Pirkei Avos


 


'Moshe received the Torah* from Mount Sinai' (1.1)


 


The Mishnah* should have said, 'on Mount Sinai' [and not from Mount


Sinai.] It seems that we can explain it this way. The Torah says that


'the man Moshe was more humble then any other man.' Likewise when he


was in Egypt he said, 'Who am I that I should go... will I then take


[this people out of Egypt?' However] when HaShem said to Moshe that


he was going to give the Torah through him and he would be the


teacher of all Israel, he didn't protest at all. Where was his


humility then?


 


However the truth is the exact opposite. Moshe observed that the


Torah was to be given on Mount Sinai. Chazal* teach that it was


chosen because it was the smallest of the mountains. Moshe saw that


the Torah was not being given except on the smallest and least


significant place of all. He was then pleased that the Torah could be


given through him since he [felt that he] was the least of all of the


Jewish people.


 


And for this reason it says, 'Moshe received the Torah'. Since he was


so humble how could he do that? To answer this it says, 'FROM Mount


Sinai.' He learned [this lesson] from Sinai. The Torah was given on


it and not on any of the taller mountains, because it was the


smallest of them all. He was then willing to allow the Torah to be


given through him [being the smallest of all Jews.] (p. 104 sefer


Kedushas Levi teachings of Rebbe Levi Yitzchok of Berditchev.)


 


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