Musar zu Dewarim 4:11

This is the secret dimension of Deut. 5,5: ואנכי עומד בין ה' וביניכם "I stand between G–d and you." It is well known to students of the Kabbalah that the root of אנכי stems from the emanation בינה. We have explained that בינה=יובל=דרור=50, freedom, i.e. גאולה = redemption. When Moses was in Heaven, i.e. had attained the 50th level of בינה, he had a "clear vision." This means that he viewed things through the original light which G–d had withdrawn from earth after Adam's sin. This is another way of explaining that G–d spoke to both Moses and the people of Israel פנים בפנים דבר ה' עמכם, "G–d spoke to you face to face" (Deut 5,4). If the Jewish people were on such a level it suggests that there were no מחיצות, no barriers between them and G–d. How do we explain that Moses is supposed to have provided a barrier between them, i.e. "I was standing between G–d and you?" We must conclude that there was indeed no barrier, that once Moses utilized the original light this removed his presence as a barrier. By receiving the Torah and attaining the above described level of בינה, Moses had fulfilled his mission as the re-incarnation of הבל. He added the letter ה from הבל to his name. He ascended the Mountain which was burning with fire until the very heart of Heaven, i.e. עד ל"ב השמים (Deut 4,11). The word לב is a reference to the total of 32 paths that lead to these insights, the basis of the whole Sefer Yetzirah (chapter 1, section 1) The letter ה which was added to Moses' name further symbolized that he had received and assimilated all the five books of the Torah. I have found the following in the writings of the Arizal: When the Torah quotes Moses saying: בבעלותי ההרה לקחת לוחות האבנים "When I ascended Mountain in order to receive the stone tablets, etc." (Deut 9,9), you can take the first letters of the first three words and construct the acronym הבל. This supports our contention that Moses completed the task of הבל by attaining the fiftieth level of בינה.

This is the reason why we also find the revelation at Mount Sinai and the giving of the Torah alluded to in this dream, as mentioned in Bereshit Rabbah 68, 12. We read there that the words "the ladder stood on the ground, its head reaching heavenwards," describe the ladder as at the foot of Mount Sinai, with its top reaching into the fiery mountain top up unto the heart of Heaven, as described in Deut. 4,11. Another version in the same Midrash points out that the numerical value of the letters in the word סלם, ladder, is equal to the numerical value of the letters in the word 130= סיני. The מלאכי אלוקים, heavenly messengers, are perceived as Moses and Aaron. Proof that prophets are called מלאכים is found in Chagai 1,13: ויאמר חגי מלאך ה' במלאכות ה' לעם. "Chagai, the angel of the Lord, fulfilling the Lord's mission, spoke to the people." When the angels are described as עולים, ascending, this refers to Moses of whom the Torah wrote (Exodus 19,3): ומשה עלה אל האלוקים, Moses ascended to G–d." When the Torah describes the angels as descending the ladder, it also refers to Moses, of whom the Torah wrote: וירד משה, Moses descended (Exodus 19,14). Next, G–d is described in the dream as standing above the ladder, and we know that "G–d descended to the top of Mount Sinai" (Exodus 19,20). Thus far the two versions of the Midrash.