출애굽기 19:3의 Musar

Moses' level of intimacy with G–d was such that he had what our sages call אספקלריא מאירא, a clear vision. G–d enlightened Moses with this clear vision and he acted as G–d's agent. G–d in His Essence, however, performed these miracles, using Moses as a "filter" i.e. עבר. This is the true significance of Exodus 12,12: ועברתי בארץ מצרים בלילה הזה, "I shall pass through the land of Egypt during that night, etc." Moses was called איש האלוקים, which our sages have interpreted to mean that his upper half was אלוקים, whereas the lower half of his body was איש, human. This simply means that Moses had not commenced his career on the same level as he completed it. Once he had ascended to Sinai, to אלוקים in Exodus 19,3, he became not only איש האלוקים but אלוקים. Shemot Rabbah 3 describes Moses as a טירון, "a private," in G–d's army in terms of his prophetic powers at the beginning of his career. Later on he rose to a level where he was described as אלוקים.

Chronologically, Abraham preceded Moses in this area of self-propelled upward spiritual motion. He did so so persistently that G–d revealed Himself to him to an extraordinary extent. When it came to the attachment, דבקות, to G–d and His ways, Moses excelled over Abraham. This is why G–d paid him the compliment recorded in Numbers. The ultimate compliment it is possible to pay a human being is to describe him as a fully fledged member of G–d's "household."

The reason that Moses separated from his wife, i.e. from family life and the fulfilment of the commandment to be be fruitful and multiply, is that משה עלה אל האלוקים, "Moses ascended to G–d" (Exodus 19,3). Having reached such a stage, further "upward" motion was not necessary. This is the deeper significance of someone becoming איש האלוקים, as described in the Zohar^{Author's comment}If Ben Azzai refused to marry and procreate because "his heart cleaved to the Torah," this may have been due to his being descended from a root such as that of Moses (cf Yevamot 63)..

Alternatively, the word הבל as used by the Yalkut, refers to Adam's son הבל, who on the surface at least seemed to have pleased G–d since the Torah reports G–d as favoring his offering, i.e. וישע ה' אל הבל ואל מנחתו (Genesis 4,4). This indicates that the true beauty of Adam was Abel; Cain was rooted in the סטרא אחרא, as we have pointed out previously. Abel had a soul of a higher calibre, and Kabbalists consider that Moses was the reincarnation of הבל. According to that view, הבל-שת-משה, shared the same soul. The reason הבל represented Adam's beauty is that whereas Adam's "heel" was responsible for "darkening the light of the sun," the face of Moses is considered as having restored that darkened light; our sages compare him to the sun itself (Baba Batra 75). The personalities of הבל and subsequently שת developed through these reincarnations until eventually in the person of Moses they reached their zenith on which the Torah reports: ומשה עלה אל האלוקים, "and Moses ascended to G–d" (Exodus 19,3) and separated from his wife. At that point Moses became the "husband" of מטרוניתא [a heavenly being that was his זווג ראשון, ideal mate. Ed.], as mentioned in the Zohar. This is what the Yalkut had in mind when it explained the meaning of אשה יראת ה' היא תתהלל.

As stated, the three letters in צחק allude to the respective ages of Sarah (90) and Abraham (100) when Isaac was born; the letter ח in the middle alludes to the number (8), the day on which Isaac was circumcised. When we write the word in מלואים, i.e. צדיק-חת-קוף, we have an allusion to the three gifts i.e תורה-ארץ ישראל-עולם הבא. Abraham and Sarah were צדיקים. He converted the men, she the women.

The fact that her age is alluded to first in the name צחק is to indicate that she was not merely an appendix to her husband. We have a similar situation when the Torah reports that Moses first relayed G–d's words to the women at Mount Sinai. We read in Exodus 19,3: "Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob (women), and tell the children of Israel." The reason that the women were addressed first, and of course expressed their willingness to accept Torah first, was to prevent anyone thinking they had done so only to please their husbands rather than to please G–d. Sarah similarly proselytized independently from her husband. Since Genesis 12,5 is the beginning of the gift of Torah, it is appropriate to mention the part a woman played first. The word צדיק spelled as words, צדיק-דלת-יוד-קוף, contains an allusion to the giving of the Torah as we know from ה' חפץ למען צדקו יגדיל תורה ויאדיר.

The events referred to by Moses when he said ויתעבר ה' בי למענכם, occurred after Israel had sinned by worshipping the golden calf. Moses had ascended to G–d (Exodus 19,3), i.e. before the sin of the golden calf. Concerning that time Moses himself reported that he ascended אל הא-לוהים, in other words that he had achieved the fiftieth gate which is the emanation of בינה. Even though the people of Israel were on a very high level at that time, Moses towered above them.

This is the reason why we also find the revelation at Mount Sinai and the giving of the Torah alluded to in this dream, as mentioned in Bereshit Rabbah 68, 12. We read there that the words "the ladder stood on the ground, its head reaching heavenwards," describe the ladder as at the foot of Mount Sinai, with its top reaching into the fiery mountain top up unto the heart of Heaven, as described in Deut. 4,11. Another version in the same Midrash points out that the numerical value of the letters in the word סלם, ladder, is equal to the numerical value of the letters in the word 130= סיני. The מלאכי אלוקים, heavenly messengers, are perceived as Moses and Aaron. Proof that prophets are called מלאכים is found in Chagai 1,13: ויאמר חגי מלאך ה' במלאכות ה' לעם. "Chagai, the angel of the Lord, fulfilling the Lord's mission, spoke to the people." When the angels are described as עולים, ascending, this refers to Moses of whom the Torah wrote (Exodus 19,3): ומשה עלה אל האלוקים, Moses ascended to G–d." When the Torah describes the angels as descending the ladder, it also refers to Moses, of whom the Torah wrote: וירד משה, Moses descended (Exodus 19,14). Next, G–d is described in the dream as standing above the ladder, and we know that "G–d descended to the top of Mount Sinai" (Exodus 19,20). Thus far the two versions of the Midrash.