"Ten cubits shall be the length of a board" (verse 16). Rabbi Elazar said: one who carries a burden above his head is liable, for so was the burden of the sons of Kehat, as it is written, "which are upon the Tabernacle and upon the altar round about" (Numbers 3:26). Just as the Tabernacle is ten cubits, as it is written, "ten cubits shall be the length of a board," and it is written, "And he spread the Tent over the Tabernacle," and Rav said, Moses our teacher spread it, so too the altar is ten cubits. From here you learn that the height of the Levites was ten cubits. And it is a tradition that any load a man carries on poles is one-third above and two-thirds below, so it turns out to be raised quite high. And if you wish, say it is learned from the Ark, for the Master said: the Ark was nine handbreadths and the cover one handbreadth, here you have ten; and it is a tradition that any load and so on. Rav said: Moses our teacher was ten cubits tall, as it is said, "ten cubits shall be the length of a board," and it is written, "And he spread the Tent over the Tabernacle" (Exodus 40:19); who spread it? Moses our teacher spread it. Rav Shimi bar Hiyya said to Rav: if so, we have made Moses our teacher one with a blemish, for we have learned that one whose body is large out of proportion to his limbs, or small out of proportion to his limbs, is blemished. He said to him: Shimi, are you here? I was speaking of the cubit of the board.
The Height of Moses and the Ten-Cubit Board
Yalkut Shimoni on Torah 372:1
(פסוק טז) עֶשֶׂר אַמּוֹת אֹרֶךְ הַקָּרֶשׁ. אָמַר רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר, הַמּוֹצִיא מַשּׂאוֹי לְמַעְלָה מֵרֹאֹשׁוֹ חַיָּב, שֶׁכֵּן מַשָּׂא בְּנֵי קְהָת, דִּכְתִיב (במדבר ג, כו) "אֲשֶׁר עַל הַמִּשְׁכָּן וְעַל הַמִּזְבֵּחַ סָבִיב", מַה מִּשְׁכָּן עֶשֶׂר אַמּוֹת, דִּכְתִיב עֶשֶׂר אַמּוֹת אֹרֶךְ הַקָּרֶשׁ, וּכְתִיב "וַיִּפְרֹשׁ אֶת הָאֹהֶל עַל הַמִּשְׁכָּן", וַאֲמַר רַב, מֹשֶׁה רַבֵּנוּ פְּרָשׂוֹ, אַף מִזְבֵּחַ עֶשֶׂר אַמּוֹת, מִכָּאן אַתָּה לָמֵד גָבְהָן שֶׁל לְוִיִּם עֶשֶׂר אַמּוֹת, וּגְמִירֵי דְּכָל טוּנָא דְּדָּרֵי אִינִשׁ בְּמוֹטוֹת, תִּילְתָּא מִלְּעֵיל וּתְרֵי תִילְתֵּי מִלְּתַחַת, אִשְׁתְּכַּח דַּהֲוֵי מִידְלִי טוּבָא. וְאִבָּעִית אֵימָא, מֵאָרוֹן, דַּאֲמַר מַר, אָרוֹן תִּשְׁעָה וְכַפֹּרֶת טֶפַח, הֲרֵי כָּאן עֲשָׂרָה, וּגְמִירֵי דְּכָל טוּנָא וְכוּ'. אֲמַר רַב, מֹשֶׁה רַבֵּנוּ עֶשֶׂר אַמּוֹת הָיָה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר עֶשֶׂר אַמּוֹת אֹרֶךְ הַקָּרֶשׁ, וּכְתִיב (שמות מ, יט) "וַיִּפְרֹשׁ אֶת הָאֹהֶל עַל הַמִּשְׁכָּן", מִי פְּרָשׂוֹ, מֹשֶׁה רַבֵּנוּ פְּרָשׂוֹ אֲמַר לֵיהּ רַב שִׁימִי בַּר חִיָּא לְרַב, אִם כֵּן עָשִׂינוּ לְמֹשֶׁה רַבֵּנוּ בַּעַל מוּם, דִּתְנַן, גּוּפוֹ גָּדוֹל מֵאֵבָרָיו אוֹ קָטָן מֵאֵבָרָיו. אֲמַר לֵיהּ, שִׁימִי אַתְּ, בְּאַמָּה שֶׁל קֶרֶשׁ קָאֲמִינָא.