Moshe Rabbenu
 | |
| Hebrew: | |
|---|---|
| משה רבינו | |
| Life: | |
| 1392 BCE - 1272 BCE (7th of Adar 2368 - 7th of Adar 2488) | |
| Spelling: | |
| Moses, Rabenu, Ranneinu | |
| Other Names: | |
| Tovya, Chaver, Yekusiel, Yered, Avi Zanoach, Avi Socho, Shemaya, Ben Nesanel, Levi, Heiman, Michokek | |
| Meaning of Name: | |
| Pulled | |
| Hillula: | |
| Zyin Adar | |
| Description: | |
| Leader of the Jewish Nation that took them out of the Egypt. |
Moshe Rabbanue was the leader of the Jewish Nation and took them out of the Egyptian exile and got them the Torah.
Contents |
[edit] Birth
Moshe Rabbenu was born on the 7th (Zayin) Adar to Amram the Levy and his wife Yocheved granddaughter of Yackov who was also his aunt. He was their third child following Miriam and Aharon.
[edit] Remarriage
Initially Amram had divorced his wife after Pharaoh had issued a decree for the death of all newborn males, in order to prevent children bringing children into the world if they were to be killed immediately after birth. Amram was considered the leader of the Jews and the rest of nation followed his actions and divorced their wives as well. Miriam who was just three at the time stood up and rebuked her father saying that his decree was harsher them Pharaoh's for three reasons.
- Pharaoh's decreed death only on the males but the consequences of Amram's decree also prevented girls from being born.
- Pharaoh's decree only effected the children in this world since once their souls came down into the physical world even if for a short time, they would be able to function in the next world.
- Pharaoh was a Rasha so it was doubtful if his decrees would last long term, however anything Amrom established would have a much more powerful consequences since it originated from a Tzadik.
Amrom accepted the rebuke of his daughter and remarried Yocheved causing the rest of the Jewish nation to return their wives as well. Around the time of the wedding Miriam prophesied that her mother would give birth to a son that would redeem the Jews from the Egyptians.
[edit] Birth of a Redeemer
When Moshe was born the entire house was filled with a spiritual light. Amrom seeing signs that his daughters prophesy was likely to be true, stood up and kissed Miriam on her head.
[edit] Thrown in Nile
When they could no longer hide him they created a small ark and put him in the Nile river. Amram tapped Miriam on her head as if to say "what happened to your prophesy". Miriam herself did not give up and hid in the reeds on the side of the Nile to view the outcome of the situation.
[edit] Adopted by Batya
After pulling him out of the water he was still crying. Batya summoned Egyptian women to nurse him but Moshe refused, the purity of his soul that would one day talk directly to Hashem would not allow him to nurse from impure women. Miriam who was watching from the side approached and suggested that she get a nurse from the Jews. She brought Yocheved and when Moshe agreed to nurse from her she was given the baby to raise for two years after which he was brought to the palace of Pharaoh.
[edit] In Pharaoh Palace
[edit] Incident of the Crown
Moshe was cute and adorable, Pharaoh would hold him on his lap and play with him. Once as Pharaoh was sitting in front of his advisers, Moshe grabbed off his crown and placed it on his own head. Pharaoh's sorcerers headed by Bilam, who witnessed the incident told this was an omen that Moshe would one day dethrone him and take over the kingship for himself. They advised him to Moshe while he still had a chance. Another sorcerer got up and said it was nothing other then a childish act and should not be taken seriously. In order to establish if Moshe just preformed childish acts of immaturity or if he knew what he was doing and his moves were calculated they decided to preform an IQ test.
Two bowel would be placed in front of the child Moshe one filed with gold and the other with burning hot coals. If Moshe had the consciousness of a regular child, he would reach for the bright glowing coals over the more dully shining gold, he would get a little burnt but that would prove his childhood innocents. If on the other hand he would reach for the gold, that would show he had knowledge of his surroundings and he must be executed to remove him as a threat to the throne. Moshe was able to discern the difference even as a young child, and started reaching for the gold over the coals. The angel Gavriel then came and pushed Moshe's hand towards the coals. Moshe's hand was burnt from the coals and in reflexive motion pulled his hand along with one of the coals into his mouth to cool down. Now his mouth two became burnt, causing him a sever speech impediment from that point on until he was cured at the 'Giving of the Torah' on Har Sini.
[edit] Helping His Brothers
When Moshe got older he was genuinely pained by the enslavement of his his nation. He would go out and help the Jewish slaves with their heavy loads, under the pretext that he was building moral to get the Pharaohs chores done faster.
[edit] By Yisro
Moshe then traveled to Midyon. There he married Yisro's daughter Tzipora, who bore him two children Gershom and Eliezer.
[edit] Faithful Shepherd
Moshe took on the task of being Yisro's shepherd this allowed him to have a lot of time alone away from civilization that he utilized for Hisbodedus and mediation.
Before Moshe could be given the job of leading the Jewish nation he was first tested from above with how he treated the animals that he shepherd. Moshe did treat the animals kindly. Once a kid ran away from the flock of goats. Moshe chased and chased it. Finally he caught up with the kid as it was drinking from a stream of water. Instead of beating the animal out of frustration, Moshe realized that it ran away out thirst and gently picked up the exhausted kid placing it on his shoulder and started walking back towards the flock. Moshe had proven his ability to place mercy and kindness over anger, now that he had shown this necessary attribute of leadership he raised his eyes and saw in the distance the 'Burning Bush'.
[edit] The Burning Bush
[edit] Giving of the Torah
[edit] In Heaven
When Moshe ascended to heaven the angles wanted to strike him down in a jealous wrath as they demanded to know what a being of flesh and blood was doing the upper realms and under what pretext he was planing on taking the Torah away from them and giving it to the human race. Following advice from Hashem, Moshe grabbed onto the heavenly throne, in essence grabbing on to the roots of the 600,000 arch souls of the Nation of Yisroel. That gave him the power to withstand that angles and he victoriously responded, explaining how the Torah had little practical application to the angles but was created for the humans who were able to physically fulfill the commandments.
Realizing the stature of Moshe, the angles conceded giving him great honor and gifts of divine secrets and mystical names. Amongst them was the Angel of Death who revealed to him the mysteries of the Ketoret and how it could be used to stop plagues, information which Moshe later made use of in the 'Plague of the Complainers' following the swallowing of Korach.
During the series forty days Moshe spent in Heaven, he had no way of telling the difference between day and night other then through the Torah he was studying. When he studied the 'Written Torah', he knew it was day and when he studied the 'Oral Torah', he knew it was night.[1]
[edit] Passing of Moshe
Moshe Rabbanue passed away at Mincha time of Shabbos on 7th of Adar. Having also been born on Zayin Adar, Moshe had lived a complete 120 years, as the early Tzadikim were often given the ability to completely live out their years. Moshe passed away from through the 'Kiss of Hashem' - by meditating on the supernal worlds, climbing higher and higher and never coming back to the physical body.
[edit] Greatness
Moshe was equivalent to the entire Jewish Nation.[2]
[edit] Hillulah of Moshe Rabbanue
The yahrtzeit of Moshe Rabbanue is celebrated annually on the 7th of Adar. It is customary to light a candle in his merit. Many people visit the kevarim of Rebbe Shimon bar Yochi, Arizal, Rabbi Yisroel Baal Shem Tov and Rabbi Nachman of Breslov on this day since Moshe Rabbanue was reincarnated as parts of their souls. On leap year the Hillula is generally celebrated on the second Adar.