Musar for Numbers 12:7

We learn from this that if even a Moses, of whom G–d Himself had testified that "he is trusted in My entire House" (Numbers 12,7), felt it incumbent to render an account to the people, no Jewish trustee, however well reputed, should feel it below his dignity to offer an accounting of how he spent the public funds entrusted to him.

The second is from Moses, our teacher, peace be upon him. He was the choicest of the creations of the Creator. We know that his excellence was honored in his life, and so was it in his death. We know that his soul had a superiority over other souls and certainly did not perish, and just as in his lifetime he ascended to Heaven, and the Creator, blessed be He, showed him his mysteries, as it is said (Numbers 12:7), “He is trusted in my house,” so does our reason compel us to believe that his soul was not lost in his death. For if his soul were lost, what superiority did it have over others? Since the Lord spoke with him, we know that the power of God’s speaking with him left in him an advantage after his soul had separated from his body, an advantage from which there could be inferred the difference between it and the souls of other creatures with whom God did not speak. If this is so, then this is its good reward. Just as at his death, his soul ascended to the academy on high and did not perish, so will the souls of the righteous rejoice, each according to his service to God and his righteousness.

And concerning Moses, it is written : "In all my house he is faithful" (Num. 12:7). And it is said in the Midrash : "Great is faith before the Holy One, Blessed is He, for because of the merit of the faith that our fathers believed there dwelt upon them the Holy Spirit and they uttered song as it is said : 'And they believed in the Lord and in Moses His servent. Then Moses and the Children of Israel sang' " (Exod. 14:31, 15:1, Exodus Rabbah 22-23).

His father answered, “For three days they were feverishly preparing your bedroom. They opened windows on your behalf so that you would have illumination from all four directions. When I saw your place I rejoiced, saying, “Fortunate is your lot … Up until a moment ago the souls of twelve righteous scholars were preparing to come to you. But while they were setting out a voice went out throughout all the worlds, saying, ‘Who are these scholars standing here preparing to meet the soul of Rabbi Yitzchak and to escort it to Gan Eden? Depart and return to your places! For Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai has made a request and it was granted to him.” Not only in this was the power of Rabbi Shimon great. Because the granted to him “seventy” — for the seventy adorned places that are mentioned here are his. And each place leads to seventy worlds, and each world leads to seventy messengers (of God), and each messenger leads to seventy lofty crowns. From there, the paths lead to the obscure Ancient One, so that they could view the lofty sweetness, the One who illuminates and delights all beings. As it says, “To behold the pleasantness of Hashem, and to meditate in His Sanctuary.” What is the meaning of “to meditate in His Sanctuary”? This is what is written: “In my entire House he is trusted.”

A view quoted in Midrash Rabbah 30,10 points out that the words בדורותיו, "in his generations," mean that had Noach lived in another generation, he would not have been considered outstanding, is well known. Whereas the Midrash compares the generations mentioned in our פרשה with those of Moses or Samuel, Rashi compares them with the generation Abraham lived in. The Torah says of Moses: בכל ביתי נאמן, "He is trusted throughout My household" (Numbers 12,7).

The category of destructive agents mentioned above are called “Evil.” Concerning them it states, “No Evil shall befall you” (Tehillim 91:10). Their victim resembles a sick person who has before him every delicacy in the world, yet he is unable to enjoy any of it because of his sickness. Thus the miser derives no benefit from his deeds in this world or the next, other than the shrouds in which he is buried. This is the meaning of the verse in Koheles (6:2), “As for the man upon whom God bestows wealth, property and honor, but God does not give him dominion over it, this too is a sickly evil.” Therefore let a man be sure to do what is upright in the eyes of God and men. For, “a good name is better than fine oil” (Koheles 7:1). Then all will be well with him while he is here, he will pass from the world with a good name and he will also enjoy good fortune in the World to Come.

My late father of blessed memory has provided me with a brilliant insight into the words of Rashi (author talking). Briefly, he said that man has to perfect himself, i.e. his 248 organs and 365 tendons by performing 248 positive and 365 negative commandments. This is obviously impossible for any individual. [The author elaborated on this in his introduction.] Even a Moses could not fulfill all these commandments personally. As an example, he could not perform the priestly duties because he was not a priest. Numerous other commandments, such as a levirate marriage, simply did not present themselves for him to fulfil. We have therefore explained that the only way a person can gain credit for fulfilling these commandments is when he studies their details with a view to fulfilling them if given the opportunity. This Moses had already done to the best of his ability. Not being allowed to enter terrestrial ארץ ישראל would therefore not deprive him of these merits and the resultant new spiritual insights. G–d assured Moses then that he had already been credited with the merits of having fulfilled all of the commandments he had been unable to fulfill in person. Concerning Moses' second consideration, that of gaining a deeper understanding of the manner in which G–d guides the universe, etc., something which he thought the atmosphere of the land of Israel would provide, G–d said: אל תוסף. Whereas it is true that living in terrestrial ארץ ישראל adds to one's understanding of Celestial ארץ ישראל as far as Moses was concerned he had already reached the limits of what man on earth could achieve, even in the Holy Land. He had qualified as the "husband" of Matronita, a symbol of the attribute of מלכות ארץ ישראל של מעלה, as we have explained previously as the meaning of בכל ביתי נאמן הוא, "He is fully trusted in all parts of My house" (Numbers 12,7).

It states, “Do not eat the bread of one with a miserly eye … for it is like poison in his soul” (Mishlei 23:6-7). Most people understand this: “Do not eat the bread of one with a miserly eye, for it is like poison in the soul of the host.” That is, he tries never to give of his bread to others because giving anything away is like poison to him. The Zohar (3:3a), however, gives a different explanation: “Do not eat the bread of one with a miserly eye, for it is like poison in the soul of the guest.” That is, the food that one’s receives from a miser is like poison to the receiver. Moreover, not many days will pass before he actually takes ill, sometimes dangerously so. This is why Rabbeinu HaKadosh (Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi) did not wish to accept food from anyone (Chullin 7b), for he was afraid for his life lest he benefit from a miser and then inevitably take ill. It turns out, then, that the miser causes evil both to himself and to others.

Torah is perfect, the question is only when this perfection will be revealed to us all. Concerning that question, the Psalmist says משיבת נפש, when the soul has reached the stage where even in this world it can be called נשמה, rather than merely נפש. This will occur once this soul returns to the domain it has been "hewn" from, the domain we had earlier called חציבה. There were two human beings, Moses and Rabbi Akiva respectively, who happily had an understanding and personal experience of these eventual developments, these goals of the future, even while they still lived on this earth. They are the עדים, witnesses that there are indeed hidden meanings to Torah laws. This is what the Psalmist refers to when he says in the second half of verse eight, "עדות השם נאמנה מחכימת פתי," that there is testimony that G–d makes the simpletons wise. Moses, of whom it is said בכל ביתי נאמן הוא, "he is trusted in all parts of My house" (Numbers 12,7), is such "testimony." When Rabbi Akiva entered the פרדס, the spiritual and mystical domain of סוד, and emerged unharmed, as opposed to his three colleagues, he too had to face the opposition of the ministering angels who are residents of that region, just as Moses faced opposition of the angels when he came to take the Torah from the Heavens (compare Chagigah 14b). They wanted to deny him these spiritual visions by either harming him physically, or causing him to become insane. G–d came to his rescue. This is what the Psalmist had described as מחכימת פתי, when referring to the part of Torah called תורת אלוקים.

We must assume that the Mishnah speaks about the hidden aspects of the Torah and describes four categories of people, Joshua, the elders, the prophets and the men of the Great Assembly entering the aforementioned פרדס in order to acquire these secrets of the Torah. These four categories of people were not all on the same spiritual level. The men of the Great Assembly did not match the groups mentioned before them. Moses, of course, towered above them all spiritually, and it was not appropriate to describe him as "entering" the orchard. He was at home there, as G–d had testified (Numbers 12,7), בכל ביתי נאמן הוא. When someone enters or leaves his own home one does not bother to mention it. His ability to enter and leave his home without suffering spiritual harm is taken for granted. Joshua entered the orchard and returned from it unharmed. This is alluded to in Exodus 33,11 when the Torah describes Joshua as never departing fom the "tent," i.e. the Tent of Testimony (home of Torah). Our sages described the face of Moses as like that of the sun, whereas the face of Joshua, by comparison, is described as like that of the moon. The former radiates its own light, whereas the latter only reflects light received from another source.

Jacob mentioned the merits of Israel as such, singling out a few individuals as examples of the outstanding people who would be part of his offspring. The reason he singled out David rather than Moses, although the latter too has been described as עבד ה' a true servant of the Lord, is because David or his namesake the Messiah is the ultimate purpose of G–d's creation, signalling a time when the whole function of Samael to act as an accuser would become defunct.

The Midrash which we quoted above, and in which five people close to G–d were each reported as having been punished by G–d, concerned itself also with the five qualities which must be possessed by a judge, and demonstrated how G–d possessed and demonstrated these five qualities in dealing with Miriam, Moses, Isaac, Abraham and Jacob. G–d did not show favoritism even to people as close to Him as Miriam and Aaron. If Miriam, Aaron and Moses had not displayed fear in dealing with people, litigants, etc., and acted like אנשי חיל, certainly no less could be expected of G–d Himself. The fact that Moses was of the calibre of אנשי אמת, is testified to by G–d Himself, when He said of Moses בכל ביתי נאמן הוא (Numbers 12,7). The quality of שונא בצע is hinted at in the judgment executed on Miriam. On the one hand Miriam was punished for her error, on the other hand, seeing she was such a deserving person, the people delayed their departure until she could join them again (verses 15,16).