But the Midrash Tehillim, a collection of homiletic interpretations on the Book of Psalms, doesn’t leave us hanging with just the question. It gives us an answer, and it might surprise you.
The Midrash identifies Moses as the one who can ascend and stand before God. But why Moses? What made him so special? The Midrash breaks it down, point by point, connecting verses from across the Torah to paint a portrait of Moses's unique qualifications.
"Who shall ascend the mountain of the Lord?" The Midrash answers, "This is Moses, as it says (Exodus 19:3), 'And Moses went up to God.'" Simple enough. He literally ascended Mount Sinai! And "Who shall stand in His holy place?" Again, the answer is Moses, backed up by Deuteronomy 5:28: "But as for you, stand here with Me." God Himself invited Moses to stand in His presence.
But it's more than just physical proximity. The Midrash delves into Moses's moral and spiritual qualities. "Clean of hands," the Psalm continues. The Midrash connects this to Moses's integrity, citing Numbers 16:15, where Moses declares, "I have not taken a donkey from them." This shows Moses's honesty and freedom from corruption. He wasn't in it for personal gain.
And what about being "pure of heart"? This, the Midrash tells us, refers to Moses's initial reluctance to accept his mission. Remember when God first spoke to Moses from the burning bush? Moses's response in Exodus 3:11 was, "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?" According to the Midrash, this wasn't false modesty; it was a genuine expression of humility and a clear understanding of the enormity of the task. "He took no pride in his soul," the Midrash emphasizes.
Then comes a seemingly contradictory point. The Midrash states, "This is Moses, who took the life of the Egyptian, as it says (Exodus 2:12), 'He looked this way and that and saw that there was no one, and he struck down the Egyptian.'" How could someone who committed such an act be considered "clean of hands" and "pure of heart?" The Midrash offers a fascinating interpretation: "He saw the angels and prevailed against them, and he killed them with justice." The act wasn't a crime of passion, but a divinely sanctioned act of justice. This is a complex idea, suggesting that Moses acted as an agent of divine judgment, seeing a bigger picture that was hidden from ordinary eyes.
Finally, the Midrash addresses the last part of the Psalm: "And he did not swear falsely to his neighbor." This is connected to Moses through a slightly more indirect link, citing 1 Samuel 14:24, "And Saul adjured the people." The connection might seem tenuous at first, but perhaps the Midrash is highlighting the importance of truthfulness and keeping one's word, qualities that were undoubtedly central to Moses's character.
So, what does all this mean for us? The Midrash isn't just giving us a biography of Moses. It's offering a blueprint, a set of ideals to strive for. We might not be able to literally ascend a mountain and stand in God's presence like Moses did. But we can cultivate the qualities that made him worthy: integrity, humility, purity of heart, and a commitment to truth. Perhaps, in our own way, we too can ascend to a higher spiritual plane.