Chasidut su Genesi 6:3
וַיֹּ֣אמֶר יְהוָ֗ה לֹֽא־יָד֨וֹן רוּחִ֤י בָֽאָדָם֙ לְעֹלָ֔ם בְּשַׁגַּ֖ם ה֣וּא בָשָׂ֑ר וְהָי֣וּ יָמָ֔יו מֵאָ֥ה וְעֶשְׂרִ֖ים שָׁנָֽה׃
Il Signore disse: Lo spirito mio non resterà perpetuamente perplesso intorno all’uomo [se punirlo, perdonargli], nel pensiero ch’egli è di carne. Egli [l’uomo] abbiasi (ancora) cento e venti anni.
Kedushat Levi
Genesis 6,3. Hashem.” We need to understand where and when G’d “appeared” to the patriarchs in His capacity as the G’d of Shaddai. We do not find the word וירא, “Shaddai appeared,” in connection with G’d’s addressing any of the patriarchs. Moreover, why did G’d speak of ידיעה, a form of intimate knowledge, in connection with His communicating with Moses and the Israelites at this time?
We have learned in Sifri, Mattot, 2 that all the prophetic revelations that subsequent prophets experienced were due to the residue of Moses’ prophetic experiences who had preceded them in this. In other words, no prophet was granted a type of vision that had not already been granted to Moses before him. Elaborating on that subject, we read in Yevamot 49, that all the subsequent prophets were only granted blurred visions whereas Moses had been granted clear visions.
It is not possible to absorb “clear” visions of the Creator unless the Creator had first garbed Himself in garments that diffuse the powerful light that emanates from Him. [Prophets of lesser stature than Moses would become too blinded by being exposed to G’d before he had thus screened Himself. Ed.] G’d “garbs” Himself in accordance to whom He dispenses His blessings, the most minimal of these “screens” within which He garbs Himself is known in the language of our sages as מאירה, literally, “illuminating” but in the sense of hiding the minimum possible. It is this “minimal” screen that hid G’d’s essence from Moses when He communicated with him. All the other prophets received their visions as derivatives of the visions which Moses had received. Although Moses himself “dispersed” some of his prophetic powers, [notably when the 70 elders were chosen to assist him, and he “dispersed” some of his holy spirit to them. (Numbers 11,17) Ed.]
We have learned in Sifri, Mattot, 2 that all the prophetic revelations that subsequent prophets experienced were due to the residue of Moses’ prophetic experiences who had preceded them in this. In other words, no prophet was granted a type of vision that had not already been granted to Moses before him. Elaborating on that subject, we read in Yevamot 49, that all the subsequent prophets were only granted blurred visions whereas Moses had been granted clear visions.
It is not possible to absorb “clear” visions of the Creator unless the Creator had first garbed Himself in garments that diffuse the powerful light that emanates from Him. [Prophets of lesser stature than Moses would become too blinded by being exposed to G’d before he had thus screened Himself. Ed.] G’d “garbs” Himself in accordance to whom He dispenses His blessings, the most minimal of these “screens” within which He garbs Himself is known in the language of our sages as מאירה, literally, “illuminating” but in the sense of hiding the minimum possible. It is this “minimal” screen that hid G’d’s essence from Moses when He communicated with him. All the other prophets received their visions as derivatives of the visions which Moses had received. Although Moses himself “dispersed” some of his prophetic powers, [notably when the 70 elders were chosen to assist him, and he “dispersed” some of his holy spirit to them. (Numbers 11,17) Ed.]
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Kedushat Levi
Deuteronomy 12,5. “you are to seek out His residence and go there;” the letters in the word שמה are the same as in the name of משה, something that has been explained in the Tikkuney Hazohar as well as in Zohar III 273, in connection with psalms 33,14, ממכון שבתו השגיח, “from His dwelling place He supervises, etc.” There too, the first letter of each of these three words spells the name משה. It is pointed out there that already in Genesis 6,3 the word בשגם alludes to Moses, seeing that the letters ש and מ are directly part of his name, whereas the combined numerical value of the letters ב and ג add up to 5=ה. According to the Midrash Shir Hashirim rabbah, 1,64 Moses was equivalent to the entire Jewish people on the one hand, whereas every individual Israelite had to strive to become Moses’ equal. In other words, the word שקול “of equal weight,” is to be understood as “in both directions.” When applied to the verse in psalms 33,14 “G’d supervises the whole earth,” refers to the Israelites, and the words ובאת שמה, in our verse above assure Moses that he is the vehicle that enables the individual Israelite to be welcome in G’d’s residence, the Temple or Tabernacle. It was Moses who enabled the Israelites to attain that level of holiness.
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