Parshat Vaera  29 Tevet 5762, 12 January 2002

By Shlomo Riskin

The first two portions of the Book of Exodus contain at least three lengthy conversations between the Almighty and Moses. But what is especially strange is the kind of repetitions and even zig-zag nature of the dialogue. Three times Moses explains his reluctance on the basis of his "heaviness of speech": The first time, ". I am not a man of words, not yesterday and not the day before, for I am heavy of mouth and heavy of tongue" (Exodus 4:10); the second time, fully two chapters later, " And I have uncircumcised lips" (Exodus 6:12); and the third time, eighteen verses later "Behold, I have uncircumcised lips, so how can Pharaoh listen to me" (Exodus 6:30).

But stranger still are the two Divine responses of repair, the first of which seems to have been inexplicably rejected out of hand by Moses and the second seems to be alternatively offered, taken back and then offered again by G-d. When Moses initially explains that he is "heavy of tongue" and therefore limited in his powers of persuasion, the Almighty logically promises a cure for the speech impediment: "And the Lord said to him, 'Who places a mouth in a human body? Who makes a person mute or deaf or seeing or sightless? Is it not I, the Lord? And now go, (assume the leadership role), and I shall be with your mouth." (Exodus 4:11).

What better guarantee could Moses have received? Nevertheless, Moses rejects G-d's guarantee, requesting that He find another agent for His mission (Exodus 4:13).

The Almighty understandably becomes angry with Moses, but offers an alternate possibility: "Is it not that Aaron your brother the Levite I know to be a gifted speaker?. He will speak for you to the people and he will be for you as a mouthpiece; you will be for him as a judge (or as the symbol of the Divine morality) (Exodus 4:16). Moses appears to be satisfied with this compromise. And indeed it is Aaron (and not Moses) who speaks to the elders and presents special signs to the people, which instills faith and confidence in the hearts of the nation and inspires them to bow down and prostrate themselves " (Exodus 4:29)

However, this more public role of Aaron seems to be short-lived. The very next verse, which begins a new chapter, opens: "And afterwards Moses (first!) and Aaron came and spoke to Pharaoh." (Exodus 5:1) The conversation initiated by Moses and Aaron with Pharaoh failed. Not only are the Hebrews not allowed to spend three days in the desert but their workload is also increased.

The Almighty still guarantees the eventual exodus of the Israelites from Egypt; cataloguing the four expressions of redemption, and Moses (this time it is only Moses) conveys this message to the Hebrews, "who do not listen to Moses because of impatience and difficult service" (Exodus 6:9). It is at this juncture that Moses again complains about his inability to stand and speak at the forefront because of his "uncircumcised lips" (Exodus 6:12), to whom G-d responds by "speaking to both Moses and Aaron to command the Children of Israel and Pharaoh to take the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt" (Exodus 6:13). The genealogy of both is then presented, "they are Moses and Aaron" (Exodus 6:28) - with Moses before Aaron. Moses for the third time complains to G-d about his uncircumcised lips which prevent Pharaoh from listening to him (Exodus 6:30) - and G-d then repeats his past offer - which had obviously been taken back because it had never been put into effect - that Moses will be as the G-d (symbol of the Divine Ethic and Morality) to Pharaoh, but Aaron will be the spokesman. How can we possibly understand this repetitive plaint of Moses as well as the reluctance of the Divine to allow Aaron to truly be the public spokesman!

I believe the answer lies in our proper understanding of Moses' "heaviness of speech" - and the implications this has for a definition successful leadership. The Ralbag (Gershonides) suggests that in the verse, "And the Israelites did not listen to Moses because of impatience and hard service," (Exodus 6:9) the Torah is referring not to the impatience and hard service of the Israelites but rather to the impatience and hard service of Moses. Moses was on such an exalted and lofty spiritual level in terms of his close relationship with the Divine - after all, only he "spoke to G-d mouth to mouth" (peh el peh, Numbers 12:8) - that he had no patience to deal with the complaining, cantankerous and often small-minded Jews; he was so immersed in and exhausted by his difficult Divine service that he lacked the emotional energy to deal with the mundane dissatisfaction of the people.

I would suggest that one who regularly speaks to G-d naturally heavy- or serious - of speech; he has no time for small talk, no patience for picayune perturbances. He who speaks to G-d peh el peh will of necessity be a kvad peh- he can't be expected to be an omnipotent pastor, a public relations expert, a super salesman, or a successful fundraiser. Moses initial refusal, therefore, had nothing to do with false modesty, he was the "husband of G-d" (Deuteronomy 33:1, and to a great extent that cancelled out the possibility of his functioning as a populist leader. He was ready to convey to the people what they needed to know from G-d - but not necessarily what they wanted to hear. He was an uncompromising man of truth, who believed that "the Divine law must pierce the mountain, allowing the chips to fall where they may." Not even for the sake of peace, not even in the interest of educational development, would he be constitutionally able to sell his product in more palatable stages.

Aaron was the man of peace, the beloved and popular "people person" (B.T. Sanhedrin 6b). He was much "lighter of tongue," adept at the act of compromise. Moses - who certainly understood himself if he could so well understand the Divine secrets of the Torah - is ready to accept a position of prophet of the Divine if Aaron will serve as the public spokesman - leader. The Almighty Knows that this arrangement will never succeed. G-d knows it, tries to prevent it, endeavors to strengthen Moses to develop the necessary 'lightness of speech", encourages Moses to speak to Pharaoh and the Israelites even after he offers Aaron as a possibility - but G-d ultimately goes along with Moses' condition. "G-d leads us along the path we wish to follow." Despite all of the inherent difficulty, the prophet of G-d must still be the priest of the people. The man who speaks to G-d must find the way to convey the Divine ideals to people - even if it were in measured doses over time. People need to eat, dance and laugh with their supreme teacher-prophet; no partner - substitute can effectuate the change needed for redemption. Reliance on Aaron will lead not to a dance of Simhat Torah but rather the dance of the Golden Calf.

And so Moses dies with neither he nor a generation realizing their ideal and entering the Promised Land. That must wait for the next leader Joshua, a man who Moses understands must be "appointed by the Lord G-d of the spirits of all flesh as a man of the congregation, who will go out before them and come in before them, who will take them out and who will bring them in, so that the congregation of the Lord will not be as sheep without a shepherd" (Numbers 27:16, 17).

Shabbat Shalom.

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