Musar zu Daniel 4:14

We find a strange statement by Avital the scribe reported in the name of Rav in Moed Katan 18: "The Pharaoh in Moses' time was one cubit, his beard was one cubit, and his male organ was a cubit plus one זרת, (span between thumb and little finger). This is in keeping with Daniel 4,14: 'And the lowest of men he will raise over it.' The same Avital went on to say that this Pharaoh was also a magician, because the Torah reports that he would go out to the river Nile in the mornings (Exodus 7,15).” This statement certainly demands analysis since we cannot explain it away by simply saying that it is only allegorical. The words of the sages must also be capable of being understood at face value. Let me explain the reason G–d created רמזים, hints or allusions, describing a person in such a form and size.

We know from Tossaphot in Shabbat 92, that the average size of a human being is 3 cubits, not including the head. These three cubits are a metaphor for the three worlds, in all of which man (Israel) or part of man is more or less at home. The head serves as the מרכבה, carrier for the נשמה, soul, which corresponds to the domain of the Ineffable Name. That domain is one to which Israel cleaves eternally, hence it is not subject to measurement. This explains why the Talmud does not give a measurement for the head. The Gentiles externally look no different from the Jews, and yet there is a world of difference. They are like apes with a human face. They have no access to what we have described as the ראש העליון. The definition from Daniel 4,14, ושפל אנשים יקים עליה applies to them. Israel, by comparison is called אדם.