Much of the weekly portion of Beha'alotcha details tragic errors committed by the Jewish nation, with the sin of slander, lashon hara, acting as the terrible conclusion to a sequence of sins.
The background of the story involves Moshe’s separation from his wife, as noted in the Midrash. During the episode involving Eldad and Medad, who prophesized in the Israelite camp, there was a comment heard and attributed to Moshe’s wife. She expressed concern about any individual who prophesized, as this would lead to a separation from his spouse. The Midrash explains that she was referencing her personal experience with Moshe, leading listeners to understand that the two were separated.
The Torah then recounts the incident of lashon hara, derogatory speech against a person (Bamidbar 12:1-2):
“Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses regarding the Cushite woman he had married, for he had married a Cushite woman.They said, "Has the Lord spoken only to Moses? Hasn't He spoken to us too?" And the Lord heard.”
At this point, the Torah isolates one of the famous traits of Moshe (ibid 3):
“Now this man Moses was exceedingly humble, more so than any person on the face of the earth”
After this, God enters the picture, condemning the actions of Miriam and Aharon.
Why does the Torah interrupt the flow of the story to let us know of this trait?
Ramban offers the following:
“[the purpose of the verse] is to tell us that God took up his cause because of his humility, for he would not react to a personal attack ever, even if he would know [about it].”
He continues with the interpretation of the Ibn Ezra:
“[Moshe] did not seek superiority over any person, nor was he haughty whatsoever about his exalted status, let alone with respect to his brother…”
Finally, Ramban cites the Sifrei:
“Rabbi Natan said: Even in the presence of Moshe [Miriam and Aaron] spoke against him…yet Moshe restrained himself regarding the matter. That is, [Scripture] mentions his humility [to tell us] he suffered [their insult in silence] and did not respond to them, and God took up his cause.”
What is the significant disparity between these three opinions?
There is one other question that should be asked concerning the above: why didn’t Moshe rebuke Miriam and Aharon? It is tempting to think the reason why would be due to his humility. However, there is a positive commandment to rebuke others when they commit any type of sin. In this case, it was clear there was a transgression. While it is true Moshe was the locus of the sin, he was also someone on a very high level, who could separate the personal from the objective. Why not rebuke them?
In the first opinion, Ramban notes Moshe would not respond to a personal attack. Why is this such a significant point? One of the greatest challenges any person faces is the acknowledgment that he or she is flawed. Using a mirror to view the inner self brings forth a wave of discomfort and insecurity. As compensation, we tend to create an image of ourselves that we want the world to see. The image is one of being perfect, lacking blemishes or defects.
This projection of self is what leads to a heightened sensitivity when the focus of lashon hara. The revelation of a potential flaw means there is a weakness in the persona, and this leads to the person feeling insulted and upset. The idea of Moshe’s humility, in this context, was that he had no image of perfection he tried to project. He understood as clear as possible who he was and had no fear of any type of self-reflection. Thus, he would not “respond” to any personal attack.
Ramban then mentions the explanation of Ibn Ezra. The focus here is how Moshe perceived himself in relation to others. Moshe obviously knew of his hallowed stature. He understood he was in a unique position, certainly in a place much different than the rest of humanity. However, he also understood that above all, he was no different intrinsically than any other person. Moshe may have been on the highest possible level, but he was not a different type of human. The lashon hara directed towards him came from a misunderstanding of his stature.
It is tempting to consider Moshe as some type of super-human, a qualitative distinction from the rest of humanity. To many, it was an accepted assumption (and arguably was the source of both the sin of the Golden Calf and the attack of Korach). Moshe, though, never saw himself as being anything other than a servant of God, like every other person.
What of the third opinion? It is interesting that within this understanding, Moshe is cognizant of the lashon hara, yet he “suffers” and does not respond. The idea of humility here could be tied to the above question of why Moshe did not rebuke his brother and sister. Aharon and Miriam were truly remarkable people, and Moshe must have had the greatest respect for them. After hearing what they had to say, it is possible that Moshe was profoundly effected by their attack.
Could there be truth to their words? Maybe there was a flaw that Moshe was not aware of. Introspection was necessary at that moment, to determine if there was validity to the accusation. To offer any sense of admonishment in that state of mind would ensure a distortion in the necessary rebuke. A sense of glee or delight that might be attached to the rebuke would be an undermining of the very objective of the commandment. Moshe’s humility was expressed in his willingness to turn inward and examine himself, removed from the temptation to admonish at all costs.
This would explain why Moshe did not rebuke Aharon and Miriam. According to the first way of learning, thought, we can assume there was a different reason. Successfully offering admonishment requires those on the receiving end to also be in the right state of mind. In this case, the attack on Moshe centered on his supposed “superiority” to his siblings. How could Moshe even consider admonishing them, as they would likely see his words as validating their (erroneous) view. Of course, he is telling them they erred! They would see it as condescending, leading to an inability to engage in any sense of repentance.
These explanations help shed light on how humility, in the eyes of the Torah, is not simply an idea of a “low view” of the self. Humility reflects the highest level of honesty and truthfulness, a view of the self that is in line with reality, not what the person wants to be. Moshe’s ability to see himself in such a way was a remarkable feature of his personality, and serves as a guide for all of us in how to see ourselves.
Rabbi Dr. Darrell Ginsberg is the Dean of Yeshivat Migdal HaTorah, a unique post high school yeshiva program located in Modiin