What happened when the fortieth day from Moshe’s ascent arrived? What deceived them into believing that Moshe was dead? The real reason they thought that Moshe was dead according to Rabbi Natan. Chidushim on Parshat Ki Tisa from the Gaon and Tzaddik Moreinu HaRav Eliezer Berland shlit”a
“They Don’t Understand Who the Tzaddik is!”:
When the Jewish people made the calf, they took the ox in the Merkava [the Divine “chariot,” a part of prophetic vision]. Like the Midrash Rabba says in Shemot, that they took the ox in the Merkava. The Ramban brings this Midrash, that they saw the Merkava, that along with the entire Merkava, the likeness of a lion, an ox, an eagle, and a human descended. And Hashem warned, saying, “I see that in the end, Moshe will be concealed from them, [and] they won’t know what happened to Moshe. Then their end will be to take that likeness [of the ox].” He came down with the four “animals” – the lion, ox, eagle, man. And Hashem said, “I see that their end will be to stumble in the likeness of the Merkava, that this is the likeness of the ox, which is the time of Mincha.”
Since he [Moshe] delayed and did not descend, the people gathered upon Aharon. Our Rabbis said that the Satan discovered his means. At that moment, [Moshe] appeared to be hanging in the heavens and the earth. They saw Moshe hanging in the heavens and the earth. Poor thing, he can’t move, and they’re pointing at him with their finger and saying, “This is Moshe the man… what happened to Moshe?” The Gemara in Shabbat says, and also there is Rashi in Shemot on “Boshesh – delayed,” that they are describing exactly what happened at that moment. The Jewish people were not such idiots that they would make in one moment the calf. In “Ki Tisa,” Rashi says “and it was that Moshe delayed in coming” – “delayed.” What is the meaning of “delayed”? When Moshe ascended Mount Sinai, he said to them that in another forty days I am coming. They counted the day that he ascended. But the day that he ascended, he only ascended; this was six hours — this didn’t count. I am coming within six hours, so they counted also the day that he ascended. Then the Satan came and said to them that forty days have already concluded. Then the Satan came and confused the world. It became darkness, gloom, voices, lightning, thunder. Moshe is no more; the world is going to be destroyed. Who sustains the world? Moshe Rabbeinu! It became darkness, gloom, confusion. He said, “Certainly Moshe is dead. You need to do something. Take the lion in the Merkava, the ox in the Merkava – you need to do something.”
Therefore, confusion came to the world. The Satan said to them that Moshe was dead, as the Gemara brings in Shabbat at greater length. Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said, “What is the meaning of what is written, ‘And the people saw that Moshe delayed in coming’? Do not say ‘Boshesh – delayed,’ rather ‘ba shesh – six comes’” – it will already be six hours from the afternoon – the time of Mincha. Therefore, Mincha is the numerical value of “Egel – calf.” Mincha is the time that man stumbled in the calf. Mincha is 103, Egel is 103. In Mincha, we rectify today the ox in the Merkava, we rectify the sin of the calf. And there by them, it turned into the exact opposite – the calf troubled them at the hour that Moshe “delayed” in coming. What did he [Moshe] say to Israel? “At the end of forty days, at the beginning of six [hours], I will come at the end of forty days.” The Satan came and confused the world. He made voices heard, lightning, so there would be gloomy darkness, a mixture of voices, thunder, lightning. That’s it! The end of the world. The world has ended – there’s no world. In a few more minutes, the world ends. If they don’t take hold of someone from the Merkava, some likeness from the Merkava, and make it king over them, the world will be destroyed. Like it is written about Lot. He thought that the world had been destroyed — that’s it! He’s compared to a block, like Adam HaRishon now. So Adam says, in any case, everything is destroyed. We’re finished – the end of the world. “Then at the end of forty days, the Satan came and confused the world, saying to them, ‘Moshe Rabbeinu, where is he?’” Where is Moshe? Where? Why hasn’t he come? The Satan speaks to them, comes in some likeness and began to talk to them. They say to him, “He ascended to the heavens.” They said to him, “What is this, ‘delayed’?” The Jewish people didn’t pay attention to him. They’re not like those who get confused in one second. They said to him, “Stop speaking nonsense. Moshe will come in a little bit.” He said, “[He’s] dead. I’m telling you that he’s already dead” They didn’t pay attention to him. Moshe could not die. There’s no such thing. He showed to him the likeness of Moshe’s bier. He showed them a funeral in heaven, the bier of Moshe, angels walking with candles. Then they said, “Because, this man Moshe…” So this that they saw the funeral in heaven, Rashi says that the Satan came and confused the world, and there was the likeness of darkness and gloom, a likeness of a cloud and mist and chaos. “Certainly Moshe is dead.”
The Amshinov asks: With all due respect to the Jewish people, that there really was chaos, darkness, mist, sounds, lightning, and thunder, and they argued with the Satan; they didn’t want to believe the Satan. The Satan showed them the funeral of Moshe Rabbeinu. But what is the meaning of “funeral” and could it be that the Tzaddik is dead? How is it possible to think that the Tzaddik is dead? Everyone had Ruach HaKodesh [the Divine spirit – e.g. prophetic powers]. They spoke to Hashem “face-to-face.” Where is their Ruach HaKodesh? People saw Hashem “face-to-face”; their contamination [from the primordial serpent] was terminated. Has such a thing been heard of that they did such a thing as to err after the calf? Even if we say that the mixed multitude caused them to stray, how is this relevant? Is it possible to confuse a person? The mixed multitude comes and says to you that Romus and Yamus, the sons of Bilam, have arrived. Is it possible to become confused because of this? How is it possible to understand this?
However, this, Rabbi Natan says, is the mistake here: That we never know the greatness of the Tzaddikim! We have no concept at all of the greatness of the Tzaddikim! [We think that] maybe the Tzaddik is a person with hands, feet, a nose, eyes, a mouth. Perhaps he walked there in deserts and meditated. So? He meditated in deserts. So since he meditated in deserts, it’s possible to understand. Also myself, if I had walked around for eighty years there, I would also have received prophecy. This isn’t a joke. He fled from Pharaoh, went around there in deserts for decades, so Hashem revealed Himself to him. Hashem also revealed Himself to Bilam. What’s the problem? If I go and meditate now, I will also receive Ruach HaKodesh like that. Every Jew who goes to meditate eighty years will receive Ruach HaKodesh. Is there something unique here? So a person walked around in deserts, and Hashem revealed Himself to him. One day he abstains from the pleasures of this world. He doesn’t eat, doesn’t drink; only eats grass. Then he begins to prophesize – this is something simple.
So Rabbi Natan says that the entire thing is that we see that we have no concept of what the Tzaddik is. The Tzaddik is among us; the Tzaddik is a person with eyes, with feet. He merited that Hashem would speak with him, went about in deserts. But who is the Tzaddik? What is the meaning? How he was born! How he came down [to this world] – from which Sefirot [Divine emanations] he descended! True that he had to undergo everything that every person goes through – he must go through this. He has to go through it in a blink of an eye what everyone [else has to go through]. But he passes through it in a blink of an eye! He doesn’t enter [into it] for a single second! He doesn’t enter any thought! He doesn’t enter into any looking [at this world]. This world for him is not even the blink of an eye!!
The shiur went through editing, and if an error occurred, it’s not to be attributed to Moreinu HaRav shlit”a, but to the writer.
Picture courtesy of R’ Yehoshua Wiseman:
www.yehoshuawiseman.com
