Miller's Musings Parshas Shemos: Man Ways To See

  בס''ד

In an extraordinary exchange with G-d by the burning bush, Moshe seemingly does the unthinkable and questions Hashem’s judgement.  Putting to one side how such an act is possible, we will focus on Hashem’s response to Moshe’s assertion that he did not have the requisite communication skills for the task of leading the Jewish people.  Hashem replies “Who makes one mute or deaf, or sighted or blind? Is it not I!” thereby refuting Moshe’s claim of an inability to provide the oratory skills needed.  Looking carefully at this statement, we cannot fail to notice one detail that seems out of place.  For within the impairments listed that Hashem creates is the fact that he also fashions those who are “sighted”.  What is this doing within this catalogue of imperfections?

Moshe Rabbeinu was perhaps the greatest human being that ever lived.  In fact Reb Shimon Schwab zt’l compares him to Odom, the first man, in at least one regard, relevant to the subject at hand.  For just as Odom, before the original sin, was able to see with a purity of vision that provided absolute clarity in all he saw, so too Moshe reached the level where he was able to see the world around him through a lens of absolute holiness and lucidity.  To people such as these, normal vision, as described by the word “sighted”, is something of a flaw when compared to their ability to see.  In fact the same Hebrew word is used in the Torah after Odom has fallen to a lower level due to his eating from the tree of knowledge and “the eyes of both of them were opened”.  Relatively speaking being sighted was in fact a level of imperfection.

The answer we have arrived it as based upon perspective.  For one sightedness would be a tremendous blessing, for Moshe it was a defect.  Taking this concept a step further we must appreciate that every person comes from a different perspective.  We have a tendency to look at our own viewpoints and worldviews as the perfect balance.  Anyone who sees our values as wrong must be taking things too far and are unaccepting and intolerant.  Yet do we ourselves not consider certain lifestyles or ideas contrary to what we want for ourselves or our families?  Why is it reasonable for us to see those as undesirable in our lives but expect everyone else to always consider our values acceptable?  There is nothing wrong with choosing what we allow into our sphere of existence, as long as we do so with integrity and respect, just be open to allowing others that very same entitlement.

*May we be surrounded this Shabbos with all that is good*

לעילוי נשמת לאה בת אברהם 

לעילוי נשמת שרה יעל בת גרשון