Moses' Transformation to Israel's Greatest Teacher

Parashat Devarim is almost always read in the days leading up to Tisha B'Av. It contains Moses' final words of rebuke to the people of Israel, delivered shortly before his passing.

Offering rebuke is a true art. One must know whether it should be given at all, when it should be given, and how it should be expressed. Although Moses rebuked the Jewish people, he did so with remarkable sensitivity, speaking only through subtle allusions. As Rashi comments at the beginning of the parashah, he "reminded them of their sins only by hinting at them, out of respect for Israel."

The Book of Deuteronomy is essentially Moses' farewell address, in which he reviews the nation's history and the laws of the Torah. The Midrash draws attention to a fascinating contrast. At the beginning of Moses' mission, when God first sent him to redeem Israel, he refused, saying: "I am not a man of words, neither yesterday nor the day before, nor since You have spoken to Your servant, for I am slow of speech and slow of tongue" (Exodus 4:10).

Yet here, at the end of his life, Moses delivers one of the most remarkable speeches in history: "These are the words that Moses spoke to all Israel..."

The transformation from "I am not a man of words" to the powerful orator of the Book of Deuteronomy is extraordinary.

The Midrash explains: "'These are the words that Moses spoke...' Rabbi Tanchuma said: To what can this be compared? To a merchant selling purple cloth who would cry out, 'Fine purple cloth for sale!' The king heard him and summoned him. 'What are you selling?' asked the king. 'Nothing,' the merchant replied. The king said, 'I heard you announcing your purple cloth, and now you say you have nothing?' The merchant answered, 'My lord, it is indeed fine purple cloth, but compared to what belongs to the king, it is as nothing.' So too with Moses. Before the Holy One, blessed be He, who created speech itself, Moses said, 'I am not a man of words.' But when speaking to Israel, the Torah says, 'These are the words that Moses spoke.'"

Knowing When to Speak and When to Be Silent

The Sages compare Moses to the merchant of purple cloth. When the merchant stands before ordinary people, he proudly advertises his precious merchandise. He knows he possesses something valuable, something worth offering.

But when he stands before the king, everything changes.

Compared to the king's immense wealth, his own merchandise suddenly seems insignificant. What once appeared valuable now feels like nothing at all.

The same was true of Moses.

At the beginning of his mission, standing before the Creator of heaven and earth, Moses' profound humility caused him to feel utterly insignificant. "I am not a man of words," he said. Faced with the greatness of God and the enormity of his mission, Moses could only ask, "Who am I? I am not worthy."

The "purple cloth" he possessed seemed worthless in comparison.

Yet God entrusted him with the mission nonetheless. Moses devoted himself entirely to it, reaching the point where his own personality became completely subordinate to the Divine mission. His own desires disappeared in the service of God's will.

A Man of Words

Now, at the end of his life, Moses stands before the people of Israel as "a man of words."

He knows that he carries the most precious treasure imaginable. He knows he has something of immeasurable value to offer because he is transmitting the Torah itself.

Moses does not place himself at the center of the story. Instead, he places the Jewish people before the Torah and before God. Only then does he become "a man of words."

Not because of his own greatness, but because of the greatness of the message he is delivering. That is why he can rebuke the nation.

The Midrash continues: "The Holy One, blessed be He, said: See how beloved the language of Torah is, for it heals the tongue. As it is written, 'A healing tongue is a tree of life' (Proverbs 15:4), and the 'tree of life' is none other than the Torah, as it says, 'It is a tree of life to those who hold fast to it' (Proverbs 3:18). Reish Lakish said: We need not learn this from another verse. We can learn it from Moses himself. Before he merited the Torah, it is written, 'I am not a man of words.' Once he received the Torah, his tongue was healed, and he began to speak."

Beyond the simple meaning that Torah possesses healing power, the Midrash completes the picture.

By himself, Moses was not a man of words, especially when standing before the Master of the Universe. But as the messenger of God's word, Moses became one of history's greatest speakers because he was no longer communicating his own thoughts. He was conveying the words of God.

The Secret of True Rebuke

Moses knew when to embrace the attitude of "I possess precious merchandise" and when to say, "I have nothing."

When he stood before God pleading for forgiveness after the sin of the Golden Calf, he minimized the people's guilt. In effect, he argued, "Do the Jewish people truly believe this calf is a god? Certainly not. They know You alone are God. This was a terrible but isolated failure."

Yet when he stood before the people themselves, he spoke very differently: "You have committed a great sin."

The message depended entirely on whom he was addressing.

When we have no choice but to rebuke someone, this lesson becomes invaluable.

If the person being corrected senses that the rebuke is mixed with ego, pride, or personal motives, it is unlikely that he will be open to hearing it.

But when he recognizes that the words are free of self interest, that they are spoken purely for the sake of truth, he is far more likely to accept them with an open heart.

Standing Between Heaven and Earth

Like Moses, every person stands in the middle.

Each of us lives between two realities: our relationship with God and our relationship with the world around us.

Within every individual there are also two opposing dimensions: the elevated, Godly soul breathed into us by our Creator, and the ordinary physical body through which we live.

When a person stands before God, and before the Divine soul within, all self importance fades away. Man is but dust and ashes. He is "not a man of words." He has nothing to boast about and nothing to sell. "What are we? What is our life?"

Yet it is precisely through losing this sense of self importance before God that a person gains the strength to stand before the world.

Only then can he confront his lower nature, stand against his evil inclination, and become, in the truest sense, "a man of words."

And if he cannot yet rebuke others, he can at least begin by honestly rebuking himself.