Our tradition suggests he did, and in a fascinating way: it reveals moments where Moses' own reasoning aligned perfectly with the divine will.
The Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus, tells us of three instances where Moses made a judgment call, and the Holy One, blessed be He, confirmed that he was on the right track. Think of it as divine validation, or maybe just a cosmic "atta boy!"
The first concerns intimacy. Remember the scene at Mount Sinai? The Israelites are preparing to receive the Torah, the ultimate moment of revelation. Moses, ever mindful of holiness, reasons that if God told the people, "Do not come near a woman" (Exodus 19:15) in preparation for this awesome event, then surely he, who is in constant communion with the divine, should also abstain. He should separate himself. And guess what? God agreed! As Deuteronomy 5:28 tells us, "But you, stand here with Me." A subtle confirmation, but a powerful one. Moses' instinct for holiness was spot-on.
Then there's the Ohel Mo’ed, the Tent of Meeting, that portable sanctuary that accompanied the Israelites through the desert. Moses pondered, if at Sinai, whose sanctity was limited only to the revelation at Sinai, he only ascended with permission, as it is stated: “The Lord called to him from the mountain saying” (Exodus 19:3), then how could he just waltz into the Tent of Meeting, which was meant to be a sacred space for all generations? He understood that this place, intended for generations to come, needed even greater reverence. He couldn’t just enter without being summoned. Lo and behold, his hesitation was divinely affirmed: "The Lord called to Moses, and spoke to him from the Tent of Meeting" (Leviticus 1:1). Again, divine protocol upheld!
Finally, the incident of the Golden Calf. A colossal betrayal! Moses, descending from Sinai with the freshly inscribed tablets, sees the Israelites in full idolatrous swing. Here, his reasoning takes a different turn. He considers the Pesach offering, the paschal sacrifice. Even for that one-time observance in Egypt, God had commanded, "This is the statute of the paschal offering: no foreigner shall eat of it." (Exodus 12:43). So Moses wonders, if even a non-Israelite was barred from this ritual, how could these Israelites, who had just plunged headfirst into idol worship, be worthy to receive the Torah? In a moment of righteous anger and heartbroken disappointment, "he broke them [the tablets] at the foot of the mountain" (Exodus 32:19). Now, the text doesn’t explicitly say God told him to break the tablets, but Moses’ act, born of his understanding of divine justice and the covenant, is later understood as justified.
What does this all mean? It tells us that leadership involves discernment, a deep understanding of God's will, and sometimes, a willingness to act decisively. Moses, our teacher, exemplifies this. He wasn’t just a receiver of divine commands; he was an active participant in interpreting and applying them. And sometimes, his human understanding aligned perfectly with the divine plan, reminding us that even in our own lives, we can strive to attune ourselves to a higher purpose. Isn’t that a comforting and inspiring thought?