민수기 11:17의 유대 사상

To the extent that man is able to amass both physical and material assets, he is able to share his wealth. A rich man can enrich others in accordance with the amount of personal wealth in excess of his needs. A man of renowned moral stature can transmit to others some of the qualities he has acquired. Whereas physical powers have a tendency to decline with advancing age, spiritual powers are enhanced by the onset of old age. As a result of this phenomenon, blessings and prayers for others are usually reserved till near life's end, since at that point the person bestowing them is at his spiritually most potent. Jacob imparted both blessings and insights to his children when on his deathbed. The prophet Elijah bequeathed his insights to his disciple Elisha when he was about to depart this earth. (Kings II chapter 2) In fact, he warned Elisha that unless the latter was able to watch him ascend, there was no guarantee that he, Elijah had bequeathed enough insights to ensure that Elisha's mission as his successor would be successful. Moses too, had not divested himself of sufficient earthly shells to communicate the maximum amount of blessings he was capable of to his people, until he had actively prepared for death. When Elijah had told Elisha that the latter's powers of observation held the key to the amount of prophetic spirit he would acquire, he was in effect telling him that in order for blessings to be fully effective, both the donor and the recipient have to be in a state of preparedness. This is somewhat like the waters of a fountain going to waste, unless they are absorbed by containers especially prepared to receive them.

In my view, however, it was absolutely necessary that Moses be called. Because Aaron and Miriam lacked the power to receive prophecy suddenly, it was necessary that Moses join them, so that when it was projected upon Moses, who was fit and prepared for it, it would extend thence to Aaron and Miriam, who were not fit for such an effluence at that time. This parallels what the Blessed One said to Moses concerning the seventy elders (Numbers 11:17): "And I will go down, and I will speak with you there, and I will take ['veatzalti'] of the spirit that is upon you and place it upon them." Onkelos translates ["veatzalti"] "and I will add"; for, apparently, the seventy elders were not in themselves worthy of receiving prophecy at that time. But, being projected to Moses, it was thence projected on to them, though they were not all prepared for it. And this is the pattern with the miracles and wonders of the Torah — that something serve as the root for the extension of a miraculous occurrence, as in the episode of the cruse of oil (II Kings 4). And this accounts for Moses' joining the seventy elders and for his joining Aaron and Miriam in the present instance.

More numerous, however, are the instances of the first case, viz., in which these verbs are used in connection with the revelation of the word and of the glory of God, e.g., “And I will come down and talk with thee there” (Num. 11:17); “And the Lord came down upon Mount Sinai (Exod. 19:20); “The Lord will come down in the sight of all the people (Exod. 19:11); “And God went up from him” (Gen. 35:13); “And God went up from Abraham” (Gen. 17:22).