A thought on parshas Mishpatim
A Thought on Parshas Mishpatim
"...he'nei Anochi sho'le'ach malach le'fanecha..."
...behold I am sending an angel before you.." (23:20)
HaShem announces to Moshe and the nation that He will send an administering angel, a malach, to lead the people forward and into the Promised Land. HaShem stresses in the subsequent verses that we must take care to heed the guidance and attend to the voice of that Heaven-sent messenger or agent.
Why the angel? Who needed an angel to lead them? We had the loving protective eye of Moshe Rabbeinu. We had HaShem! What was the role, purpose or function of a malach?
The Rambam (Moreh HaNevuchim 1:64;2:7) writes that there is no question that our nation is led by HaShem. Our leaders are led by HaShem. The difference between us and them is that our holy leaders receive Divine inspiration, at times even ruach ha'kodesh, even prophecy. This is implicit in verse 21 which explains that "Sh'mi b'kirbo" - My Name is within him.
The leaders from Yehoshua and onward who guided our nation were directed by this Higher Presence. Their cognizance of the ratzon HaShem was catalyzed by what the Torah refers to as a malach, a Divinely inspired spiritual energy.
Moshe Rabbeinu, however, communed with the kol HaShem (see last week's parsha email). He did not apprehend the Divine plan by way of any energy or malach. In that sense, then, Moshe himself was a malach. He represented and communicated the Divine will without a catalyst or celestial energy.
According to the Rambam, our verse is explaining the nature of the prophetic phenomenon with which our early leaders guided us. Almost all of them were empowered by "malach". Moshe Rabbeinu was a malach. A prophetic leader's role was the malacha of Divine communication.
* * * * *
The Rosh writes that there are fine interpretations of our verse. However, he preferred the "very basic nice explanation" (pshat na'eh) which he heard from Rabbeinu Dan Ashkenazi (this is a Spanish rishon who communicated with the Rashba and others, and was known for his at times innovative approaches. Apparently, the Rosh met him when he fled to Spain in later life - see my introduction to parshas Bereishis in this year's email cycle.)
The "nice basic explanation" is that a navi - a prophet - is a malach. We find in Divrei Ha-Yamim II 36:16 that the prophets are referred to as angels. According to Rabbeinu Dan Ashkenazi, the words are synonyms. Anyone who acts according to the guidelines of the Divine, one who exemplifies the teachings of Torah and implements them with the masses, is serving a Divinely administered role. He becomes a malach in the sense that he is doing the malacha, the service of HaShem.
The Rambam views the verse as an explanation of the role communicated by a leader. The Rosh, drawing on the insight of his contemporary, views the verse as an explanation of the nature of the prophetic leader.
Good Shabbos. D Fox
"...he'nei Anochi sho'le'ach malach le'fanecha..."
...behold I am sending an angel before you.." (23:20)
HaShem announces to Moshe and the nation that He will send an administering angel, a malach, to lead the people forward and into the Promised Land. HaShem stresses in the subsequent verses that we must take care to heed the guidance and attend to the voice of that Heaven-sent messenger or agent.
Why the angel? Who needed an angel to lead them? We had the loving protective eye of Moshe Rabbeinu. We had HaShem! What was the role, purpose or function of a malach?
The Rambam (Moreh HaNevuchim 1:64;2:7) writes that there is no question that our nation is led by HaShem. Our leaders are led by HaShem. The difference between us and them is that our holy leaders receive Divine inspiration, at times even ruach ha'kodesh, even prophecy. This is implicit in verse 21 which explains that "Sh'mi b'kirbo" - My Name is within him.
The leaders from Yehoshua and onward who guided our nation were directed by this Higher Presence. Their cognizance of the ratzon HaShem was catalyzed by what the Torah refers to as a malach, a Divinely inspired spiritual energy.
Moshe Rabbeinu, however, communed with the kol HaShem (see last week's parsha email). He did not apprehend the Divine plan by way of any energy or malach. In that sense, then, Moshe himself was a malach. He represented and communicated the Divine will without a catalyst or celestial energy.
According to the Rambam, our verse is explaining the nature of the prophetic phenomenon with which our early leaders guided us. Almost all of them were empowered by "malach". Moshe Rabbeinu was a malach. A prophetic leader's role was the malacha of Divine communication.
* * * * *
The Rosh writes that there are fine interpretations of our verse. However, he preferred the "very basic nice explanation" (pshat na'eh) which he heard from Rabbeinu Dan Ashkenazi (this is a Spanish rishon who communicated with the Rashba and others, and was known for his at times innovative approaches. Apparently, the Rosh met him when he fled to Spain in later life - see my introduction to parshas Bereishis in this year's email cycle.)
The "nice basic explanation" is that a navi - a prophet - is a malach. We find in Divrei Ha-Yamim II 36:16 that the prophets are referred to as angels. According to Rabbeinu Dan Ashkenazi, the words are synonyms. Anyone who acts according to the guidelines of the Divine, one who exemplifies the teachings of Torah and implements them with the masses, is serving a Divinely administered role. He becomes a malach in the sense that he is doing the malacha, the service of HaShem.
The Rambam views the verse as an explanation of the role communicated by a leader. The Rosh, drawing on the insight of his contemporary, views the verse as an explanation of the nature of the prophetic leader.
Good Shabbos. D Fox
posted by Rabbi Dr. Fox at 7:47 AM
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