בס״ד

Thursday, November 14, 2013

Why Moshe Rabbeinu, Not Moshe Avinu?

Although a teacher is considered like a father (Sanhedrin 119b), and so we have an aspect of Moshe inside all of us, our primary relationship with Moshe is that of a teacher.

When we relate to a "father," it is an expression of closeness and it awakens the father's affection towards the children. With a teacher, however, we are taught that our awe of a teacher must be like the awe of Heaven (Pirkei Avos 4:12). This relationship is expressed in the verse, "From His right hand, a fiery law" (Dev. 33:2). "His right hand" - this is chesed, G-d's love for us, since the right side is associated with kindness and love. "A fiery law" - fire indicates gevurah, or awe and fear, which is how we received the Torah from Sinai, through Moshe Rabbeinu.