Parshas Matos-Maasei 5786
- Torah Tavlin
- Jul 10
- 2 min read
Updated: Jul 16
וידבר משה אל ראשי המטות לבני ישראל לאמר זה הדבר אשר צוה ה' ... (ל-ב)
Rashi highlights a fundamental distinction between Moshe Rabbeinu’s prophecy and that of all other Nevi’im. While every other Navi conveyed Hashem’s word with the expression of "כה אמר ה'", Moshe spoke with "זה הדבר". What is the significance of these two terminologies? Furthermore, why is it emphasized here, next to the Parsha of Nedarim only at the end of ספר במדבר?
The Gemara (Sanhedrin 89a) teaches that no two true prophets relay Hashem’s message in precisely the same words. This is because a Navi receives a divine message through a prophetic vision, which they then interpret and communicate to the people. Every person comprehends and expresses things differently, for example, one person’s definition of a “rich man” depends on his own finances, and someone who naturally exaggerates may describe a well-to-do person as a billionaire. Accordingly, the Navi’s given message would reflect his particular understanding and manner of speech. Therefore, if two Nevi’im speak precisely the same words, it indicates that they are false prophets. The sole exception to this rule was Moshe Rabbeinu. Unlike all other prophets, Hashem spoke through Moshe’s throat, and the words that emerged were transmitted exactly as they were spoken from the Almighty, without being filtered or interfered through Moshe’s own interpretation.
R’ Yaakov Kamenetsky points out a remarkable insight from the laws of Nedarim. When a person takes a Neder to perform or refrain from a particular act, the commitment becomes a Torah obligation. Likewise, when someone declares an animal to be a Korbon, it immediately assumes the Halachic status of Hekdesh. In other words, Hashem granted human beings the power to create Torah-binding Halachos through the power of our speech. After learning these laws, one may err and assume that the same principle applies to the Torah written by Moshe Rabbeinu, that his own expressions were imparted in all the Mitzvos in the Torah. Thus, here the Torah reveals that his Nevuah was of a different caliber, given to him with "זה הדבר", conveyed exactly as if Hashem spoke it. Our Torah is true, and the power given to us mortals by its Writer, is humbling.