Musar for Nedarim 75:15

If we want to explain the verse according to its simple meaning, we can accept the commentary of the Ran: Since Moses was the "father" of all subsequent prophets and his accomplishments as a prophet were far above the laws of nature, as vividly described in Deut. 34,11 how can we understand that he was afflicted with a physical blemish such as a stutter? He could not even control ordinary nature! How could a person underprivileged by nature rise to become a master of nature?! There is hardly a greater blemish than if someone cannot express his thoughts due to a physical handicap! Man's entire advantage over the animal kingdom is the ability not only to formulate thoughts but to express them! Moreover, we know from a number of sources in the Talmud such as Nedarim 38, and Maimonides, that G–d does not grant the gift of prophecy to people who do not possess physical prowess, wealth, wisdom as well as the virtue of humility and that Moses possessed all of these attributes. How then could Moses be plagued by such a deformity? In Sotah 12, where the verse in Exodus 2,6 in which Pharaoh's daughter finds a crying lad, i.e. Moses, is discussed, we find the description of Moses both as a ילד, young child, and as a נער, a description normally reserved for a boy entering his teens, not for a three months old baby. Rabbi Yehudah explains this to mean that Moses had a voice as strong as that of a נער, though he himself was a ילד. Rabbi Nechemyah questions this by saying that this would be considered as a physical deformity, and that is obviously not satisfactory! What he means is that if a minor blemish is inconceivable in Moses, how could a major blemish such as his difficulty to express himself be acceptable! When the Torah describes the creation of man in Genesis 2,7, we are told ויהי האדם לנפש חיה, which Onkelos translates as man becoming a talking spirit.

Ben Zoma concludes his statement in the Mishnah quoted above by saying: "Who is truly honored? He who honors G–ds creatures" [human beings]. He tells us that just as we have to do our duty by G–d, so we have to do our duty by our fellow human beings. Both obligations rank equally. The same three attributes are also the qualifications that are prerequisites for a person who aspires to become a prophet. Our sages have phrased it thus: "Prophetic spirit does not come to rest on a person who does not combine within himself wisdom, valour and wealth." (Shabbat 92) The source for these requirements is Moses himself who possessed all these attributes. Prophets also need to learn from Moses not to boast about possession of these attributes. Practising humility is an acknowledgment that one does not "possess" these attributes, but has been endowed with them by G–d. The greater the degree of prophecy a man displays, the greater the amount of humility he must practise. This is why Moses could be described as the most humble of all people. The true leader displays these virtues both vis-a-vis G–d and vis-a-vis his contemporaries. Studying Torah in order to be called "Rabbi," etc., is frowned upon. Neither, of course, should one be motivated by the desire to become rich or the desire to exercise authority over people.