Why Was Moses Afraid to Gaze at G-d?

1. Class Description:

The ‘inauguration’ of Moses occurs in this week’s Torah portion—not on the White House lawn in front of two million people—but with Moses alone at a thorn bush in a desolate desert. From amidst a burning bush, G-d appoints Moses as His man to set the Israelites free.

Yet the Sages tell us that exactly at this moment Moses forfeited a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. G-d offered to reveal to Moses the greatest revelation of all; G-d offered to answer for Moses the most unanswerable of questions: The mystery of human suffering. The greatest minds, and the greatest believers, have grappled with this throughout history to no avail, yet Moses unequivocally refused the once-in-a-universe chance.

Why?

The answer sheds light on the true meaning of leadership, and on the depth of Moses’ relationship with the Jewish people.

The bush that burns and is not consumed does so for only one reason; that is because the bush burns with the inner light, that light which Hashem has to awaken within Moshe in order for him to fulfill his task of saving the Jewish people.

What we are taught by this is that the outward appearances can never replace our inner awakening because this awakening is to unify with Hashem.

This has been our purpose since Moshe is there at the bush. We must remember with Torah that time does not exist in that Moshe is still there at the bush contemplating all that Hashem has been telling him. It is up to us to offer our insights so that in a sea of possibilities Moshe may always choose the right way. Ironically even though we draw strength from Moshe it is also true that Moshe draws strength from our contemplations.

Just because Moshe turned his face doesn't mean that we must do the same thing. You see Hashem plays these stories for us in order that we may open doors that have never been open.

Where is that bush today? Still there and yes still here in our hearts because our passion for Torah causes that bush to burn from within and yes by the light of that inner fire we may all be one with Hashem.

A king was traveling one day with two sons. The trail led up and the trail led down. The sons each took the opposite way while the King remained at the crossroads. Sometime later the sons return and the King asks:

"So nu. What did you find out? The son who took the lower path said:

"I came to river. It was shallow and I crossed. The path from the river then began going rising until it brought me back here."

The son who took the high road said:

"I came to the edge of the top of a mountain. A bridge ran between the side I was on and another mountain. I followed the bridge and it gradually led downward until I came back here to this crossroads."

The King said. My sons you did well today for when Hashem sends us on our way it is torah that leads us back always to where we are meant to be.

The sons cried and embraced their father the King eventually retracing their steps down into the valley where their castle lay amongst a thousand rose bushes.

Moshe is given his direction. It is the direction that the Jewish people must follow for all of their love of Hashem. He turns away from Hashem for his steps must always follow in Hashem's footsteps. If Moshe were to know Hashem's thoughts he would not be able to lead the Jewish since they had to be led by a man making the connection between heaven and earth, between high road and low road, between river and mountain and at last settling amidst the beauty that Hashem has prepared for us to call our home.

It is a great shiur?
Thank you vary much.

I AM A JEW BUT I WOLUL LIKE TO BE GOOD IN DISHKAIT HELP ME PFASE I AM BORN IN ARGENTINA NOW I AM IN JERUSALEM.sergionovik@yahoo.com

who does your piano music? where can I buy a copy of the cd?

its a great shiur!
The video is very choppy... wasn't able to listen to it all smoothly.

I enjoyed very much. every week I download mp3 and listen in the car, this week b"h I had the time to watch the podcast which is great. Keep up the good work what you are doing is very meaningful and gives many people chayus in avodas hashem!!!

אולי בגלל העומס על האתר בשעות שבארה"ב מתחברים גם.

אתמול היה קשה מאוד כל הזמן ניתוקים קצרים עד שחוזר חזרה. ואין אצלי שום בעיה עם האינטרנט גם לא בדברים כבדים כמו זה.
בכל מקרה תודה רבה
השיעור הפעם מיוחד ביותר בפרט שהוא מתאים לנו השלוחים לחזור עליו בשבת מברכים שבט לקראת י' שבט

Questions and Exercises:
1. Why was Moses scared to gaze at G-d?
Moses had been curious about the burning bush and the voice that called him. Suddenly he realized that it’s G-d… who left his people with unfulfilled promises and did not protect them from genocide and other suffering… You know, when people do something wrong with me or I know something bad about them I cannot look at their eyes, I feel shame as if it is my fall not theirs. (Not sure if it is suppression, projection and empathy at work but defiantly not fair). He was not fair to stand for innocent people, he couldn’t be afraid to be in front of Accuser or Judge also. The only fair he might have was to become like G-d and lose foundation as a human being and to separate himself from his people. (Faust would never be able to understand him…)
2. Why did G-d choose Moses as the leader of Israel?
Who forgot the answer please consult with Rabbi YY Jacobson’s class “The most Powerful Person, the Most Humble Person" on August 17, 2009.
What is the common feature of all the vignettes the Torah shares with us about Moses?
He never “stood silently in a presence of injustice”.
3. How do you deal with the Question of all Questions: Why do good people suffer?
None of our rationalization and intellectualization can bring universal answer to this question. Looking at the problem from our perspective we would never find an answer because there is no exculpating for suffering unless we low value of human life.
4. What is the response of the atheist to this question?
Either they “don’t know and don’t care” or they don’t need exculpating of the world that doesn’t have to have justice from the very beginning.
What is the response of the believer?
“LUKOS, LUKOS…” from time to time.
…
5. What was the meaning of G-d’s words to Moses from amidst the burning bush: “I am the G-d of your father?”
Should I repeat all his promises that have been listed so many times under His name since then? Hopefuly we will soon find it with all items checked out.
Why did Moses hide his face?
He took off his shoes but refused to put on G-d’s ones.
6. What was/is the most painful experience of your life?
Life by itself is the most painful experience. When I was born I couldn’t stop crying for several weeks or monthes(not remember exactly). And it was not simple huffing- puffing cry: it was almost 24 hours per day hysterics…
How did/do you deal with it?
My nanny, simple Kozack woman from a small Kuban village, gave me a taste of “an earthy food”; she taught me how to enjoy BORSCHT…
How did/does it affect your relationship with G-d?
His Borscht is a little bit spicier but appreciation of it comes to those who had been, is, and always continue of being trained…

Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan (z'tl) posed the question, "If you were G-d how would you run the world?" The answer: exactly the same way because if you were G-d you would know what G-d knows and why things are the way they are.

Rabbi,

I like the glasses, are they new?

R. Jacobson,

Great insight. My question:

The fact that Moses asked later on to see G-d's face means that he changed his mind? That he could not tolerate anymore the question of Why?

This seems to be a fact of life, that there is so much we can endure and we get exhausted along the way.

להרב יוסף יצחק יעקובסון שליט"א

שלום וברכה !

שמעתי ז"ע חלק מהשיעור שלך על פרשת שמות והיה מאד מרגש. הרעיון מאד מקורי ועמוק.

בזמן השיעור עלו כמה הערות שאולי תמצא בהם ענין.


א. כתוב במדרש מובא בחזקוני "ומשה היה רעה צאן" שכל פעם שכתוב "היה"
הכוונה שעולם חדש ראה, עי' שם.

שהרי לחיות הכוונה להתחדש. וכתוב ויחנו ויסעו וחוזר חלילה, וכאן החל שלב חדש בחיי משה למה ?

אלא כיון שלא רצה להביט אל אלוקים וכו'.



ב. ידוע שמשה היה גילגול של הבל. וחטאו של הבל היה שהציץ במקום שאין להציץ
עי' באגרא דכלה דף נט שמבאר שזה הענין של "בהיותם בשדה" הציץ "בחקל תפוחין".
ולכן משה נהג צאנו אחר המדבר במקום שאינו ראוי לזריעה, לתקן את חטאו של הבל.

ואולי על ידי שמשה לא הביט אל האלוקים תיקן את החטא הזה.


(להעיר שעולם חדש ראה לכאורה היפך הענין של גילגולו של הבל שהרי קשרו לעבר ? אך האמת דוקא על ידי תיקון הגילגול מתחיל ורואה עולם חדש ודו'ק)

ג. עי' באר מים חיים ששואל למה כתב "מהביט" ולא "להביט" והסביר שחשש
להביט יותר מידי. אולי זה הכוונה להביט לעומק הענין של הנהגת העולם כנ"ל.

ד. עי' תפארת שלמה בפרשת ויחי ובפרשת כי תשא שמבאר באריכות שהנסיון היה
לסלק מחשבותיו ממדת הדין והצרות שעם ישראל עבר במצרים. (ומבאר שגם כך היה במתן תורה אצל הצדיקים "פן יהרסו אל ה' לראות" שיהרסו בגימטריא גבורה ואדנ-י). ועי'
שם. וכתב לכן מיד כששאל למה הרעת מיד ה' אמר עתה תראה כמאמר חז"ל וידבר אלקים אל משה. עי' שם.

ה. עי' במדרש (ש"ר פ' ב') אין הקב"ה מעלה את האדם לגדולה אלא אם כן בחנו
תחלה שנאמר ה' צדיק יבחן". ובפשטות הבחינה היתה על מרעה הצאן אך אולי גם נכלל הזה הנסיון להביט על מדת הדין.

יש עוד כמה נקודות ועוד חזון למועד.
שבתי סלבטיצקי

Forgive me for my ignorance regarding Lubavitch minhag vis a vis commemorating yartzheits- Will Rabbi Jacobson be giving a shiur or leading a farbrengen in Brooklyn (or anything of the sort) in honor of the Alter Rebbe's yarzheit?
If so, can you please let me know when and where?
Thank you very much!
Gut Shabbos,
SK (sallyforty@gmail.com)

Baruch HaShem

HaShem's way is mystery, as you said. But one thing became clear about my mental illness. I became schizophrenia 16 years ago. Because of the illness, I split with my ex-Jewish boyfriend. It was devastating. But now, as I met Chabad Lubavitch, which would not have occured if I were continuing to be with the ex-boyfriend, I realized the illness was necessary procedure for eventually arriving the proper destination.

Baruch HaShem

Thank you for being with us who do not understand the reason for our suffering.

Baruch HaShem

I am in middle of watching your video on Moshe at the Sneh and I felt compelled to pause it and write to you that the crux of this Shiur I saw in the Bas Ayin on Shemos that I recently bought.
The Bas Ayin explains the Pasuk, Vateisatzav Achoiso Meirachok La'Deah Mah Yei'aseh Lo."

He writes that When Klal Yisrael descended into Galus the main aspect which became submerged in exile was the bechina of daas. As we know Daas is an amalgamation of Kindness and Severity. Yaakov Avinu's defining characteristic was Tiferes which in itself is a combination of kindness and severity. For this reason Chaal tell us that all the while bthat Yaakov was physically alive the Jews had not descended into exile. Once they lost their connection to Daas to bridging Kindness and Severity and making it one then the exile officially began.

He then quotes the Zohar which says that the purpose of creation is for us to look at this world with all of its seeming severity and find and activate that dormant sense of goodness that is submerged within it. The Zohar says that all G-d wants is notwithstanding all the seeming hardships that we should look at Hijm and say He is a G-d of mercy and compassion. When you have someone strong enough to look through the facade and see the essence of what is at play it was worth the creation of the world for that person.

He continues to discuss various hints of the existence of Shem Mem Beis in creation. He says, "V'eileh Shmos Bnei Yisrael Haba'im Mitzraimah..." V'eileh is the numerical value of 42 which refers to the Shem Mem Beis. Ma'aseh Bereishis too is Roshei Teivos Mem Beis. Other Seforim over Chanukah I saw that Bimei Mattisyahu as well as Bimei Mordechai are both Roshei Teivos Mem Beis. The Shem Mem Beis represents the bechina of Daas in this world; it represents our ability to look at evil and see the good and that is the key to redemption.

I did not finish goi ng through the piece but much of it resembles the point that you have been bringing out thus far in the Shiur.

Thanks. Wonderful!!!