5783/2023
Moshe Rabbeinu vs. The Malachim
Shabbat 88b-89a presents a stunning interaction between
Moshe Rabbeinu and the Malachim. The Gemara records (from
the William Davidson edition of the Talmud):
And Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: When Moses
ascended on High to receive the Torah, the ministering
angels said before the Holy One, Blessed be He: Master
of the Universe, what is one born of a woman doing
here among us? The Holy One, Blessed be He, said to
them: He came to receive the Torah. The angels said
before Him: The Torah is a hidden treasure that was
concealed by you 974 generations before the creation
of the world, and you seek to give it to flesh and blood?
As it is stated: “The word which He commanded to a
thousand generations” (Psalms 105:8). Since the
Torah, the word of God, was given to the twenty-sixth
generation after Adam, the first man, the remaining
974 generations must have preceded the creation of
the world. “What is man that You are mindful of him
and the son of man that You think of him?” (Psalms
8:5). Rather, “God our Lord, how glorious is Your name
in all the earth that Your majesty is placed above the
heavens” (Psalms 8:2). The rightful place of God’s
majesty, the Torah, is in the heavens.
The Holy One, Blessed be He, said to Moses: Provide
them with an answer as to why the Torah should be
given to the people. Moses said before Him: Master of
the Universe, I am afraid lest they burn me with the
breath of their mouths. God said to him: Grasp My
throne of glory for strength and protection, and
provide them with an answer. And from where is this
derived? As it is stated: “He causes him to grasp the
front of the throne, and spreads His cloud over it” (Job
26:9), and Rabbi Naḥum said: This verse teaches that
God spread the radiance of His presence and His cloud
over Moses. Moses said before Him: Master of the
Universe, the Torah that You are giving me, what is
written in it? God said to him: “I am the Lord your God
Who brought you out of Egypt from the house of
bondage” (Exodus 20:2). Moses said to the angels: Did
you descend to Egypt? Were you enslaved to Pharaoh?
Why should the Torah be yours? Again Moses asked:
What else is written in it? God said to him: “You shall
have no other gods before Me” (Exodus 20:3). Moses
said to the angels: Do you dwell among the nations
who worship idols that you require this special
warning? Again Moses asked: What else is written in
it? The Holy One, Blessed be He, said to him:
“Remember the Shabbat day to sanctify it” (Exodus
20:8). Moses asked the angels: Do you perform labor
that you require rest from it? Again Moses asked: What
else is written in it? “Do not take the name of the Lord
your God in vain” (Exodus 20:7), meaning that it is
prohibited to swear falsely. Moses asked the angels: Do
you conduct business with one another that may lead
you to swear falsely? Again Moses asked: What else is
written in it? The Holy One, Blessed be He, said to him:
“Honor your father and your mother” (Exodus 20:12).
Moses asked the angels: Do you have a father or a
mother that would render the commandment to honor
them relevant to you? Again Moses asked: What else is
written in it? God said to him: “You shall not murder,
you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal”
(Exodus 20:13) Moses asked the angels: Is there
jealousy among you, or is there an evil inclination
within you that would render these commandments
relevant? Immediately they agreed with the Holy One,
Blessed be He, that He made the right decision to give
the Torah to the people, and as it is stated: “God our
Lord, how glorious is Your name in all the earth”
(Psalms 8:10), while “that Your majesty is placed
above the heavens” is not written because the angels
agreed with God that it is appropriate to give the Torah
to the people on earth.
Immediately, each and every one of the angels became
an admirer of Moses and passed something to him, as
it is stated: “You ascended on high, you took a captive,
you took gifts on account of man, and even among the
rebellious also that the Lord God might dwell there”
(Psalms 68:19). The meaning of the verse is: In reward
for the fact that they called you man, you are not an
angel and the Torah is applicable to you, you took gifts
from the angels. And even the Angel of Death gave him
something, as Moses told Aaron how to stop the
plague, as it is stated: “And he placed the incense, and
he atoned for the people” (Numbers 17:12). And the
verse says: “And he stood between the dead and the
living, and the plague was stopped” (Numbers 17:13).
If it were not that the Angel of Death told him this
remedy, would he have known it?
A Major Question
While an enthralling Talmudic passage, an enormous question
looms large. Moshe Rabbeinu was obviously correct. What
were the angels even thinking when they challenged the right
of Am Yisrael to the Torah?
Three Classic Answers
The classic commentators share a range of answers, of which
we share three of the most popular. First, the Dubner Maggid
offers, as his wont, a parable to resolve the problem. A larger
Kehilla sought a beloved rabbi serving a small Jewish community to serve as its Rav. After receiving permission from
the smaller group, the larger one hired the beloved rabbi. On
the appointed day, representatives from the new community
came to accompany the rabbi to his new post, at which point,
the small-town leaders howled in protest. The new group
asked why they were upset. After all, they granted permission
for them to hire the rabbi. The small-town leaders answered
that they recognize that they must let their rabbi go, but how
can one let such a wonderful rabbi quietly leave without a
complaint!
Similarly, explains the Dubner Maggid, the Malachim
knew that the Torah belonged with Am Yisrael, but they
complained out of respect and love for the Torah.
Another answer is based on the rule of Bar Metzra, the
abutting neighbor (Bava Metzia 108 with Rashi). The abutter
has the first right to purchase the property his immediate
neighbor is about to sell if the seller (i.e., the neighbor) and
potential buyer (i.e., who is not an abutter) have an equal need
for the property.
The Malachim, according to this approach, claimed the
right to the Torah since they are “the abutter” in heaven.
Moshe Rabbeinu responded that the intended purchaser (Am
Yisrael) has a greater need for the Torah, thereby overriding
the abutter’s right to purchase.
A third approach is based on the dispute between Rabi
Eliezer and the Chachamim regarding the Tannur Shel Achnai
(Bava Metzia 59b). The Malachim reflect the opinion of Rabi
Eliezer that the authority to decide Torah law rests in heaven.
Moshe Rabbeinu, though, follows the Chachamim’s view that
Lo BaShamayim Hee, that the right to determine Torah law
rests upon Israel’s sages.
Two New Approaches
My son-in-law Yisroel Perton compares the Malachim to one
who purchases Sefarim to adorn his home but does not learn
from them. Our Gemara teaches that if one has Sefarim in his
home, he must learn from them! In a broader sense, the
Gemara also teaches that Hashem giving us the Torah demands
we observe it. If we, God forbid, neglect the Torah, it might as
well have remained with the Malachim.
My older son Binyamin boldly compares the Malachim
to Titus of Gittin 56b, who argues that it is impossible to
observe the Torah. The Malachim believe we do not deserve
the Torah since we will imperfectly follow it. Moshe Rabbeinu
responds that Hashem intends the Torah for imperfect beings
with weaknesses which the Torah helps them overcome.
Conclusion – The Greatness of Am Yisrael
However, one understands this intriguing Talmudic passage,
the Gemara communicates the potential greatness of Am
Yisrael. Moshe Rabbeinu, in our story, touches the Kisei
HaKavod (divine throne), unlike the Malachim. While the
Malachim are flawless beings, Am Yisrael has the potential to
exceed them. The Torah is the blueprint for us to reach levels
even higher than the angels! Our overcoming our weaknesses
and strictly adhering to the Torah is the stuff of greatness. That
is why we, not the Malachim, need and deserve the Torah!