Moshe the Trusted Servant

Miriam and Aharon discuss Moshe’s relationship with his wife. They apparently don’t understand why Moshe operates differently than they do, given that they are all prophets. Hashem addresses himself to Miriam and Aharon and outlines the differences between Moshe and standard prophets. Hashem explains that He communicates with all other prophets through the medium of a dream. במדבר יב (ז) לֹא־כֵ֖ן עַבְדִּ֣י מֹשֶׁ֑ה בְּכׇל־בֵּיתִ֖י נֶאֱמָ֥ן הֽוּא׃ Bamidbar 12 7 Not so is My servant Moses; he is faithful throughout My house. Hashem does not communicate with Moshe through a dream. Rather, he speaks to Moshe “in a vision and not in riddles” (12:8). The word “ne’eman” can be translated as faithful, trustworthy, or trusted. What is the concept of “trusted throughout My house”? אבן עזרא במדבר יב:ז בכל ביתי נאמן הוא – טעמו: כבן ביתי הוא, שיכנס בלא רשות, ואם יצטרך ידבר צרכיו. ואתם, כאשר אתודע לכם בחלום תדעו, ואם לא אין לכם רשות לשאול. Ibn Ezra 12:7 HE IS TRUSTED IN ALL MY HOUSE. It means that Moses is, as it were, a member of My house. He enters without permission. If necessary he states his needs. However, in your case when I make myself known to you in a dream, then you are informed. If not, then you have no permission to ask. The Ibn Ezra interprets and explains the concept by way of analogy. A “ben bayit” literally translates to a “child of the house”, but refers to a person that is virtually a member of a household. A child enters their own house whenever they want. Guests require an invitation. A “ben bayit” comes by regularly without an invitation. Similarly, Moshe can “call” on Hashem at any time. Other prophets can only be called by Hashem. Moshe has a level of access to Hashem that is unrivaled by any other human being. אברבנאל במדבר פרשת בהעלותך פרק יב ועל זה אמר בכל ביתי נאמן הוא רוצה לומר שהוא רואה הפנימי והחיצוני וכל סדרי הדברים העליונים והתחתונים פתוחים לפניו והוא נכנס בכל הבית חדר בחדר ולא יעלם ממנו דבר Abarbanel 12 And this is what it means, “in all my house he is trustworthy”, that he is able to see both the outside and inside [of the house]. All the phenomena above and below our open in front of him. He can enter into any room of the house, and nothing is hidden from him. The Abarbanel expands on the analogy offered by the Ibn Ezra. What does it mean to be a member of Hashem’s household? It means that Moshe was familiar with the “inside and outside” of the house, both the upper world and lower world was open for him. He could inquire successfully into any area of knowledge. It is both breadth and depth of understanding possessed by Moshe that separates him from all other human beings. Despite this unique position, “the man Moses was very humble, more than any other person on the face of earth” (12:3). Perhaps it was his humility that played a role in his unique attainment. References Ibn Ezra, E., Strickman, H. N., & Silver, A. M. (1996). Ibn Ezra's commentary on the Pentateuch =: Perush ha-Torah : Numbers (Bamidbar). New York: Menorah Publishing Company, Inc. Retrieved from: https://mg.alhatorah.org/Full/Bemidbar/12.7#e0n6 Rosenberg, A. (1980). A new English translation of the Hebrew Bible text and Rashi, with a commentary digest. New York: Judaica Press. Retrieved from: https://www.chabad.org/library/bible_cdo/ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bentorah.substack.com