The Secret of Bizyonos (Humiliation): How Moshe Rabbeinu Attained the Level of "Mouth to Mouth"
Class No. 93 | Motzaei Shabbos Parshas Behaaloscha, Eve of 17 Sivan 5757 - Melaveh Malkah (post-Shabbos festive meal) for donors at the Rav's house in the Old City (Continued in No. 94)
According to the teachings of Rabbi Pinchas of Koretz, a person cannot attain a new spiritual level without undergoing bizyonos (humiliation) that completely nullifies his sense of self. Through the Torah portion of Miriam and Aharon speaking against Moshe, we discover how specifically the greatest humiliation, coming from those closest to him, is what enabled Moshe Rabbeinu to write about his own greatness in the Torah with absolute humility and to attain the highest level of prophecy.
People who join the community and suffer bizyonos (humiliation) for the step they have taken must know that there is an enormous reward for their toil and the shame they endure. Rabbi Pinchas of Koretz teaches a fundamental principle: A person cannot attain any new level, neither in spirituality nor in materiality, without first being humiliated.
Every new level is an aspect of a new creation, "something from nothing," and to merit it, a person must first nullify his "something" (his ego). Since the world is recreated anew every single second, it is impossible to advance without experiencing lowliness. Either a person will humble himself, or someone else will come and humiliate him. This is the secret of the verse, "He lowers the proud and raises the lowly" — this actually refers to the very same person. First, he must lower his pride, because a human being is filled with infinite arrogance, especially when he is successful. Every success threatens to plunge a person into arrogance, and therefore he needs a bizayon (humiliation) to immediately strip away the gross materiality of that success.
The Secret of Moshe Rabbeinu's Humility
The only individual about whom the Torah testifies that he was completely clean of pride is Moshe Rabbeinu, as it is stated:
"Now the man Moshe was exceedingly humble, more than any person on the face of the earth."
For Moshe, every movement, every utterance, and every letter were expressed with absolute humility. In Parshas Behaaloscha, the Torah tells us about Miriam and Aharon speaking against Moshe. Seemingly, why was this episode even written? The truth is, if Miriam and Aharon had not spoken against Moshe, we would never have received this entire precious passage, which reveals the full extent of Moshe's greatness. Hashem testifies about Moshe:
"Mouth to mouth I speak with him, in a clear vision and not in riddles, and he gazes upon the image of Hashem."
Moshe Rabbeinu is "the mouth of Hashem," as the Rambam writes in his Seventh Principle of Faith. He does not utter a single sound from his mouth nor make the slightest movement unless Hashem instructs him to. Every word he speaks is the direct speech of Hashem. He sees Hashem face to face at every moment.
Why did Aharon and Miriam speak?
The question arises: What merit did Miriam and Aharon have that their sin produced an entire passage in the Torah for us? After all, such great tzaddikim are completely clean of sin. The answer is that Hashem orchestrated this entire sequence of events so that Moshe could attain new spiritual levels.
Throughout history, people have tended to disrespect their leaders. Korach, for example, tried to convince the nation that Moshe had started saying strange things. He mocked mitzvos like techeiles (blue thread) in tzitzis or the mezuzah — asking why one should place a holy parchment inside the concrete of a house's gateway, where gentiles or criminals might vandalize it. Korach made a mockery of Moshe to make it seem as though the leader was inventing bizarre laws. But with Miriam and Aharon, the story was completely different.
To understand what happened there, we must return to the prophecy of Eldad and Meidad. The holy Arizal explains that Eldad and Meidad were prophesying in the camp, crying out: "Moshe will die, and Yehoshua will bring [the nation into the Land]." The Baal HaTurim brings a hint to this in the Hebrew word "misnabaim" (prophesying), which forms an acronym: Moshe Tanuach Nafsho B'Gan Elokim, Yehoshua Machnis (Moshe's soul will rest in the Garden of God, Yehoshua will bring them in).
Imagine what happens when people shout in the camp that the leader of the generation is going to die. It is a terrible shock. (Just as it happened once when someone dared to issue a halachic ruling that implied disrespect toward Rav Shach zt"l, and immediately yeshiva students arrived and pelted him with eggs and tomatoes, because one cannot remain silent when a leader is attacked). When Yehoshua heard this prophecy, he was horrified and wanted to imprison them, for this was surely a rebellion against the crown! But Moshe, in his profound humility, simply said: "Would that all of Hashem's people were prophets."
The Pure Intention of Aharon and Miriam
When the entire nation of Israel, six hundred thousand strong, heard the prophecy of Eldad and Meidad that Moshe was going to die, the whole camp went out of their minds with worry. Aharon and Miriam also heard this and were terrified. They thought to themselves: "If a person dies, it is a sign that he committed some flaw. Why else would Moshe die?"
They did not know the deep secret behind Moshe separating from his wife at Mount Sinai. They assumed that his flaw was precisely this—that he had abandoned his wife. After all, there is no greater sin than causing pain to one's wife, the wife of his youth who had saved him from prison in Midian and cared for him for ten years. Therefore, Miriam and Aharon did not speak against Moshe out of malice; rather, they wanted to save his life! They were struck with the terrifying realization that their brother was going to die, and they sought a way to offer him advice so that he might live. But Moshe never expected them to speak about him or offer him advice on how to live. It was simply none of their business.
The Bizayon that Enables the Level of "Mouth to Mouth"
Herein lies the deepest secret, as Rabbi Pinchas of Koretz explains. Hashem knew that Moshe Rabbeinu had to write this very passage in the Torah himself. He had to write about himself that he is "the mouth of Hashem," that he sees Hashem face to face, and that he is the most humble of all men.
How can a person write such immense things about himself without having any thought of pride? Only someone who can write such things about himself without feeling anything is truly humble.
In order for Moshe to be able to write, "Mouth to mouth I speak with him" without any thought of pride, he had to enter a new level of humility. And for this, he had to undergo this terrible test—that his brother and sister, the people closest to him, those who accompany him and see all the miracles eye to eye, would be the very ones to speak against him and criticize him.
Only through this terrible disgrace and humiliation did Moshe Rabbeinu merit to receive this new level of humility and lowliness. From here we learn the power of bizyonos (embarrassments): Every disgrace a person receives opens a doorway for him to entirely new levels, until he ultimately merits the level of "Mouth to mouth I speak with him."
Part 2 of 2 — Lesson No. 93
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