What is the difference between Moses and all the [other] prophets? Rabbi Yehuda ben Rabbi Ilai and the Rabbis: Rabbi Yehuda says: The prophets would see through nine looking glasses. That is what is written: “The appearance of the vision that I saw [was like the vision that I saw when I came to destroy the city; and the visions were like the vision that I saw by the Kevar River]” (Ezekiel 43:3).22The words appearance, vision, and saw appear a total of eight times, and in one of those instances the word visions appears in plural, for a total of nine.
This alludes to the fact that the prophet saw his prophecy as though looking through nine layers of glass. Moses saw through one looking glass, as it is stated: “And a vision and not in riddles” (Numbers 12:8). The Rabbis said: All the prophets saw through a murky looking glass. That is what is written: “[I spoke to the prophets;] I proliferated visions and granted imagery to the prophets” (Hosea 12:11).
Moses saw through a polished looking glass. That is what is written: “And a vision and not in riddles” (Numbers 12:8). Rabbi Pinḥas said in the name of Rabbi Hoshaya: This is analogous to a king who revealed himself to a member of his household in his image.23He allowed him to see the king without any intervening curtains. In this world, the Divine Presence appears only to individuals, but in the future: “The glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all flesh will see together that the mouth of the Lord has spoken” (Isaiah 40:5).