צריך שיהיה אחד מהן סמוך מפי הסמוך
ומשה רבינו סמך יהושע ביד שנאמר ויסמוך את ידיו עליו ויצוהו וכן השבעים זקנים משה רבינו
סמכם ושרתה עליהן שכינה
ואותן הזקנים סמכו לאחרים ואחרים לאחרים ונמצאו הסמוכין איש מפי איש עד בית דינו של
יהושע ועד בית דינו של משה רבינו. The Aley Shor (volume one pg. 94)
points out that semicha isn’t just passing on the rights to be a member
of the beis din, it includes passing on this ability to tap into the Shechina. Why does this need to be passed on from
Moshe? I believe the explanation is based
upon the Derashot HaRan (derush 8) where he says that each navi receives
the nevuah through his rebbi in nevuah. Therefore, they had to accept this ability of
receiving nevuah from their rebbi, Moshe Rabbenu. Now we understand why Moshe must be the greatest
navi for he is the teacher of all the neviem. They receive their power from him; therefore,
he must be the greatest.
Rashi (27:16) cites the midrash that says: יפקד י״י – כיון ששמע משה שאמר לו המקום: תן נחלת צלפחד לבנותיו, אמר
הגיעה שעה שאתבע צורכי שיירשו בניי את גדולתי. אמר לו הקב״ה: לא כך עלתה במחשבה לפניי,
כדי הוא יהושע ליטול שכר שימושו שלא מש מתוך האהל, וזהו שאמר שלמה: נוצר תאנה יאכל
פריה. Why did Moshe want his
sons to take over if they weren’t the worthiest? Possibly he thought that the “flow” of nevuah
which needed to be past down would best be picked up by his sons for they
literally came from him. Hashem
responded that Yehoshua was the most capable of tapping into this “flow” for he
was constantly around Moshe.
The Rambam (intro. to Mishne Torah) traces the mesorah of
the passing of the Torah from generation to generation. He says: הַמִּצְוָה,
שְׁהִיא פֵּרוּשׁ הַתּוֹרָה – לֹא כְתָבָהּ; אֵלָא צִוָּה בָּהּ לַזְּקֵנִים וְלִיהוֹשׁוּעַ
וְלִשְׁאָר
כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל, שֶׁנֶּאֱמָר "אֵת כָּל־הַדָּבָר, אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי
מְצַוֶּה אֶתְכֶם – אֹתוֹ תִשְׁמְרוּ, לַעֲשׂוֹת . . ." (דברים יג, א). וּמִפְּנֵי
זֶה נִקְרֵאת תּוֹרָה שֶׁבְּעַל פֶּה
אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁלֹּא נִכְתְּבָה תּוֹרָה
שֶׁבְּעַל פֶּה, לִמְּדָהּ מֹשֶׁה רַבֵּנוּ כֻּלָּהּ בְּבֵית דִּינוֹ לְשִׁבְעִים זְקֵנִים;
וְאֶלְעָזָר וּפִינְחָס וִיהוֹשׁוּעַ, שְׁלָשְׁתָּן קִבְּלוּ מִמֹּשֶׁה. וְלִיהוֹשׁוּעַ
שְׁהוּא תַּלְמִידוֹ שֶׁלְּמֹשֶׁה רַבֵּנוּ, מָסַר תּוֹרָה שֶׁבְּעַל פֶּה וְצִוָּהוּ
עָלֶיהָ; וְכֵן יְהוֹשׁוּעַ, כָּל יְמֵי חַיָּיו לִמַּד עַל פֶּה.
(See Briskor Rav on the parsha and further discussion by his son, Rav Dovid and in the Mishmar Halevi on the parsha regarding that part of the promise to Pinchas = Eliyahu is that that he will keep the mesores haTorah alive even after the chain has been broken.)
We see from the Rambam that the תורה שבעל פה was given
specifically to Yehoshua; the זקנים
received the Torah from Moshe as well, but they aren’t considered the מקבלים. What is the difference between the acceptance
of Yehoshua and the זקנים? The difference lies in where they just
passing on Torah that they heard, or did the Torah become part of them. As discussed on this blog many times before
(see ex. here and here,) one doesn’t just learn Torah, it becomes part of the
person. Only Yehoshua received this
ability and that level is hinted to in the second hand that Moshe use to give semicha
to Yehoshua (see Rashi (27:23.) Why
did Yehoshua merit this more than the זקנים?
The aforementioned midrash explains because he was משמש Moshe. Those that sat in the shiur of Moshe
Rabbenu, yes they received Torah but it was merely a mountain of information. Only Yehoshua saw it applied in life. It is only that person who can understand
what the Torah is saying on a personal level and learn how to apply it in every
situation (based upon Pnenei Harav.)
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