moshe’s nevuah, however, was not only true but of a fundamentally different category: a revelation of absolute truth. One could have easily mistaken Moshe’s nevuah as being no different from any other Navi’s. As a result, if a Navi claimed to receive a new Torah, perhaps he would be right, and we should replace Moshe’s Torah. The Rambam is therefore clarifying that Moshe didn’t just receive prophecy; he received the highest level of prophecy possible. This level of prophecy is Torah. Every other Navi is on a lower level. Therefore, if a Navi contradicts Moshe’s Torah, we know he is a Navi sheker (false prophet). This sheds new light on why Korach’s rebellion was so severe. By challenging Moshe, Korach attempted to uproot the entire foundation of Torah!
Moshe as a Source of Inspiration
To many, Moshe may not serve as a classic role model. He wasn’t great; he was perfect. He didn’t accomplish a lot; he accomplished everything. He was as perfect as a human being could possibly become. To some, this may be more overwhelming than inspiring, more daunting than encouraging. But I believe that we can all connect to Moshe in a very deep way. Moshe shows us what humanity is capable of. Sometimes you need to see an example of human perfection before you can personalize that ideal to your unique mission in life. True, you can’t be as great as Moshe, but that’s not your job; your job is to be the greatest version of you possible. But perhaps Moshe can inspire us to challenge ourselves a bit more, to add one more layer to our self-expectations, to question our own limits, and to genuinely ask ourselves if we’re giving it everything we have.
Moshe was a complicated figure; when he separated from his wife, Miriam and Aharon didn’t understand or even agree with it. He was not a man of this world. But that was not his role; he serves as an eternal model of transcendent perfection, a star in the night sky guiding each of us on our own unique journey through life. In moments of self-doubt, in moments of opportunity, in moments of fear, just think of Moshe and remember that in a very deep way, the sky is the limit… or is it?
Rabbi Shmuel Reichman is the author of the bestselling book, The Journey to Your Ultimate Self, which serves as an inspiring gateway into deeper Jewish thought. He is an international speaker, educator, and the CEO of Self-Mastery Academy. After obtaining his BA from Yeshiva University, he received s’micha from RIETS, a master’s degree in education, a master’s degree in Jewish Thought, and then spent a year studying at Harvard. He is currently pursuing a PhD at UChicago. To invite Rabbi Reichman to speak in your community or to enjoy more of his deep and inspiring content, visit his website: www.ShmuelReichman.com.
