출애굽기 7:1의 무사르

Some Kabbalists explain Exodus 18,1, in which we are told what Yitro "had heard," as a description of Moses' spiritual ascent. According to that view, the words אשר עשה אלוקים למשה, mean that G–d in His capacity as י-ה-ו-ה, made an Elo-him of Moses. Yitro had heard that G–d said about Moses: ראה נתתיך אלוהים לפרעה, "See here, I have made you a deity over Pharaoh," while at the same time He had made the people His עם, nation. It was Yitro's understanding that becoming G–d's people meant becoming His "army." This would have been the realisation of G–d's wish ever since the Creation to have a residence in the material world. The reason that G–d, i.e. His manifest Presence, שכינה, withdrew from earth was only because man had seriously damaged that part of G–d's creation by his sins. Now G–d had refined the Jewish people in the "crucible" of the Egyptian bondage experience to the point where He chose them to be His "army" in lieu of His Celestial Army. This is the meaning of the words in 6,26: הוציאו את בני ישראל מארץ מצרים על צבאותם, "Take the children of Israel out of Egypt in their armies." Rashi comments that the words: צבאותם mean "every army according to their tribes." Had not these people participated in the sin of the golden calf afterwards, they would have remained on that lofty level indefinitely, just as they will be in the Messianic future of which the Torah says in Leviticus 26,12,: והתהלכתי בתוככם, "I shall be walking amongst you."

In light of what I have have written, the verse in Exodus 7,1: ראה נתתיך אלוקים לפרעה, "Behold I have made you a deity over Pharaoh can be understood. When one speaks of someone who is going to see something (future), the continuation of the verse should have been: "I will make you a deity over Pharaoh (future), instead of the past tense employed here by the Torah. Even though it may be argued that, when matters of prophecy are concerned, the future is often described as if it had occurred already, the expression Re-ay is certainly most inexact, seeing that Moses saw something now and not in the past. Besides, what is the meaning of Moses having become Elohim?

Abravanel disagrees with this contention of Maimonides in the beginning of his work Ma'ayeney HaYeshuah, citing Seder Olam, an ancient history book, which includes Daniel in the list of prophets enumerated. Besides, he reasons "how is it possible to exclude Daniel when we consider the numerous and profound prophecies recorded by him?" He feels that, on the contrary, this is proof of his standing, seeing that his companions did not see any of these visions! He says that when the Talmud calls the companions "prophets," this only means they had been instructed by G–d to transmit certain messages to the Jewish people. The word נביא, "prophet," has its root in the Hebrew expression ניב שפתים, "heartening, comforting words" (Isaiah 57,19). When Aaron is described as Moses' prophet, ואהרון אחיך יהיה נביאך, "and your brother Aaron will be your prophet," the point made is that he will be Moses' mouthpiece (Exodus 7,1). Although Daniel had achieved superior status, he had not been instructed to impart these messages to Israel; this is why the Talmud does not refer to him as a prophet. Should you ask why he was not chosen to convey these messages to the Jewish people, the answer is that the three prophets mentioned returned to the Holy Land with the Israelites who went to settle there again and to build the second Temple. There was a need therefore, to become G–d's messengers, which was not the case with Daniel who did not make עליה. The Torah reports in Genesis 15,1, והנה דבר ה' אל אברהם במחזה לאמור, "here the word of G–d came to Abraham in a vision to say, etc." The meaning seems to be that Abraham was on the level of prophecy. If nonetheless he is not numbered among the prophets, this is only because G–d had not sent him with a message to His people. This is the approach of the Abravanel to our problem. It is my personal view that both Maimonides and Abravanel are on the right track, אלו ואלו דברי אלוקים חיים. Daniel was indeed a prophet, but he belonged to the category that we previously described as סוף נבואה. This was still part of the domain of רשימו.