Shira Smiles shiur 2025/5785
Adapted by Channie Koplowitz Stein
Moshe Rabbenu's love of Bnei Yisroel extends beyond his own life. As the time for his death approaches, Moshe is concerned that Bnei Yisroel will lack proper leadership after his death. Moshe asks Hashem to appoint a leader "who shall go out before them and come in before them... and let them not be like sheep without a shepherd." Hashem then told Moshe to take Yehoshua, "a man in whom there is spirit, and lean your hand upon him... You shall place meihodchah, some of your majesty, upon him..." Hashem wants Yehoshua to receive some, not all of Moshe's majesty.
It is this detail that led the Elders to state, "Moshe's face was like the sun, and Yehoshua's face was like the moon." The Elders then exclaimed, "Woe to the shame, woe to the disgrace." The Shivilei Pinchas asks how the commentators could denigrate Yehoshua by declaring that he did not achieve the greatness of Moshe. Further, asks Rabbi Weinberg zt”l in Shemen Hatov, how can one transfer one's majesty to another?
Rabbi Munk zt”l explains that the transference of majesty is analogous to the transfer of the flame from one candle to another. But they differ in that Yehoshua could not create any new order or new miracles, as did Moshe. Yehoshua's role was to reflect the light of Moshe as the moon reflects the light of the sun.
Where does this majesty come from? In Be'er Moshe, the Oshorover Rebbe zt”l, explains that this majesty is the light of Torah. The medrash tells us that when Bnei Yisroel accepted the Torah by proclaiming na'aseh v'nishma, the angels came down and crowned each member of Bnei Yisroel with two luminous crowns. But when they sinned with the golden calf and Moshe smashed the Tablets, Bnei Yisroel lost these crown, and Moshe absorbed their light. Thus Moshe absorbed a part of each member of Bnei Yisroel and could judge and teach each one with the particular clarity each needed. This is the light and clarity Moshe requested the next leader should have. It is the primal light of creation that is stored in the Torah, is stored in the tzadikim of every generation, and is at the head of every embryo until its birth. It is the light that allowed Adam, Moshe, and the Righteous to "see from one end of the earth to the other."
This is the hod, the glorious, majestic light and vision into the Torah that Moshe transferred to Yehoshua, writes the Be'er Moshe. This transference of light was done in public, before the entire congregation so that honoring Yehoshua would begin now. The Zekeinim, the Elders who knew Moshe Rabbenu as a young man, recognized that Moshe was already then on an exalted level that Yehoshua could not reach, and could therefore make that comparison. But the younger generation had no such knowledge and could not make that comparison.
On this point, Rabbi Ezrachi zt”l notes that the shame coming from the Elders was from the perspective that the newer generation, never really having known Moshe Rabbenu, had lower expectations of their leader than the previous generation. In spirituality, one must always aspire to reach greater heights. However high one has reached, there is always room for further growth. And we must each aspire to greater growth within ourselves as well.
We are each unique. Hashem created each of us with our own set of strengths, talents, circumstances and challenges. And we each have the ability to use it all to create ourselves as beautiful pieces of art who bring glory to our Creator. We each have His help in the process. But we must believe in ourselves, and we must begin each day with the confidence in our own ability, encourages us Rabbi Friefeld. zt”l [Indeed, the first short prayer we say every morning upon arising ends with the words, "Rabbah Emunasecha/How great is Your faith in me, reciprocal with my faith in You." CKS] As Rabbi Bachya zt”l reminds us, as cited by Rabbi Beyfus in Yalkut Lekach Tov, we are each judged independently, according to our own potential, not in comparison to anyone else. While Moshe had hoped his sons would inherit the mantle of leadership, Hashem chose otherwise, for Moshe's sons had not fully developed their potential, whereas Yehoshua had. Are we developing our potential?
This was specifically Yehoshua's greatness, notes Rabbi Sternbach in Taam Vodaas. He was the perfect reflection of Moshe, but, on the other hand, was he diminished because he did not develop his own personal innovation? But does that reflect on Yehoshua, or on the people of the generation? When the people are not fertile soil for growth, the leader himself will achieve only limited growth. The Elders were lamenting themselves as being less worthy than the previous generation.
Hashem showed Adam all of human history, every generation, and the leader of that generation would reflect the needs and the merits of that generation, writes Rabbi Menachem Zaks zt”l.
Moshe represented total spiritual perfection. Therefore, being unable to relate to the physical wishes of the people, to their desire for meat, for example, he realizes he can no longer relate to the people and lead them properly, writes Rabbi Yosef Salant zt”l in Be'er Yosef. Moshe would have given Yehoshua his full glory, but Hashem stops Moshe, for Bnei Yisroel is not on that level, writes the Shvilei Pinchas. Hashem gives every generation the leaders they need. While those leaving Egypt were worthy of a leader who spoke to God "face to face," [They themselves saw Hashem with such clarity that they could point to Him at the Red Sea and declare, "This is my God. CKS], this generation entering Eretz Yisroel was more physically oriented.
The name Moshe itself is a clue to Moshe's complete spirituality. When Pharaoh's daughter named him Moshe, she explained, "Ki min hamayim mishisihu, I have drawn him out of the water," alluding to drawing the child away from the physical pleasures represented by water.
Continues the Shvilei Pinchas, Moshe represented totally spiritual Torah, devoid of physicality, the Torah as studied in the desert where Hashem supplied all their physical needs, reflecting the innate light of Torah. But when Bnei Yisroel would enter Eretz Yisroel, they would need to enter the physical world for survival. The physical necessities have no sanctity of their own. However, when used in spiritual pursuits, to maintain one's health for Torah study and mitzvah performance, they gain the reflected sanctity Torah. Had Bnei Yisroel been worthy, they would have entered Eretz Yisroel with Moshe as their leader and inaugurated the Messianic Age.
What made Yehoshua so great? It was his love of wisdom, suggests the Sifsei Chaim. The Manchester Rav zt”l calls Yehoshua the ultimate Seeker of Torah knowledge. Yehoshua's devotion to Moshe, his unwillingness to miss a single moment of learning, is confirmed by his arriving early to set the benches for learning, his waiting at the foot of Mount Sinai not to miss a moment of Torah when Moshe would descend the mountain. It is important to pray for Hashem's help to attain wisdom, but one must do his own diligence and toil in Torah as well. In Sichot Mussar, Rabbi Shmulevitz zt”l takes it one step further. One must make himself a utensil capable of receiving the wisdom. One must be in a constant search.
When the Elders saw what Yehoshua achieved though being a seeker, says the Chofetz Chaim zt”l, they realized that had they had the same dedication, they too could have risen to those heights. The Be'er Yosef explains that they felt it was beneath their dignity to set up the benches, they had misjudged Yehoshua's greatness in doing so, and so the lost the opportunity for their own greatness. Their not working on acquiring Torah produced their own humiliation, adds Rabbi Beyfus. They had the opportunity but not the will to act.
How many opportunities do we squander because our will is not strong enough? In Ascending the Path, Rabbi Yaakov Hillel warns us not to be content with doing the minimum, with merely fulfilling our obligation as we perform the mitzvoth and study Torah. The deepest Geihinom/Hell is experienced when one realizes how much potential he had, how much he could have achieved, and regrets the opportunities he wasted.
We must grab the opportunity the moment we find it, or it will end up being too little, too late. We are certainly credited for what we did do, but we are still faulted for doing less than we could have accomplished, writes Rabbi Chasman zt”l in Ohr Yahel. Noach is credited with Hashem's promise never to destroy the entire world with a flood, but Yeshayah 53 still refers to the deluge as mei Noach, the waters of Noach, Noach's fault. While Noach brought sacrifices to Hashem after the flood, why did he not do so before the flood, and beseech Hashem to have mercy and not flood the world?
Yehoshua also reflected the humility of Moshe. Everything he taught, he always credited back to Moshe, writes Mishnas Yosef, never adding anything of his own. Only in retrospect did the Elders realize Yehoshua's greatness, that it was Moshe himself who was speaking through the voice of Yehoshua. This realization caused them great shame, similar to the shame Yosef's brothers felt when Yosef rebuked them for not realizing his righteous character when they sold him.
How often have we misjudged our friends, and even ourselves, not recognized the greatness within each of us? This is on us, our shame, for not recognizing the light and the power Hashem implanted in our souls. Let us work on letting our personal light shine forth in all the glory Hashem has invested in us.