Moshe's Shiny Face and The Mishkan — A Model of the Universe

 18 Adar 5781

 

 

Moshe's Shiny Face

by Rabbi Ephraim Sprecher | first published here

 

 

The Torah states, in Shemot 34:30, “Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moshe and WOW! The skin of his face had become radiant and shiny, and they were afraid to approach him.”

 

When Moshe came down from Har Sinai after his final 40-day stay in Heaven, he brought the second Luchot with him. His face had a holy, supernatural shine to it. Rashi says that this was the result of Hashem’s divine hand which had protected Moshe when Hashem showed him a glimpse of His glory as stated in Shemot 33:22.

 

Or Hachayim quotes another source for this radiant shine on Moshe’s face. The Midrash Shemot Rabba 47 says that when Moshe completed the writing of the Torah, a bit of ink remained in his pen, which Moshe smeared on his forehead, and this resulted in his unique radiance. Why was there a drop of ink left over?

 

Or Hachayim says that it was due to Moshe’s outstanding humility. When he was commanded by G-d to write the words “Moshe was exceedingly humble, more than any person on the face of the earth” (Bamidbar 12:3), he could not bring himself to write the word עינו (humble), with it’s proper spelling, and therefore spelled the word ענו without the yud. It was from this extra drop of ink from the missing yud that Moshe merited the radiant shine on his face.

 

Rav Pam would always say that true greatness in Torah goes hand in hand with true humility. Thus, because Moshe was the greatest ענו therefore he was also the greatest in Torah knowledge.