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.


Why in the verse is "aish-das," (fiery-law) written as one word? Sometimes out of love, a father will act in a way that appears fearsome and awful. However, the end goal is to achieve harmony, tiferes, which is the middle pillar that balances the extremes of love and fear. Looking at the diagram of the sefiros, tiferes is directly descended from daas, which likewise connects the opposite extremes of intellect and emotion. It is through this harmonizing middle pillar that G-d's essential name Havayeh is is most revealed. Although there is a time for severity (aish), it must be joined with harmony (das/daas), lest we tilt the scale toward severe decrees.

May we all see the revelation of complete harmony in this world and among all the worlds, with the coming of our righteous Moshiach, speedily in our days!

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