We often think of strength, wisdom, or maybe even wealth. But what about humility? The Torah, in the Book of Numbers, specifically Bamidbar (Numbers 12:3), tells us something profound about Moses: "And the man Moses was extremely humble."
But what does that really mean? The Sifrei Bamidbar, an ancient midrashic collection on the Book of Numbers, dives right into this seemingly simple statement. Was Moses humble in his own mind, truly believing it? Or was it perhaps a reflection of his material possessions?
The text immediately throws us a curveball. It challenges the initial assumption, suggesting perhaps Moses' humility was tied to his wealth. But the text swiftly counters this. How? By pointing to another verse! In Exodus (Shemot 11:3), it says, "The man Moses, also, was very great." And in that context, "great" refers to wealth. So, if Moses was wealthy, was his humility somehow connected to that? The Sifrei seems to be teasing out the complexities of judging inner character from external circumstances.
And this brings us to a fascinating detour: the Tablets of the Law, those monumental symbols of God's covenant with Israel. The Sifrei Bamidbar makes a surprising claim: the second set of tablets, the ones Moses carved himself after the first were shattered, were made of sapphire!
Where does this idea come from? Deuteronomy (Devarim 10:1) instructs Moses to "Carve out for yourself two tablets of stone like the first." The Sifrei argues that "like the first" implies they were made of the same material: sapphire. But how do we know the first tablets were sapphire?
Here's where the midrash gets clever. It draws a parallel between two verses, using a technique called gezerah shavah – a method of rabbinic interpretation that connects two seemingly unrelated verses based on a shared word. Exodus 32:16 states, "And the (first) tablets were the work of God," and Exodus 24:10 describes a vision: "…and under His feet, as the work of a pavement of sapphire." The shared word is "work." Because "work" in the vision refers to sapphire, the Sifrei argues, so too does "work" in the context of the tablets. It's a beautiful, almost poetic connection!
Imagine Moses, the most humble of men, crafting these precious sapphire tablets, a testament to both divine law and human effort. The Zohar, that foundational text of Jewish mysticism, speaks of the immense spiritual power held within sapphire, linking it to divine wisdom. Could Moses' connection to these sapphire tablets have amplified his already remarkable humility?
But the Sifrei doesn't stop there. It continues to probe the depths of Moses' humility. The verse in Numbers states he was "more humble than any man on the face of the earth." Does that mean he was more humble than even the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob?
Rabbi Yossi weighs in, asserting that yes, Moses was even more humble than the forefathers. A bold statement! And the Sifrei pushes further: "more humble than any man on the face of the earth" – does this exclude the angels? The implication being that perhaps angels possess a form of humility beyond human comprehension.
What does all this tell us? It's not just about Moses. It's about the ongoing quest to understand humility itself. It's a reminder that true humility isn't about self-deprecation, but about recognizing something larger than ourselves, whether that's God, the divine spark within each person, or the vastness of the universe. The Sifrei Bamidbar invites us to contemplate where we stand on the path to humility, and to remember that even the greatest among us, like Moses, were constantly striving to embody this essential virtue. What does it mean to you, to be humble?