Laws of the Foundations of the Torah, Chapter 8 (Auto Translated)

Laws of Foundations of the Torah, Chapter 8: The Prophecy of Moshe Rabbeinu — The Foundation of Faith

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Introduction: The Structure of the Chapter and Its Connection to Chapter 7

Yes, we are learning Laws of Foundations of the Torah, Chapter 8. Continuing about a prophet (navi), a specific topic about a prophet — the prophecy of Moshe.

In an interesting way, as we have learned, the Rambam has a method of beginning with a fact, and afterward he states the commandment (mitzvah). The entire previous chapter was the fact of how a prophet works, and at the end was the one mitzvah of obeying a prophet when he brings a sign. The law is: when he brings a wonder (mofes), then one obeys him.

Now there is going to be another entire chapter, and if I look here, there are no facts in a certain sense — meaning, there are no actual laws (halakhos) in it. But one can say that it is an elaboration of another detail in the law of believing in a prophet when he brings a sign and wonder (os u’mofes).

**[Novel Insight]** The Chapter as an Elaboration of the Law

That is to say, let me explain: the law is that when a prophet comes and brings a wonder, one must believe him. But the Rambam is going to say that here in these laws there are details. One of the important details is that even with a wonder, if the prophet says something against the prophecy of Moshe, we do not believe him.

Now, generally, why? We’ll see. But generally, in order to explain the law, the Rambam explains the fact that it is already established in the prophecy of Moshe. And he also goes on to explain a fact about how we believe in the prophecy of Moshe, what our relationship is to the prophecy of Moshe. After one understands the fact, one will simply understand why when someone who performs wonders comes against the prophecy of Moshe, we do not believe him. This is my novel insight.

The Distinction Between Chapter 7 and Chapter 8

In the previous chapter, the Rambam explained the straightforward distinction between the prophecy of Moshe and other prophets. Here he is going to tell us the distinction for us — how we believe an ordinary prophet, and why we believe differently in Moshe Rabbeinu, on a different level.

Note: “Lo Sosifu v’Lo Sigre’u” (You Shall Not Add and You Shall Not Subtract)

What I find a bit interesting: the Rambam did not hold that the mitzvah of “lo sosifu v’lo sigre’u” — which according to the Rambam means adding or removing mitzvos — is not placed in Laws of Foundations of the Torah. It could very well have been included in this chapter.

True, that’s one way. But in another way, one can say that what was stated at the end of the previous chapter — that when one believes an ordinary prophet, it is only based on the legal principle of presumption through testimony (b’din chazakah b’edus) — is not correct for the prophecy of Moshe. And for that very reason, the prophecy of Moshe is stronger than other prophets, because it is not a presumption. Since it is a clearer matter, there should have been a topic, it should have begun.

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Halakhah 1: Moshe Rabbeinu — “They Did Not Believe in Him Because of the Signs”

The Foundation: Faith in Moshe Is Not Based on Signs

The Rambam says: “Moshe Rabbeinu — Israel did not believe in him because of the signs he performed.”

The Rambam has just finished explaining that an ordinary prophet — we believe him for two reasons: we believe because we know he is a righteous person (tzaddik), and therefore he is one who is fitting for prophecy — he doesn’t say fabricated things, he is wise, and all the things he lists that a prophet must be, he is fitting to be a prophet. And after he performs a sign and wonder, the Torah gives us the obligation to believe — that since he is fitting for prophecy and there was a sign and wonder, it becomes like testimony, and therefore we should accept his prophecy.

Moshe Rabbeinu — the Jews did not believe in him because of the signs he performed.

**[Question]** The Signs in Parshas Shemos

It is indeed a good question: the whole thing begins with Moshe! The concept that the Almighty gives a sign and wonder so that the Jews should believe — He took it from Parshas Shemos. You ask a good question, but the Rambam is going to answer it. I just want to explain the question.

**[Answer]** “Israel Believed in Him” — Refers to the Giving of the Torah (Matan Torah)

Apparently, when he speaks here of “Israel believed in him,” he means it began at the Giving of the Torah (matan Torah), not “believed” that he was an emissary to take the Jews out of Egypt. That — being an emissary to take the Jews out of Egypt — certainly yes, was because of the signs that the Almighty gave him. But he is speaking about when there is a legal obligation. There was no legal obligation for the Jews to believe while in Egypt, because it was still before the Giving of the Torah. The Jews did not believe in Moshe regarding any specific legal obligation.

That is what you mean — a bit of a question on the Rambam. There were already early authorities (Rishonim) who argued very strongly against the Rambam regarding these types of proofs.

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“One Who Believes Based on Signs Has a Deficiency in His Heart” — The Weakness of Faith Through Signs

But the Rambam himself addressed it. In the next section he goes on to say: what about the wonders that Moshe did perform? Why?

“One who believes based on signs has a deficiency in his heart” — someone who believes based on signs and wonders, in his heart it gnaws at him: is it true or not?

Why? Because the Rambam explains: sometimes there is some reason, something “behind the scenes.” You do see some wonder, but when a person unfortunately believes in a wonder, he thinks the whole time: maybe I’m not so smart, maybe it’s a trick, some kind of optical illusion (achizas einayim).

The Rambam says: “Perhaps the sign was performed through ‘lat’ and sorcery.” It says here “lat.” I don’t know — “b’lahateihem” it says in the Torah regarding sorcery — does it mean the same word? I think “lat” means quietly, some kind of… It’s interesting, earlier it just said “things going on behind the scenes” (devarim b’go), and here he specifies: it could be sorcery or “lat.”

Well, when a person does a trick, he has someone under the curtains. You don’t see? He tells him something quietly over there. There is some trick underneath it.

Faith Through Signs — Like Testimony, Not One Hundred Percent

Even when Jews do believe based on a sign and wonder — they believe, as the Rambam said — when they believe it, it is also not for them a one hundred percent truth. They do it because the Torah obligates them. There remains some inclination without that certainty…

Just as when two witnesses come and we know — it could be the witnesses are lying, there are many people who lie — but the Torah commanded us to believe this way, so we believe.

Our entire lives we don’t do things based on one hundred percent. When a person marries off a child, he is not one hundred percent sure this is the right match (shidduch), but he is happy because one goes with the way of the world — so when it makes a lot of sense, it looks that way, perhaps there are better chances, so one goes with it. That is how ordinary faith in a prophet works.

But the faith in Moshe Rabbeinu — the Jews believed much more than that.

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Why Did Moshe Rabbeinu Perform Signs?

Shortly he will say why the Jews did believe in Moshe. But he pauses here for a moment: but if so, what is the meaning of all those signs and wonders? The first few parshiyos when the encounters with Moshe Rabbeinu — we see that there is a lot with signs and wonders. A person might think that this is the foundation of Moshe, that this is why we believe in Moshe — because of the Ten Plagues and all those things.

“He Performed Them According to the Need, Not to Bring Proof of Prophecy”

Rather, that was not what was important. So what then — why did Moshe Rabbeinu perform so many wonders?

“And all the signs that Moshe performed in the wilderness, he performed them according to the need” — all the signs that Moshe Rabbeinu performed in the wilderness… Interestingly, he does not count the signs and wonders in Egypt — and Egypt had a different reason: to break Pharaoh, to make a sanctification of God’s Name (kiddush Hashem). Why does he say “in the wilderness”? The signs that Moshe Rabbeinu performed in the wilderness, he performed them according to the need — he did them according to the need, whatever the particular need was. “Not to bring proof of the prophecy” — the reason Moshe Rabbeinu did it was not to bring proofs about the prophet, but to do what he does as the leader of the Jewish people (Klal Yisrael). Moshe Rabbeinu, besides being a prophet, is also the leader, and he takes care of the Jewish needs.

Examples of “According to the Need”

So therefore:

– The need to drown the Egyptians — it was necessary to drown the Egyptians in the sea, to end the long saga of Egypt — the Splitting of the Sea (Kriyas Yam Suf), and He saved them through it, and he caused the miracle, the wonder, that the Egyptians should be drowned there.

– He brought down the manna (man) for us — we Jews needed sustenance.

– He split the rock for them — they were thirsty.

– The congregation of Korach rebelled against him — the earth swallowed them — he simply needed to take vengeance, he needed to remove the problem of Korach.

“And similarly all the other signs” — all other signs were also for a particular need.

**[Note]** Contradiction Regarding Korach

It is very interesting. The Rambam — I recall that the Rambam in the introduction brings the proof of Moshe’s prophecy from the verse in Parshas Korach. You see that the earth swallowing them — the Rambam did not bring it as a proof. That was only, as you say, for Korach to be swallowed by the earth, but not in order to prove. The verses don’t entirely align with this section.

The Ten Plagues — Also According to the Need

For example, all the Ten Plagues were simply for the need, as it says so many times: “So that you shall tell in the ears of your son and your grandson” — to show God’s providence (hashgachas Hashem) for Jews, to make a sanctification of God’s Name. Not in order to prove to Jews that Moshe Rabbeinu’s prophecy is true.

**[Novel Insight]** The Rambam Against the Approach of a “Build-Up” to the Revelation at Sinai

Apparently, the Rambam disagrees with another approach. Another approach would have been — I can hear it this way — that all the things are a preparation for the Revelation at Sinai (ma’amad Har Sinai). That Moshe Rabbeinu is a build-up: that he performs so many miracles and wonders in front of all the Jews, so that the Jews should see, and later they should believe him at the Revelation at Sinai.

That approach — perhaps there are others who say so — but the Rambam does not say so. All those signs were because they were needed at that time.

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Halakhah 2: What Did They Believe Him For? — The Revelation at Sinai

“Our Eyes Saw and Not a Stranger’s, Our Ears Heard and Not Another’s”

And if so, what did they believe him for? What was indeed the reason why Jews believed in Moshe Rabbeinu? Basically, why do we believe in Moshe Rabbeinu?

Yes, if a non-Jew asks you: why do you believe in Moshe Rabbeinu? You wouldn’t have told him because Moshe split the sea? He split the sea because they needed to cross through. Why should you believe in him for another reason?

Perhaps the question means not just “what did they believe him for” at the Revelation at Sinai — when did one need to, or why? Because there was the Revelation at Sinai.

What Was the Revelation at Sinai?

The Rambam says as follows: the Revelation at Sinai was a time when all Jews saw — “that our eyes saw and not a stranger’s” — our own eyes saw, not a stranger, not a prophet told us. “And our ears heard and not another’s” — our own ears heard, not someone else told us.

**[Novel Insight]** The Main Emphasis — “Saw It Ourselves”

I want to stop for a second here. It is correct that he is going to say what was seen, but I feel that the main emphasis one must make here is on this: what exactly was seen — the Rambam is going to lay out what was seen, but one can perhaps even read in a different interpretation of what was seen or what was understood.

The main emphasis here is that this is not like what Rashi says — “I am not testifying to you through words, nor through an emissary” — not that someone told us and we must believe that since he performed a wonder it must be so. We saw it ourselves.

When one saw it oneself, there is no… Usually when a prophet says something, we have nothing to do with the prophecy — we are only receiving, we are the passive listeners. Here there is something — the Jews were in this something of a certain kind of partner, the Jews took something, participated in that event. Whatever it is — what we believe about the Revelation at Sinai are things that we saw ourselves. One doesn’t need to believe anyone for this.

What Did We See and Hear?

The Rambam says: what did we see? “The fire and the sounds and the torches, and he approached the thick cloud, and the Voice spoke to him and we heard.”

What did we hear? The Voice speaks to Moshe Rabbeinu and we hear, because the Voice says to him: “Moshe, Moshe, go tell them such and such.” They heard the Voice as the Almighty speaks to Moshe Rabbeinu.

**[Note]** The Rambam Does Not Say That Jews Heard Directly from the Almighty

He does not say here that the Jews heard from the Almighty Himself — he says that they heard how the Almighty tells Moshe: “Go tell them such and such.”

Discussion: The Zohar Versus the Rambam

It’s remarkable — in the Zohar it says that they heard the “Anochi” (I am). Yes, but that is another topic. What we are saying here is… but that I say, the details are already how the Rambam depicts exactly what was heard — I don’t know if it is essential. I think the main essential point here is that the Jews heard, “our eyes saw and not a stranger’s.”

The Verse “Face to Face God Spoke with You”

He should bring the verse: “Face to face God spoke with you” — in front of you…

Discussion: What Does “Face to Face” Mean Here?

No — “face to face,” I recall that the Rambam interpreted a minute ago regarding the prophecy of Moshe, and one says “face to face” (panim el panim). Face to face — he interprets there — face to face means according to the capacity of the emissary.

Face to face — to say that all Jews for a moment had something similar to the prophecy of Moshe? That is not stated. That is what you yourself are now reading into it.

“Face to face” is a characteristic of the prophecy of Moshe. Yes, but what does it yield there? It doesn’t yield much regarding the prophecy of Moshe. What it does yield is the “not through an emissary” point.