[Avodah] Moshe Rabeinu's stuttering

[Micha Berger]

On Sun, Jan 14, 2007 at 03:19:16PM +0200, Danny Schoemann wrote:
: My 8 year old wanted to know why Moshe Rabeinu's stuttering wasn't
: healed at the burning bush.

The Maharsha defines "aral sefasayim" more literally, as a lip injury.
And thus Moshe Rabbeinu couldn't naturally say the letters buma"f
(including vav).

See <http://www.shemayisrael.co.il/parsha/kornfeld/archives/shemos.htm>,
R' Mordecai Kornfeld cites R' Yitzchaq Vilozhiner:
> Yet, the Midrash (Shmot Rabba 3:20) tells us, when Moshe relayed to others
> the words of Hashem his speech was miraculously perfect and unslurred;
> "the Shechinah (divine spirit) spoke from Moshe's throat" during his
> prophecies (see Zohar Pinchas p. 232, Shmot 19:19 with Rashi). The
> clear pronunciation of the words "Pakod Pakadti" was the surest sign
> that Moshe was truly G-d-sent!

> When Moshe wondered to Hashem why he wasn't cured of his slurred speech
> when he was charged with bringing His word to the people (a question
> dealt with by Ramban 4:10; Drashot Haran, Drush 3), Hashem replied to
> him, "Who gave a person a mouth and who can make a person dumb or deaf,
> able to see or blind? Is it not I, Hashem?" (Shmot 4:11). Moshe's defect
> served a very important purpose. Without it, he could not have proven
> through the clear enunciation of the words "Pakod Pakadti" that he was
> indeed the long-awaited redeemer. (Peh Kakosh, Shmot 4:11)

Moshe's speech impediment existed for the purpose of people knowing
outright the supernatural nature of his nevu'ah.

Tir'u baTov!
-mi

-- 
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