Parashat Vezot ha-Beracha
By Oren '28
In Parashat Vezot ha-Beracha Moses blesses the people of Israel. He blesses every tribe of Israel before his eventual passing. Before Moses dies, he climbs Mount Nebo and looks onto the land of Israel. He dies on Mount Nebo at 120 years old. The location of Moses’ grave is unknown, and after the 30-day mourning period, Joshua becomes the leader of Israel. The Torah says that there was never a prophet like Moses who spoke with God face to face. I was curious about this idea that Moses could speak face to face with God. How can a person do that?
Ramban answers the question by saying that God knew Moses face to face but Moses didn’t know God face to face. Ramban also says that Moses knew God to the extent that knowing God is possible, meaning that he couldn’t speak face to face with him and no one really can. I agree with this commentary because when you look at the words of the parasha, Torah says that “God knew Moses face to face.” Not the other way around, so God spoke face to face with Moses, but Moses couldn’t speak face to face with God. This kind of interaction, where someone can see you but you can’t see them, is lopsided and unfair . Ramban says that because Moses went through these encounters with God, God gave the Israelites the Torah. We can learn from this that we should strive to invest in our important relationships by speaking with others face to face.
