Commento su Numeri 12:6

שמעו נא דברי HEAR, I PRAY YOU, MY WORDS — The word נא is always an expression of entreaty (Sifrei Bamidbar 103).

IF THERE BE ‘NEVI’ACHEM’ [literally “your prophet”] - if there be a prophet “among you,” as Onkelos rendered it [“if there be prophets among you”]. And Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra commented that the meaning thereof is: “if there be among you a prophet, a prophet of the Eternal,²⁸³The Hebrew text reads: Im yih’yeh nevi’achem Hashem. Ibn Ezra explains it by adding the word navi (prophet), which is in construct with Hashem — “the prophet of the Eternal.” The reason why Ibn Ezra is forced to do so is because when a noun is in construct it cannot have a pronoun as a suffix, and here it says nevi’achem Hashem, the word nevi’achem having such a pronoun as a suffix. Hence Ibn Ezra adds the word navi (the prophet of), to be in construct with the noun Hashem. The sense of the verse is thus: Im yih’yeh nevi’achem ‘nevi’ Hashem. as in [the expression] and the prophecy of Oded the prophet.”²⁸⁴II Chronicles 15:8. The meaning thereof is: “and the prophecy, a prophecy of Oded the prophet.” The point here is that a noun which is in the construct cannot have the prefix hei, which indicates the definite article. Here it is stated: v’hanevua Oded. Hence Ibn Ezra explains it by adding the word nevuath (a prophecy of), making the sense of the phrase: “and the prophecy, a prophecy of Oded the prophet.” He has explained it well. Thus the meaning of the verse is that “even if there is a prophet among you who is a [true] prophet of the Eternal, he can only prophesy by My Great Name through a vision or in riddles.” He mentions this [“if he be a true prophet of the Eternal”] because many prophets did not attain even this [stage], but were prophets by virtue of the Holy Spirit, as it is said, The spirit of the Eternal spoke by me,²⁸⁵II Samuel 23:2. this being the “hand” mentioned in connection with Ezekiel,²⁸⁶Ezekiel 1:3. [and the hand of the Eternal was there upon him] etc. as is explained in the words of Zechariah.²⁸⁷“Most of his messages were in riddles and parables and through an angel; but he was nonetheless a prophet as he attained to Divine vision” (Abusaula).

אם יהיה נביאכם, if Moses were a prophet on the same spiritual level as you presumed when you said: “G’d spoke to us also,”

שמעו נא דברי, "please listen to My word, etc." Why did G'd have to preface His words with this introduction? Was it not a foregone conclusion that the people addressed would listen carefully to what G'd had to say? Furthermore, why did G'd have to add the word נא, "please?" Since when does the master address the servant by imploring him to listen to what he has to say?

נביאכם, same as נבואתכם, “your prophecy.”

אם יהיה נביאכם, “if there will be a prophet amongst you, etc.” According to Nachmanides these words mean: ‘if you will have a prophet amongst you.” (Just as Onkelos translates the words) Ibn Ezra reads the words אם יהיה נביאכם ה' as a single sequence, i.e. “if among you there is a prophet of Hashem, etc.”

אם יהיה נביאכם ה', The meaning is similar to Chronicles II 15,8: והנבואה עודד הנביא, “the prophecy was that of Oded the prophet.” The meaning of our verse is: “even if someone amongst you is a prophet of the Lord he does not prophesy using My Ineffable Name, but through mediums such as mirrors, riddles, etc.” Your prophetic inspirations are transmitted by what is known as רוח הקדש, “Holy Spirit.” We find a reference to this level of prophecy in Samuel II 23,2 רוח ה' דבר בי, “the spirit of the Lord spoke through me” (David speaking). This was also the same as the יד ה' which the prophet Ezekiel describes as speaking to him (on occasion). [We know that Ezekiel had also attained a higher level of prophecy when he had visions. Ed.]
The fact that the Torah writes במראה אליו אתודע, “I will be known to him by means of a mirror,” instead of writing במראה אליו אראה, “I will be visible to him by means of a mirror,” may be compared to Exodus 63, where the Torah did not write as we could have expected ואתודע אל אברהם ואל יצחק, but wrote וארא אל אברהם ואל יצחק instead. The emphasis in both verses is on the fact that neither category of prophet experienced that בשמי הגדול אתודע, “that I revealed Myself to him directly my means of My Ineffable Name.”
When G’d said that communications with prophets on a lower level than Moses took place in a dream, He meant that seeing Moses was familiar with all of G’d’s attributes, he did not need to be addressed in a dream in order to lower the impact of such a revelation on his psychological equilibrium as he was already נאמן בכל ביתי, “fully trusted i.e. “at home,” in “My entire House.” Basically, G’d taught Miriam and Aaron a lesson in the difference between the prophetic stature of Moses and that of other prophets including themselves.

נא is interpreted strictly as a request. Meaning that even though Hashem’s anger flared against them and left, נא is nonetheless interpreted strictly as a request, and Hashem spoke to them gently. For if Hashem had spoken to them angrily, His words would not have been accepted. Thus one may learn a kal vachomer (a fortiori argument) to mortals; that they also should speak gently.

V. 6. אם יהיה נביאכם: wäre er, Mosche, euer Prophet, d. h. der Prophet, wie ihr ihn eben euch dachtet. Oder: wäre er ein Prophet euresgleichen, gehörte er als Prophet zu euch. — בַמַרְאָה, unterschieden von מראה (V. 8) מראה-ist das direkt, unvermittelt Gesehene, עץ נחמד למראה. (Bereschit 2, 9). שה יפת מראה Bereschit 12. 11 u. f.). מראָה ist das im Reflex, im Wiederschein Gesehene, daher der Spiegel (Schmot 38. 8). In zweifacher Beziehung ist dessen Prophetie nicht unmittelbar, sondern vermittelt: objektiv und subjektiv. Objektiv: das Göttliche, das ihm kund wird, erblickt er nicht direkt, sondern reflektiert, wie im Spiegel. Er hat auf den sich ihm Kundgebenden aus einer Erscheinung zu schließen, in welcher er sich ihm offenbart. Subjektiv: nicht in dem gewöhnlichen wachen Zustand, in welchem seine wahrnehmenden Sinne unter der Herrschaft seiner bewussten Aktion stehen, sondern בחלום אדבר בו, ein Zustand traumartiger Aktivität ist es, in welchem er fähig wird, das an ihn gerichtete Gotteswort zu vernehmen, um es sich nachher wach reflektierend zu vergegenwärtigen. Das Göttliche lässt sich in Vermittlung zu ihm hinab und hebt ihn aus seinem gewöhnlichen Zustand hinaus, wann Sein Wort an ihn gelangen soll. Beides Gründe, weshalb sein sonstiges Leben das sittlich-sinnlich normale bleiben kann und keiner Beschränkung bedarf.

'אם יהיה נביאכם ה, “if there be a prophet among you;” these words referred to their having said that they too were prophets, seeing that G–d had spoken to them both. G–d now proceeds to teach them that there are different levels of prophecy, of man’s intimacy with the Lord. G–d’s relationship with Moses, He explains, is of a different dimension altogether than that between Him and any other prophets. Other prophets receive a vision during a dream, and when waking up required the dream to be explained to them. They do not come face to face even with the vision, only with its reflection, mirror-like. In other words, they are told a parable and have to work out how the facts match what has been shown them as a parable. We find examples of this in Ezekiel 4,4, the prophet being instructed to lie on his left side. Or compare Daniel 8,13: “I heard a holy one speaking and the holy one was saying something to an anonymous one.” There are numerous examples in the Bible of such enigmatic communications emanating from the heaven but not clear in meaning. G–d tells Miriam and Aaron that Moses never receives a communication from Him which is not clear and its meaning beyond doubt.

במראה אליו אתודע, “I make Myself known to him as a prophetic vision. The word מראה here is used in the same sense as in Numbers 23,3; ודבר מה יראני והגדתי לך, “and whatever He will show me I will tell you about.” (Bileam to Balak)

אם יהיה נביאכם means, IF THERE WOULD BE PROPHETS TO YOU (i.e. if you had a prophet — if you could show one to me).

IN A VISION I DO MAKE MYSELF KNOWN TO HIM. Scripture does not say: “I will appear to him in a vision,” but it says ‘I will make Myself known.’ This verse is then similar to the one which states, And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, as G-d Almighty,²⁸⁸Exodus 6:3. [the verse here] stating that the Great Name appears in a vision and through it He becomes known to the prophet, but [the prophet does not know Him]²⁸⁹Abusaula. by His Great Name, just as He said, but by My Name the Eternal I made Me not known to them.²⁸⁸Exodus 6:3. And Scripture stated [further] that the communication is in a vision, but My servant Moses is not so, for in all My house in which the prophets see dreams, he is trusted,²⁹⁰Verse 7. knowing of his own accord all the [Divine] attributes, and from mouth to mouth²⁹¹Verse 8. the communication comes to him from Me, and he beholds the similitude,²⁹¹Verse 8. not in a dream. In the words of the Sifre:²⁹²Sifre Beha’alothcha 103. “And the similitude of the Eternal doth he behold.²⁹¹Verse 8. This refers to the vision of ‘the back.’”²⁹³See Exodus 33:23.
Thus Scripture here teaches us the difference between the Divine communication received by Moses and that of the other prophets of his generation, in the same way that it mentioned this [difference between him and] those who preceded him [as it says in the verse], And I appeared unto Abraham, etc.,²⁸⁸Exodus 6:3. as I have explained; and likewise it mentions at the end of the Torah in relation to those who came after him, And there hath not arisen a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the Eternal knew face to face,²⁹⁴Deuteronomy 34:10. the intention being the same in all these places. Do not be disquieted by the statement of the Rabbis²⁹⁵Rosh Hashanah 25b. See my Hebrew commentary p. 240, Note 72, concerning the source of the statement. concerning Samuel, that he was equal to Moses, as it is written, Though Moses and Samuel stood before Me, yet My mind could not be toward this people,²⁹⁶Jeremiah 15:1. since it is because G-d mentioned Samuel together with Moses that our Rabbis considered it an indication of his [Samuel’s] greatness, but not that they were comparing the prophecies [of Moses and Samuel] to each other — far it be for them [to say so]! And the intention of this verse [which mentions Moses and Samuel together is as follows]: He mentioned Moses because he stood before Him in the breach, to turn back His wrath, lest He should destroy them,²⁹⁷Psalms 106:23. both at the [incident of the] golden calf and that of the spies, when the people were in danger of destruction; and so Scripture also mentioned Samuel, because this verse is in connection with the drought²⁹⁸Jeremiah 14:1. when they needed rain, and He said, Are there any among the vanities of the nations that can cause rain? etc.²⁹⁹Ibid., Verse 22. Thus G-d said that even if Samuel — the prophet who brought rain when it was not due, in the days of the wheat-harvest³⁰⁰I Samuel 12:17. — were to stand [in prayer] before Him, He would not listen to him to bring it for these people in their time of trouble. Thus Scripture mentioned the great men of the tribe whom G-d chose to minister unto Him, and to bless in His Name,³⁰¹Deuteronomy 10: 8. — Both Moses and Samuel were of the tribe of Levi. who prayed for Israel. This is also the sense of the verse which says, Moses and Aaron among His priests, and Samuel among them that call upon His Name.³⁰²Psalms 99:6.

ה' במראה אליו אתודע, G’d would have had to reveal Himself to him in a mirror-like vision, (feminine version of the word mareh). He would not have revealed Himself to Moses while the latter was awake, as for instance in the case of Isaiah of whom it is written in Isaiah 6,1 ואראה את ה' יושב על כסא רם ונשא, or as in the case of Michyahu who claimed to have seen G’d sitting on His throne. (Kings I 29,19) These prophets experienced their prophetic visions while they were asleep, certainly not while they were awake. Also Bileam, even though he was addressed by G’d while awake, was not addressed by the Essence of G’d but by one of His attributes, he himself only hoping that G’d as Hashem would address him (Numbers 23,3). He never attained that level of prophecy, but in response to the wish expressed in above mentioned verse we find ויקר אלוקים אל בלעם, that the attribute Elokim encountered Bileam.

במראה אליו אתודע, “even though he may be endowed by My attribute Hashem, he will not be able to reveal matters pertaining to this attribute of Mine, but will refer to emanations of Mine of a lower order.” This will become clear, as I will not speak to him when he is awake but I will communicate with him as a dream, in a manner that is indirect. The Torah was careful not to write במראה אליו אראה, “I will become visible to him in a vision,” but במראה אליו אתודע, “I will make Myself known to Him as some sort of vision.” This relegates any audible revelation to one that occurs in a dream. [Whatever the prophet thinks he hears, he only hears in his dream. Ed]

You will have. The verse implies that the prophets will be Hashem, therefore Rashi explains “if you will have prophets” and that the word “Hashem” is read together with “I will make Myself known to him in a vision.”

G'd wanted to make clear that when He had spoken to them in very friendly tones, i.e. ויאמר, previously, they had not been worthy to be addressed at all seeing they were still ritually impure. It was only now, after they had purified themselves, that they had become fit to be spoken to by G'd. The whole episode is a lesson to a servant to hold himself in readiness at times when his master is apt to require his services. All of this taught them why Moses had been duty bound to separate from his wife. How else was he able to keep himself in constant readiness when G'd would want to speak to him? This also provides us with an answer to the basic question why G'd did not spell out to Aaron and Miriam the reason why Moses had separated from his wife.

ה׳ במראה אליו אתודע This means: the Shechinah (the Divine Glory) of my Name does not reveal Itself unto him in a “transparent glass” (i.e. a direct revelation), but in dreams and visions (cf. Sifrei Bamidbar 103).

The Divine Presence of My Name. In saying “the Divine Presence of My Name” Rashi teaches that the meaning of “Hashem” is as if the Torah had said “I am Hashem.” For if not so, it should have said “He will make Himself known.”

We may also explain the words שמעו נא to mean that G'd announced that now they were about to be castigated and to be disciplined. In this instance G'd addressed them personally rather than that He gave them the message through Moses for two reasons. 1) Since Moses was personally involved in the matter under discussion. 2) It was in the nature of things that G'd wanted to discuss the matter with Aaron and Miriam privately, not in the presence of Moses who would have found it embarassing. G'd also wanted to make clear that Aaron and Miriam qualified for only this part of what G'd had to say, as G'd had no other way of telling them. Anything else that G'd had to say He would say only to Moses. This would show that they had been wrong in claiming that G'd spoke to them also. Our sages in Bamidbar Rabbah 14,19 state that whenever the Torah writes: "G'd spoke to Moses and to Aaron," the meaning is not that G'd addressed both Moses and Aaron simultaneously, but that Moses was to communicate to Aaron what He had said to him. This is what is hinted at here when the Torah wrote the word נא.

The reason the Torah added the word דברי, "My words," something that appears totally superfluous, is to impress upon Miriam and Aaron that though they had prophesied on previous occasions the communication they were about to receive from G'd now was on a different level from anything they had experienced previously. G'd stresses this immediately when He refers to the nature of their prophetic insights with the words אם יהיה נביאכם השם.

It is also possible that G'd hinted to them that this would be the last time He would communicate with them directly. The fact that they were about to receive a communication on a more direct level than ever before did not mean that they had suddenly qualified for a higher level of prophecy and that they would continue to receive communications from G'd directly.

Still another meaning implied by the word נא is that it refers to their impurity. Normally, when one has suffered ritual impurity through contact with semen and has purified oneself, one is not fit to eat Terumah until nightfall (Leviticus 22,6). A prophet who is the recipient of Holy Spirit most certainly is not fit to receive same until after he has waited until sunset after his ritual immersion. The reason is that G'd's Holy Spirit should not be perceived as on a lower level of sanctity than the Terumah which the priest may eat. G'd said: שמעו נא דברי, "listen to My words nonetheless already now," i.e. this is an exception, an emergency; this is why I have decided to let you hear My words even though the sun has not set yet since your immersion in a ritual bath. G'd hinted that His loving concern for Moses was such that He would not wait until the morrow to rectify the mistaken impression Miriam and Aaron had of their level as prophets compared to Moses. When we find in Bereshit Rabbah 55,11 that אהבה מקלקלת השורה, this means that a loving relationship between two people is apt to interfere with accepted rules. G'd applied this principle here. He addressed Miriam and Aaron "prematurely."

אם יהיה נביאכם, "if there be a prophet amongst you, etc;" G'd refrained from addressing Miriam and Aaron directly by saying אם תהיו נביאים, "if indeed you are prophets, etc." Seeing that Miriam and Aaron themselves had implied that there were other prophets apart from themselves (as we mentioned earlier they referred to the patriarchs) G'd was careful to include also those prophets in His remarks. Perhaps the reason G'd used the singular יהיה instead of the plural יהיו was to emphasise still further the uniqueness of Moses as a prophet.

השם במראה אליו אתודע, "I, the Lord, make Myself known to him through a vision." G'd spells out to us the difference between other prophets' perceptive powers and the perceptive powers of Moses. There are three elements to prophecy. 1) the attainment of a vision. 2) The time when the prophet is granted any vision, i.e. is he able to receive transmission of G'd's word by means of a vision at any time, i.e. whenever the prophet feels the need to communicate with G'd, or is he dependent on certain times, i.e. only when G'd takes the initiative in communicating with the prophet. 3) Can the prophet attain a verbal communication from G'd at his request? (I will explain this in detail).

G'd first speaks about the kind of communications which certain prophets receive by describing them as מראה, vision. There are three levels of recognising G'd. The highest level is one that does not require prophetic insight. It is that which Moses requested in Exodus 33,18 when He asked: "please show me Your ways." At that time the word נא meant that Moses wanted to become privy to the kind of information about G'd that is normally only granted to the soul after it has departed from the body. Moses was quite familiar with the insights which the righteous would be granted after death. G'd denied this request saying that it is impossible for a living human being to gain those insights. That level of insight is equivalent to the recipient experiencing Divine light directly. Moses' level of prophecy was restricted to aural perception, i.e. G'd spoke to him and his ears heard. His (physical) eyes did not see a communication. A second (next lower) level of communication from G'd is one in which G'd radiates some light resulting in the recipient "receiving" a picture, תמונה. This "picture" has nothing in common with the way we normally understand the term "picture." It is the kind of "picture" which no living being other than Moses can perceive with his mind's eye. This is why Moses is described as ותמונת השם יביט, "he can view a picture from G'd." A third level is one in which the recipient perceives a light which emanates from G'd and the source of which seems to be very distant. It appears to a person like a candle which seems able to provide light over a great distance. This is what the Torah referred to here as the מראה. It is this which prophets other than Moses perceived. The Torah calls this "מאמר ה׳ במראה" "a word of G'd by means of a vision seen with the eye." By contrast, Moses is described as "looking at a picture from G'd."

Concerning the time when G'd would manifest Himself to different kinds of prophets, the Torah says אליו אתודע, that these "minor" prophets are not able to attain a vision whenever they want; they have to wait patiently until G'd is ready to reveal a communication to them." Moses, on the other hand, could receive communications at all times as described in Numbers 9,8 where he told the people that he would receive instructions from G'd as soon as he asked. Moses did not display the slightest doubt that G'd would respond to him as soon as he asked. Other prophets with whom G'd communicated on a lower level, could not even be certain that G'd would respond to them when they wanted on that lower level. Moses, on the other hand, though he expected a communication on a higher level, could be certain of receiving same whenever he desired. This is what G'd meant when He said בכל ביתי נאמן הוא, "he is trusted in all My house." Moses was at home in the celestial domain and had the run of that "house."

Concerning the matter of a verbal communication from G'd to a prophet, G'd told Miriam and Aaron that whereas all prophets other than Moses received such communications only in a dream, not so Moses. He was fully awake, his mind was clear when he received such verbal communications from G'd. He did not have to reassure himself if he had correctly understood what he heard while dreaming. Secondly, whatever G'd relates to a prophet in a dream is not to be understood literally, but is in the nature of a parable, or image. The Torah has told us of numerous dreams which were prophetic communications to the person dreaming them and all of which required an expert to interpret them. [Jacob needed G'd to tell him over 20 years after the event that what he had dreamt about the ladder had been a prophecy and not merely a dream (compare Rabbi Yitzchak Arama on the subject). Ed.] The prophets other than Moses were mentally overwhelmed when they experienced such prophetic dreams. When G'd speaks about appearing to prophets בחלום, this does not mean that they actually dream; rather, it describes the impact of G'd's communications to such prophets being similar to that of people who experience a dream while asleep. G'd always communicated with His prophets while the latter were awake. Only Moses was able to maintain his regular posture when G'd communicated with him; he did not prostrate himself or go into convulsions as did other prophets. Neither did he receive such communications in the form of a riddle or parable. Every communication Moses received from G'd was crystal clear, requiring no further elaboration. This is what the Torah means when it describes such communication as פה אל פה אדבר בו, "I speak with him mouth to mouth." All the Israelites saw that all the 53 times the Torah reports G'd as speaking to Moses (and to communicate what He said to them) the message was crystal clear and could be understood by anyone with a command of the Hebrew language. The same applies to all the wealth of wisdom contained in the written Torah. Anyone who immerses himself in that part of the Torah will find that he can understand it. This contrasts with the writings of Isaiah and Jeremiah many of which are extremely obscure, full of parables and enigmas. What did Ezekiel mean by the "great eagle" in chapter 17, for instance? The prophecies of the so-called minor prophets such as Zachariah are even harder to unravel so that none of us can be certain of the events to which these prophecies relate.

We need to examine why the prophecies given to Moses were all so clear whereas those granted to the afore-mentioned prophets appear so confused. Kabbalists explain that the phenomenon of man being a composite of body and spirit is bound to prevent him from being able to receive undiluted spiritual input. Any attempt to subject man to such additional spiritual input upsets the fragile equilibrium between the forces of body and spirit which constitute a human being. After all, we observe in nature that such opposites as fire and water cannot coexist peacefully except in heaven seeing that the Creator Himself has arranged it so in His domain. It is only natural, therefore, that when a human being is called upon by G'd his body will tremble, be subject to convulsions, etc. The only human being able to retain his composure when thus addressed by G'd is one who has succeeded in transforming the material part of himself into a צורה, into the perfect state G'd has created it in, as we have described on numerous occasions. Once man has achieved this, his body is no longer a hindrance to his receiving communications from G'd and he will be able to do so as a matter of course. When there are no people around who meet these specifications and G'd has found Israel worthy to receive prophetic communications, He has no choice but to choose someone to whom He transmits His word in a manner which upsets the body and mind of the recipient. As a result the world abounded with prophets who had to receive their messages in the form of parables and riddles so that the equilibrium of their bodies and minds would not be permanently upset. The reason that we find that Zachariah's prophecies were even more enigmatic than those of his predecessors is that he was the last of the prophets. Subsequent generations did not create an environment in which G'd saw fit to communicate His word to prophets anymore.

When G'd spoke about His communications to Moses being "mouth to mouth," He meant that His word did not have to travel through the airwaves or some other part of the atmosphere which diluted it (and therefore made it unclear) in order to make it accessible to less than perfect man. When G'd emphasises that His word did appear to Moses as a מראה, a clear vision, this means that Moses did not have to go into convulsions, etc., when he received communications from G'd. He, G'd, could show Moses a clear vision and Moses could behold it and understand it without it being distorted.

When the Torah adds: ולא בחידות, "not by means of riddles," this is an elaboration of how G'd's word reached Moses. The Torah is careful not to say פה אל אזן, that G'd's word travelled from G'd's mouth to Moses' ear, but פה אל פה, "mouth to mouth." Solomon (Kings I 3,9) asked G'd to grant him לב שומע, "a listening heart" to enable him to divine the truth behind the claims of litigants, etc. He aspired to the highest level of prophecy. The Torah speaks of G'd communicating with Moses as אדבר בו, "I speak within him" instead of the customary אדבר אתו, "I speak with him." This formulation also means that no one else was privy to the fact that G'd spoke to Moses. [This is in contrast to our tradition that all prophets who lived at a particular time received the same communication at the same time as the prophet whom G'd commanded to transmit the prophecy to the people or to the king. Ed.]