The 7th of Adar, the Hillula (anniversary of passing) of Moshe Rabbeinu

Moshe Rabbeinu – Ra’aya Meheimna (The Faithful Shepherd): The Secret of the 50th Gate and Infinite Humility

Moshe Rabbeinu, the greatest of prophets, continuously ascended until he reached the 50th Gate—a level beyond human perception and understanding. Through his wondrous humility, Moshe considered himself equal to every person and even lower than the masses. Precisely because of this, he merited to lead Israel and establish the Mishkan (Tabernacle). This article reveals the depth of Moshe's humility and the meaning of true Da’as (divine knowledge), as revealed in the teachings of Chassidus and the writings of the Tzaddikim.

These are the words of our teacher, the Rav, HaGaon HaTzaddik Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a, for the holy day of the Hillula:

It is written in Parshas Vayeilech, "And Moshe went" (Vayeilech Moshe). Where did Moshe go? Where is Moshe going? Moshe is going to be included in the 50th Gate; Moshe is going to be included in the "Nun" (50) Gates of Binah (Understanding). Moshe is going to ascend to the highest levels, and therefore Moshe said to them, "I can no longer go out and come in" (Deuteronomy 31:2). Rabbi Nachum of Chernobyl zt"l explains—Moshe Rabbeinu is now ascending to the 50th Gate, which is above the Sefirah (Divine attribute) of Chochmah (Wisdom); this is Atika Stima’a (the Hidden Ancient One)! This is above all intellect! Above all Da’as (knowledge)! And since Moshe is ascending to such a high level from which he will no longer be able to descend, he says, "I can no longer go out and come in."

Moshe ascended day by day until he reached the forty-nine gates—at that level, it was still possible to have some perception of him; it was still possible to see him with a veil. But now that he is going to reach the 50th Gate, when he is going to be included in the 50th Gate at the highest level, he will no longer be able to "go out and come in." People will no longer be able to have any perception of him! They won't even be able to see him with a veil! And he merited all of this through the "Ayin" (nothingness), through his humility, for it is impossible to ascend from level to level except through humility.

When Moshe wrote the Torah, he did not write it from memory or through Ruach HaKodesh (Divine Inspiration) alone. Rather, Hashem told him: "Now write the letter Bet of Bereishis," and he wrote a Bet. "Now write a Reish," and he wrote a Reish. "Now write an Aleph," and he wrote an Aleph. "Now write a Shin," and he wrote a Shin. "Now write a Yud," and he wrote a Yud. "Now write a Tav," and he wrote a Tav. And when he reached the word "Vayikra" (And He called), Hashem said to him: "Now write a Vav," and he wrote a Vav. "A Yud," and he wrote a Yud. "A Kuf," and he wrote a Kuf. "A Reish," and he wrote a Reish. "Now write an Aleph." Moshe said, "An Aleph I cannot write!" "What do you mean you cannot write? What happened to you? Write an Aleph! You already wrote the Book of Genesis for Me! You wrote the Book of Exodus! Suddenly you are being stubborn! Moshe, what happened to you?! Write an Aleph!" Moshe said, "I cannot write the Aleph of Vayikra, because that means You are calling me! Am I worthy that You should speak with me?! Am I worthy that You should call me?! Who am I that You speak with me! I am the zero of zeros! I am the worst of everyone!" "I cannot write 'Vayikra' (And He called); let it remain 'Vayikar' (And He happened upon) without an Aleph! Just as it is written regarding Bilaam, 'And Hashem happened upon (Vayikar) Bilaam.' Just as You speak with Bilaam, so You speak with me, because perhaps I am also a piece of Bilaam!?" The Baal HaTurim says that Moshe wanted to write only "Vayikar." Hashem said to Moshe, "Stop arguing! Write an Aleph!" Moshe said, "Fine, I will write an Aleph, but a small, small one. I will write a tiny Aleph."

Who is Moshe Rabbeinu? What is Moshe Rabbeinu? Moshe Rabbeinu is someone who is not willing to write the Aleph because Moshe truly held of himself his entire life that he was like Bilaam. Even during the dispute with Korach, Moshe held that he was Korach and Korach held that he was Moshe. Moshe went to Korach and asked for forgiveness: "Perhaps I hurt you?" He went to Dathan and Aviram and said, "Perhaps I didn't behave properly? I have come to ask for forgiveness." They said to him, "Now you come? Already the entire congregation is with us!" And Moshe did not even have a Minyan (quorum of ten) left. And truly, Moshe was permitted to think he was Bilaam because he was truly humble—that was his level! But those who think that Moshe is Bilaam, that he is some great sorcerer, Hashem have mercy, they all remain dead in the desert.

The Midrash Rabbah (Vayikra 15) says: "'And He called to Moshe'—from here you learn that any Torah scholar who lacks Da’as (knowledge/awareness), a carcass (neveilah) is better than him." What is called Da’as? What is Da’as? Da’as is called humility and lowliness of spirit. Da’as means that I am not worthy of anything. If a person thinks he is better than someone else, if he has even a single thought that he is better than someone, then "a carcass is better than him." Even Moshe Rabbeinu, the master of all prophets, who took Israel out of Egypt, performed the ten plagues and endless miracles, split the sea, brought the Torah down from heaven, and was in heaven without food or drink for 120 days—he says, "What did I do? Who am I at all? Did I... did I do anything at all? Hashem did it! I did nothing!" This was Moshe; this was the Da’as of Moshe. When Moshe learned Torah, he knew it was a gift from Heaven. When he ascended to Heaven and brought down the Torah, he knew it was a gift from Hashem. If a person does not have this Da’as, the Midrash Rabbah says that a carcass is better than him.

The "Metuk MiDvash" (Kabbalistic commentary) says that all the Tzaddikim built the Mishkan (Tabernacle). They rectified every detail and every limb, they performed Kavanos (mystical intentions) and Yichudim (Divine unifications) over every nail and every socket; over every point, they made unifications and intentions. But when they needed to connect the parts to erect the Mishkan, no part would connect to the other. So they said, "Moshe, what is happening here?" Moshe said to them, "There is no choice. You could try for a million years to erect the Mishkan and you won't succeed in connecting anything!" And this is what is written: "And Moshe erected the Mishkan." Only Moshe erected the Mishkan! No one besides him could erect the Mishkan! As soon as they handed him the parts... everything connected on its own! They just brought the parts to Moshe's hand, and every part and every thing entered on its own. The "Metuk MiDvash" says that the Tzaddik is above all concepts. It’s not just someone who prayed a lot, prayed well, or learned well, or went to the mountains and screamed to Hashem. Of course, through these things a person becomes a Tzaddik, but the essence of the Tzaddik, which is the aspect of Moshe, is something else entirely that cannot be grasped. It doesn't depend on prayers, it doesn't depend on study—it is something beyond all perception! Of course, one reaches this through Torah and prayer; first, one must know the entire Torah, pray all the prayers with the expiration of the soul, fainting at every single word—after that, a new spring opens! A new level! After that, a new Sefirah opens that no person in the world can perceive. And the Tzaddik, the aspect of Moshe, merits this only through humility and lowliness, only through "Ayin" (nothingness).

The Tzaddikim are forever alive and enduring. There is no such thing as Moshe Rabbeinu being dead; there is no such thing as Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai being dead; there is no such thing as the Arizal being dead; there is no such thing as the Baal Shem Tov being dead. The Tzaddikim never die! Moshe Rabbeinu is alive and enduring! He descends and is me'uber (spiritually intertwined) within all the Tzaddikim of the generations. Moshe can be me'uber in anyone. The more refined and holy a person is, the more he can merit the revelation of Moshe; he can merit that the soul of Moshe will be me'uber within him.

A Prayer for the Poor Man

Master of the World, Almighty One, from Whom no purpose can be withheld, grant me the merit to draw close to the True Tzaddik in truth with every single breath, and at every moment and second, and may I merit to see him face to face. Have mercy on us so that we may merit to believe in the true Tzaddikim always. Let our minds not be confused, and let our intellect and hearts not be twisted. Let us have no difficulty with them at all, even when their ways are very wondrous to us, to the point that questions and wonders fall upon us, and our brains become completely twisted and confused from the abundance of questions and wonders. Please, Hashem, let our sins not cause us to be distanced from them, for only our many sins are the screens that partition between us and the true Tzaddikim. May we only merit to perform a complete teshuvah (repentance) in truth, and through teshuvah, remove all the screens that partition between us and the Tzaddikim Yesodei Olam (Foundations of the World), who are in the ultimate state of humility and lowliness. Put into the hearts of the Tzaddikim that they should have mercy on us despite our sins, and that they should draw close to us in truth, so that we may be able to serve You with a perfect heart and a willing soul.