Revelation Part 1 - Talking or Listening?

Who ever said that there is no Revelation even nowadays and even on the blogosphere ? Witness Godol's post this Sunday and tell me that is not revelation! 564 comments as of now - and that is not a miracle? On a subject that deals only with our psyche, minds and conscience - not with physical needs? And the timing! Parshas Yissro ! What a preparation for Kabolas Hatora! and I am not kidding - this was me'ein nevuah!

On a more serious note. As children, at least in my case, my rebbes in cheder said vayedaber hashem el moshe," in gott hot gerett tzi moishe", and I had a vision of this old man with a white beard talking to this other old man (80 years + old approx). We learned Rashi and my rebbes never pointed out to me that Rashi had a totally different picture in his mind. Yes Rashi not Rambam or some other such "skeptic". He repeats it several times to make sure we don't miss the point. In fact it is not Rashi who started this idea it was Onkelos, and probably the Masora followed him when they set the vowels. In Shmos 33:9 on the verse Vediber Hashem el Moshe, Onkelos translates Umismalel - God was spoken to Moshe and Rashi cryptically quotes him without any further elaboration. (BTW some girsaos in Onkelos were tampered with and read Umemalel - rashi thus dissuades us as we will see). In Bamidbar 7:89 Vayshma es hakol midaber eilov - instead of medaber which would be normative - he heard the voice talking - the Masora reads Midaber - the voice was spoken - a difficult construct further confirmed by Onkelos - demismalel. Rashi again picks up on this and here a little less cryptically adds - it is God's glory for one to say that - in other words God is not physical and does not talk to people, even to Moshe - He talks to himself and Moshe hears on his own. Rashi already told us a little earlier that this "voice" is the same that Moshe experienced at Sinai. We are told here two things - first that the voice is a kind of "emanation" that is out there all the time ( remember God is not subject to time) - and second, Moshe or any prophet has to "listen" - in other words prepare himself and make a conscious effort to "hear" this "voice". ( see Sforno here who elaborates - cryptically as usual - and explains Rashi).

Exactly what prophecy is was debated by the Rishonim. The Kuzari et al. saw that as a miraculous event where God allowed certain people for certain reasons to "hear" the prophecy (proof is Monoach, Shimshon's father). Rambam and others held that prophecy is an ability that all men have if properly prepared. He based it on Aristoteleian understanding of how humans are inspired and grasp abstract ideas. They connect with the Active Intellect(in a future post I hope to adddress this difficult issue and try to translate it into contemporary language) which sounds strikingly like Rashi's understanding. Rambam however adds that we, Jews, accept that basic premise but also believe that even the most prepared person can be stopped by God from prophesyzing. (Proof Boruch ben Neryah, Yirmyahu's pupil). Here again Rambam turns our normal understanding on its head. Prophecy is normal for anyone that can attain it through self improvement, proper philosophic insight and meditation. The suppression, or not allowing the person that is ready to hear it, is what requires Divine intervention.

So clearly this business of Moshe and God speaking with each other, this idea of "Peh elPeh" and "Ponim el Ponim", the word "Kol" which permeates our Parsha is not what it seems at first blush. And the idea that it is not can be dated to at least Onkelos, a pupil of Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Yehoshua, (generation of the Churban), pupils of R. Yochanan ben Zakai, the "smallest" pupil of Hillel Hazoken, who lived at the time of Herod who ruled a 100 years before the destruction of the temple. ( For you history buffs who question Jewish sophistication 2000 years ago).

I hope to post some more on the subject in coming days and weeks taking advantage of the parshios where each one of them, Yssro, mishpatim, ki tiso all give us little snippets of Revelatiuon. Maybe if we piece them together we will get a little better understanding.