Moses in the Parsha - Part 3 - Rabbi Dr. David Gottlieb

I want to show you a couple of examples of where context is very important and we're all tradition might sound as if it's coming from left field but that's just because we typically don't be close enough attention to what's being what's being stated by the text pay 795 chapter 12 in the book of numbers first of all chapter 1 Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses regarding the coup shite woman he had married for he had married a coup shy woman okay a lot of words there and it should excite our suspicions maybe something's going on to say the same thing twice as I was and so on but I think the natural wait to read it what you hear from the words is they were upset with his marriage take a look at the oral tradition and you get a very different story the oral tradition says that Moses separated from his wife and they were upset with the fact that he separated from her now many people when they look at the words on the page and they hear the oil tradition and they think what's going on even if the words aren't a hundred percent clear and there's a redundancy still it's talking about his marriage to one yard near old tradition says he's separated from her hearken the oral tradition just ignore other words on the page and give a description that's completely different okay I think it's a fair question from a naive reader let's look at the next sentence and see which way of understanding said verse one will fit best with verse two they said was it only to Moses that a sham spoke did not he speak to us as well this is the expression of their complaint you've got only speak to Moses did he speak us also okay let's try that verse 2 against verse 1 each way of understanding verse 1 let's take naive simple reading the words Miriam and Aaron upset with Moses marriage why did he married that woman that could I would after all didn't God speak to us also oh maybe you did but so what gee Moses shouldn't have married that woman it's a lousy marriage because God spoke to us also like okay what's the connection how does the fact that God spoke to you also mean that you have some reason to be upset with his marriage unless you even Aaron both wanted the marriage couchette woman and there weren't any makiling women available and he got away with it origami it's just absurd there's no connection there all now let's try with this the the oral traditions understand Moses separated from his wife why did he do that does he think that because he's a prophet he has two separate from his wife somehow being a prophet makes him extra holy and because he's extra holy he can't have a normal married life well look God spoke to us also and we didn't separate from our spouses so why is he think that he has two separate from his spouse that makes sense without understanding in verse one verse two reads well as an explanation of their complaint in verse one so at the very least the oral traditions reading at verse 1 enables it to make sense with respective each verse 2 where's the naive service reading doesn't do that i'm going to read on and show you the context supports but its head so far and then i'll come back to the words and first one and see what we can do with him watch what happens as Jim heard them what they said man Moses was exceedingly humble worse than any personal face of the earth commentators here are split maybe he heard also but didn't respond that's why God now takes his part and criticizes them direct or maybe didn't hear but because he's humble therefore he's deserving that God should respond for him or maybe both I xem said suddenly to Moses to our Miriam all three of them you three go out to the tent of meeting three of them went out a sham descended in a pillar of cloud and stood the entrance of the tent and he summoned Aaron and Miriam to separate from Moses some of them and the two of them went out further to the cloud he said God said to Aaron and Miriam here now my words if there shall be prophets among you in a vision shall I hash em make myself known to him and in a dream I will speak with him that's the way I interact with profits in general not so is my servant Moses in my entire house he is the trusted one mouth to mouth do I speak with him to him in a clear vision and not in riddles at the image of a sham does he gaze why did you not fear to speak against my servant Moses you thought you could compare yourselves with Moses Moses separated from his wife you haven't separated from your spouse's you're calling him to task because you don't think their prophecy requires it you could only make that complaint if you assumed that your prophecy is on a par with his prophecy first of all it's simply not true second of all did you think you knew that it was true that your prophecies on a par with his prophecy you should have been afraid to speak against Moses you should at least have assumed if he's doing it he has a reason and maybe indeed his prophecy isn't like our prophecy didn't he stand on the mountain 40 days and 40 nights without eating and drinking receive the term based on behalf of the whole Jewish people atomic how could they have heard of it so you see the gods reaction is based on the assumption their complaint was we and he are equal and therefore criticizing what he did it can't be that the critique is since we in here equal why did he marry that cuckoo shied woman so what if you I mean he shouldn't carry myrick wish I'd want or you also want couch like women it's just it just doesn't connect but the question separating and presumably separating because he thinks is too holy to live with her that's a complaint based on the fact that we think we're equals and we didn't separate are we together so far okay now let's go back to verse one I look at it again Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses regarding the Koosh a woman he had married for it married a couch right woman if you thought the complaint was against his marriage if you thought the complaint was he shouldn't have married her it's redundant the first one is worth noting what would you do as an editor to make the census shorter simpler and clearer if the complaint is about his marrying a Koosh Edwin yeah say regarding the cushion woman that he and Mary don't think so it was cut back authorized yes cut that out cut that out it should have been Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses for he had married a koushik woman that would have been a complaint against the marriage the middle phrase is very vague they spoke against Moses regarding the Koosh I'd woman he had married what about her what about him and her don't know just they spoke against him regarding that woman that phrase leaves open a variety of interpretations including regarding the woman whom he married which he is now separated from and she's you know suffering because of that that phrase leaves open the oral traditions explanation and it comes first so maybe for a Merida kushat woman is as is the addition and it's an addition to to satisfy a secondary thought now we have a principle and understand its are not a variety of places where if you want to say something you may say it using the opposite terminology to avoid certain types of implications or provocations we do that in English also you know you say about dating myself Wilt Chamberlain it was a great basketball player you know boy is he tall or boy you know look how short he is and you say things like that ironically and everybody enter that's in a stance you don't mean really needy short you mean he's gigantic coup shite was a term which described people who were thought of as being ugly and the point here is to say that she's outstandingly beautiful you say this way so as to avoid directly praising someone which could call in certain types of critique but it said twice so commentators say what what what they're putting what they're pointing out is this Moses wife Zipporah was outstanding both she was beautiful both in her physical appearance and in her character and they're stressing that because their crafting their complaint the the complaint is you separated from her now why did you separate well let's think of your possible reasons you think she's ugly impossible she's beautiful you have complaints about her character impossible she has wonderful character so the only possible explanation is because you think that you're a prophet and you think prophets can't live with their wives well that did wrong so describing her this way gives the background for their complaint there's no are the reason why he could possibly have separated from her other than the fact that he's a prophet and that's wrong the truth is what the truth is he separated from her because of his prophecy but that's because his prophecy was unique no other prophecy was like it so that's a way you can make sense out of the verse more or less I don't say it's perfect more or less in a way that's consistent with what the oral tradition interprets but you don't if you take it as it as it looks under on the surface it's very difficult to put together yeah when when the Torah goes in new rates because obviously the first part 1 marry me are not talking there regarding woman as a kosher woman then why does the the narration say for he America Koschei woman like in other words why would the narration also use the same euphemism ok I I hear what you're saying but I think the verse 1 says Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses regarding so i think that the regarding describes their state of mind not only the objective facts but also their state of mind but it seems like after the comma it turns into like objective narration well for means that's the purpose of the speech what I'm saying if the first part of it is just Miriam and Aaron's opinion and then the second Clause is like the narration so as the narration also I would I understand it as follows Miriam Arryn spoke against Moses and their and their speech was directed at a specific reality that they were dealing with what was that reality of dealing with the cushy a woman Mary primary clichéd would now both of those are true objectively but when you say that they spoke against him regarding then you're also in addition to describing the true facts you are describing their psychological focus so it has it plays a double role here number one is it's describing the facts but it also describes what they saw in the facts it's sort of like say he noticed the book on the table if I say he noticed the book in the table there is a book on the table for sure and also I'm describing his psychological state he paid attention to the book on the table so the narrator here is describing the facts and it's also describing what they're paying attention to right but if you were to say look there's a green the table let's cook clearly blue but you just think it's green and then I'm saying oh he said there was a green bug on the table and happened to be a green bag on the table then the narrator is lying this as much as the guy oh I see what you yes but but the truth is that this idea of expressing certain facts by using opposite vocabulary is something which the text does both perla narrator and further and for people it's not you it's it's in common to both so it's not it's not unique to one of the other car off the son of its it's ours out of cora co-host of lady separate himself with us and avi ron sun valley of and owns on fellas boss finger moving they made a committee they stood before moses with 250 men the children of israel leaders of the assembly those summoned for meeting men of renown they gathered together against Moses against Aaron and said to them it is too much for you for the entire assembly all of them are holy and a sham is among them why do you exalt yourselves let me put yourself above over the congregation of a sham it is too much for you for the entire assembly all of them are holy and it shares among them why do you set yourselves up above the congregation of a shell ok that's the complaint now look at the response that Moses gives to this complaint Mozart Violin face he spoke to Carla's hire somebody saying in the morning God will make known the one who is his own and the Holy One and He will draw him close to himself and whomever he will choose he would draw close to himself do this take for yourselves fire pants co-authors entire assembly but firing them place intense upon me for her ship tomorrow then the man who Michelle will choose he is the Holy One it is too much for you Oh offspring of lady can you hear what how the answer is responded to the is related to the challenge what exactly is a challenge saying and what is Moses responding to that challenge verse 3 you have the challenge and then five six and seven you have the response what exactly is the challenge and what's the response will start with the challenge how would you read the challenge in three could you give a contemporary term to the challenge so you get too much power and you need to you know we have a balance of powers and wire wire well we're we're just as Holy as you like we should we deserve more than this why basic why are you keeping all the prophecy yourself ok now is it that the 250 plus his small group they're the ones are supposed to take the power no alter the entire assembly no tire assembly isn't this a push in favor of anarchism not quite but close no how about democracy democracy everyone is equal no one is in here with me a leader no one is inherently better you're setting yourselves above let's have elections or something no one deserves to be in charge of everybody else we're all holy God is in the midst of the entire assembly forget about what would you submit about Moses prophecy being unique even his brother and sister couldn't tell imperative everything else everybody's equal who set you up to be a leader over everybody else no one deserves to be the leader in control I have power and authority over everybody else okay it's a push in favor of democracy what's Moses answered motion and choosers should be this prophecy to ask for and so you need to fasten says like that's all let's have a test and see who right yeah so if if we had Kura we're interviewing Korra what's your corrupt say in response to Moses no thank you now we know thank you but you ought to say Moses you don't get it you don't get it I wasn't complaining that you were chosen and I wasn't chosen I wasn't asking for verification who should be chosen my can play was it no one has chosen we're all holy we're all equal you're setting up a criterion to see who look the ruler should be who the leader should be you've misunderstood the challenge the challenge there shouldn't be any inherent leader is a disconnect between their challenge in three and Moses response in five through seven okay there's a logical disconnect but they don't say that Devon said they go for it okay fire pins the 215 oh and that will come after this is aaron tomorrow and whoever god will choose why do they go along with it one of the cinemas you misunderstood the challenge the challenge was a philosophical challenge a challenge of principle that you have the wrong sort of social organization here the answer is because the challenge in three was just fluff it was just a disguise they were really plumping for democracy they were really arguing that everybody's the same what they really wanted was that they should be the ones in charge so Moses said look let's put aside the rhetoric you know leave after New York Times let them play with the with the propaganda I know what you want and let's settle it with a test and they say okay okay forget it right you're right you know we well we argue about that was just for public consumption like so much politics right here from the disconnect between the challenge in the response you can understand that Moses knew what their underlying motivation was and he said forget the surface let's go for the issue that's really bothering you and settle it yeah he asked me to bothers you is just to win getting public support if somebody tells you you're as good as everybody else you know and then this other info I always happy to hear that listen he's representing the whole of the people against Moses not himself against Moses it paints the situation in terms which are favorable to his complaint yeah it was just sort of leaking that as a hint decide you know if democracies in the mouth of one of the worst villains in the thorough one could wonder you know what the tarz attitude towards Moxie is it tended to be the issue i'm not going to go into it now and UK i want to do a couple of things but okay so but Moses proposes a contest and he pleads with them that they're making mistake and you pleased with the salon of Iran also the daring a mistake they respond bitterly end and ironically so they take the fire pants and everybody took a fire in the following morning the there and Aaron's there and of course it's going to be some sort of indication as to who God is choosing we're sweating at middle index page 825 hashem spoke to Moses and Aaron say separate yourselves from amid this assembly and I shall destroy them in an instant for Scott system Oh siren just step aside and i'll destroy the whole people they fell on the faces said oh god god of the spirits of all flesh shall one man sin and you'll be angry with the entire assembly sounds like a justified challenge watch Shem spoke to Moses saying speak to the assembly saying get yourselves up from all around the dwelling places of Korra the Sun and avira let's see license let's see you say one is sitting I shouldn't be angry with the entire congregation let's see where they stand where do they stand right now they're standing together with Korra Dawson avira challenge them take sides stick with them or step away you have to be a person principle and you have to stand for your principal can't wait around to see what the outcome will be so Moses stood up and went the lesson of Iran the elders of Israel follow them he spoke the assembly saying turn away now from the tents from near the tents of these wicked men and do not touch anything is there at lest you perish because of their sins that's the warning so they got themselves up from you to dwell in code of the synovium from all around the sort of um went out and they were out right to their tents wives children the assembly respond and they disconnect that's why they're saved they say because they're giving it they're given a chance to make a statement they make the statement okay so now what Moses and Aaron said to God at first shall one man sin in the entire congregation suffered yes guy so you're right you're right but I want a demonstration I want action a principle to show that they disassociate from them they give the accident principle fine now 28 Moses says through this shall you know that a sham sent me to perform all these acts that was not for my heart we'll come back to that very important if these die like the death of all men the Destiny blow man has visited upon them then it is not a chimp who has sent me but if a shell will create a phenomenon and the earth opens his mouth and swallows them all them and all that is there's an able to send it to the pit then you shall know that these men have provoked Asha when he finished speaking these words the ground was under them split open earth opened its mouth swallowed them in the households of all the people who are with correct entire wealth they and all that was there is he sending alive to the pit you have covered them over and they were lost for among the congregation all Israel surround them fled it the sadness it for they said let the earth swallow us and a flame came forth from a Sherman consumed the 250 men who are offering the incense the whole group of rebels died ok mother Jones dramatic events in the entire the entire color now skip to the next is just a matter of laws what to do with the fire pins the next page verse 6 this is now absolutely astonishing the entire assembly the children of Israel complained on the morrow against Moses and Aaron saying you have killed the people of a ship now look yesterday Moses say if I'm genuine leather a swallow and I'm not genuine then right and you'll know that that provoked a sham and there are swell as him was more do you want what more could you possibly need don't you know who's right who's wrong now now you're complaining that you have killed the congregation of a Shem boomer Chuvalo a five-year-old wouldn't make that mistake what could they possibly have in mind I'm ban said something very prescient here unban says they are definitely guilty their criminal they deserved punishment who said they should die oh really no Moses said an 8 27 verse 28 Moses said to this shot you know the chef sent me perform all these eggs on my heart they died a death of all men he didn't send me but I sure would create a phenomenon the earth up with his mouth Moses proposed that yeah so the people say Moses God loves you you're very close to Moses very close to God if you had asked that they should be punished with leprosy if you had a bunch of Exile if you as they punish with browsers God would have done anything that you wanted you asked that they be killed that's why they were killed you killed him when I claiming that they were right that's idiotic we saw that they're wrong we saw that their criminal but didn't have to die the only died because you said so okay yeah so far fine now let's back up a step the complaint under the surface Cora doesn't a virulent 250 Cora because of his familial relations in the tribe of Levi it's felt that he had more right to be the high priest then Aaron that was what really was motivating that's where the fire pants came from because this aaron who offers the fire pan and he phrased his complaint for public consumption in terms of democracy but that's really what was motivating him so let's go back and think about that he's complaining that Moses shouldn't be high priest now what does he think that Moses let's try that again he's complaining that Aaron's shouldn't be high priest that was complaining about how did I get to be high priest Moses said so so now we're do Moses get it from its karach saying that Moses made it up inventing it just to put his brother in I suppose you could conceivably say that but it's a very questionable complaining as Moses know what you do is use their own bonds I hear another time and say cars complaint was of course God told you to make your brother high priests no question about it but why why did God tell you to make him high priest because you wanted it you wanted and God loves you you're very close to God and he made your brother high priest only because you want if you hadn't wanted it thank God would have chosen the best person who just happens to be me but because you wanted it I got skipped over that was his claim okay now look at Moses words when he suggests that there if they're wrong they should die 28 again on a 27 watch now that a certain redundancy comes and answers this beautiful through this shall you know that a xem has sent me to perform all these acts that it was not from my heart that's not redundant number one he sent me to perform all these acts including appointing my brother has high priest and not only did I Shem sent me to do it but it wasn't for my heart at all it wasn't my heart that God took into account and decided to tell me to do it my heart had nothing to do with it Moses is making a double defensive you can't complain that I invented it and you can't complain the guy told it to me because I wanted it neither of those is true he's saying explicitly that that's what the demonstration should should show so if that's what the demonstration shows when they die on the next day when the people say but Moses they only died because you wanted it they are criminal because they should have realized from the previous day that it isn't at Moses heart that makes it happen Moses doesn't function like Moses is totally transparent he's like a transparent lens for which all the data is transmitted without any Distortion he has no will of his own for what should happen so that's the that's the point of TI we think either so far now my manatees in the in the Mishnah Torah in the laws of fundamentals of Torah chapter 8 talks about the uniqueness of Moses prophecy why it's unique I was established to be unique and he says a person who does miracles does not thereby qualify as a prophet pursue those miracles it may be that God loves him and God has closed to him doesn't follow the God speaks to God speaking to a person is a different type of fact I'm the fact that someone does miracles is not a proof of God speaking to the only proof that we had that God spoke to Moses is that we heard God speaking to Moses we heard it directly we witnessed it directly back by the way is an explicit burst in the throat this is before the revelation at Sinai a sham said to Moses behold I come to you in the thickness of the cloud so that the people will hear as I speak to you the entire people will hear me speaking to you and they will believe in you forever we also Ramana d says the reason why we believe in Moses for ever was Danny 3300 plus years from that time and there's still a group of people believe that God spoke to us because we heard it ourselves not because of miracles miracles could never have produced that kind of conviction conviction based on miracles eyes out after one so oh my man and he says that's the source of Moses authorities a profit we witnessed it ourselves then he says and by the way all the miracles that Moses did were not miracles to establish his prophecy they were miracles for the sake of various things that needed to be done he split the sea to save them from the Egyptians and he gave them mana mana to eat and here he says also it was not done in order to establish his prophecy I read that I thought golly um the verses here don't sound like that I my money's explicitly matches this case look what it says again if these people not 29 if these die like the death of all men decibel meza then it is not a Shem who sent me fashion will create the phenomenon then you should always be revoked a sham that sounds like this phenomenon they're dying miraculously verifies that I'm a profit was not true because karups whole challenge was only who shall be the high priest cars didn't say that the Ten Commandments at Sinai were a mirage you know Hollywood's producing it from behind the hills and he didn't say that the laws that that he gave he was only talking about his brother being high priest and he there too he said I agree that God told you to do it I just think that you told you because you wanted so what Moses to say here he's talking about this particular case talk about this particular challenge only this that what God told you to make Aaron the high priest because you wanted and for that he says I want this miracle to prove his laptop the way we have understood the text makes my manatees remark perfectly perfectly legitimate you don't understand that we read it naively as I read it years before I figure this out then you could be worried that the text doesn't fit with what my man and he says I think this the the correct meaning as I described it to you makes my manatees remark perfectly perfectly cuisine okay you