A thought on Parshas Be'halosecha
A Thought on Parshas Be'halosecha
"...u'temunas HaShem yabit..."
"...and Moshe can see a picture of HaShem..." (12:8)
HaShem demarcates the differences between the prophecy of Moshe and the visions of the other Seers of Israel.
When I was very young, I can remember one of my first Hebrew language words was "temuna" which means a picture. I also remember learning that the last thing we should even attempt to do is try and picture HaShem. Any such image is false.
The fact that Moshe Rabbeinu, whose prophetic gifts surpassed those of all others, is described as having such powers that he could "see a picture of HaShem" seems both theologically astounding, and, if anything, sets a limit, rather than raises to a zenith, the level or form of his ability!
The Rambam (Moreh HaNevuchim 1:3) writes that the word temuna takes on three possible meanings. It can refer to an imaginative thought, it can mean a fantasized image, or it can refer to that which is captured in the mind's eye when the intellect grasps the essence or truth of a concept or entity.
We would say, in English, "picture this notion" as a way of saying "just imagine this hypothetical idea." We can say, "picture yourself on a train in a station with plasticine porters with looking glass ties" and that would be pure fantasy where the sky's the limit. We can also say, "I have formed a mental picture" and this would refer to our having analyzed a concept so that it seems to crystallize in our intellect.
That latter use of the word temuna is what the Torah intends here. Moshe did not, of course, have an imaginary vision of HaShem. He did not fantasize about HaShem's appearance. Rather, his "picture" was his highly spiritualized intellect's appreciation for how brilliantly true are all of HaShem's ways and words. The Rambam closes with the notion that when the verse says that Moshe saw the picture, the "seeing" refers to the turning of all one's focus and concentration on the fathoming and analysis of this vivid truth.
The Rosh (Rabbeinu Asher ben Yechiel) ponders the meaning of seeing the picture of HaShem from another angle. He notes that in Shemos (33:18-20), Moshe has asked that HaShem reveal His glory, to which the Divine response is "you are not able to see My Presence."
Our verse says that Moshe could see the "picture of HaShem" yet the earlier verse says that he could not see the glory of His Presence. The Rosh clarifies that whereas Moshe Rabbeinu had acquired the level of understanding HaShem through aspaklaria ha'meira (as if looking into an illuminated mirror), this was not a permanent or constant quality. Rather, there were situations when his visions were more limited. This is known as the mirror that does not illuminate (aspaklaria sh'aina meira).
According to the Rosh, then, the verse highlights the prophetic prowess of Moshe by saying that he did not have the limitations of those whose visions were based on allegory and imagery. Nonetheless, his prophetic clarity did not extend to his grasp of the Divine. In his effort to apprehend the majesty of HaShem, he had a sense of the Sacred. That sense was the "picture" which he was able to see. It was a sense of the vastness and the majesty but, as is clear to us, not a vivid image or even a picture image. HaShem has no "essence." He is boundless and beyond our dimensionality and our most creative imagery.
Get the picture? Good Shabbos. D Fox
"...u'temunas HaShem yabit..."
"...and Moshe can see a picture of HaShem..." (12:8)
HaShem demarcates the differences between the prophecy of Moshe and the visions of the other Seers of Israel.
When I was very young, I can remember one of my first Hebrew language words was "temuna" which means a picture. I also remember learning that the last thing we should even attempt to do is try and picture HaShem. Any such image is false.
The fact that Moshe Rabbeinu, whose prophetic gifts surpassed those of all others, is described as having such powers that he could "see a picture of HaShem" seems both theologically astounding, and, if anything, sets a limit, rather than raises to a zenith, the level or form of his ability!
The Rambam (Moreh HaNevuchim 1:3) writes that the word temuna takes on three possible meanings. It can refer to an imaginative thought, it can mean a fantasized image, or it can refer to that which is captured in the mind's eye when the intellect grasps the essence or truth of a concept or entity.
We would say, in English, "picture this notion" as a way of saying "just imagine this hypothetical idea." We can say, "picture yourself on a train in a station with plasticine porters with looking glass ties" and that would be pure fantasy where the sky's the limit. We can also say, "I have formed a mental picture" and this would refer to our having analyzed a concept so that it seems to crystallize in our intellect.
That latter use of the word temuna is what the Torah intends here. Moshe did not, of course, have an imaginary vision of HaShem. He did not fantasize about HaShem's appearance. Rather, his "picture" was his highly spiritualized intellect's appreciation for how brilliantly true are all of HaShem's ways and words. The Rambam closes with the notion that when the verse says that Moshe saw the picture, the "seeing" refers to the turning of all one's focus and concentration on the fathoming and analysis of this vivid truth.
The Rosh (Rabbeinu Asher ben Yechiel) ponders the meaning of seeing the picture of HaShem from another angle. He notes that in Shemos (33:18-20), Moshe has asked that HaShem reveal His glory, to which the Divine response is "you are not able to see My Presence."
Our verse says that Moshe could see the "picture of HaShem" yet the earlier verse says that he could not see the glory of His Presence. The Rosh clarifies that whereas Moshe Rabbeinu had acquired the level of understanding HaShem through aspaklaria ha'meira (as if looking into an illuminated mirror), this was not a permanent or constant quality. Rather, there were situations when his visions were more limited. This is known as the mirror that does not illuminate (aspaklaria sh'aina meira).
According to the Rosh, then, the verse highlights the prophetic prowess of Moshe by saying that he did not have the limitations of those whose visions were based on allegory and imagery. Nonetheless, his prophetic clarity did not extend to his grasp of the Divine. In his effort to apprehend the majesty of HaShem, he had a sense of the Sacred. That sense was the "picture" which he was able to see. It was a sense of the vastness and the majesty but, as is clear to us, not a vivid image or even a picture image. HaShem has no "essence." He is boundless and beyond our dimensionality and our most creative imagery.
Get the picture? Good Shabbos. D Fox
posted by Rabbi Dr. Fox at 7:31 AM
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