From Moses to Moses…

The Jewish people were blessed with a leader of monumental proportions. His name was Moses. In the more recent past we were blessed with another Moses , Moses Maimonides, known in his day as Rabeinu Moshe and for all of eternity as Rambam (An acrostic for Rabeinu Moshe Ben Maimon). Indeed, the parallel between these two great leaders is captured by the epitaph engraved on his tombstone: “From Moses to Moses, none has arisen like Moses.”

Moshe Rabeinu of Rabeinu Moshe

Moses, or, as he is known among Jews, Moshe Rabeinu, was G-d’s special messenger to the Jews, their liberator and lawgiver. In addition he was also G-d’s special messenger to Pharaoh and the Egyptian people before whom he performed great wonders. Among all Jewish leaders, Moshe Rabeinu stands out as the most unique. Indeed, the entire Torah has been referred to—in Biblical literature—as “Toras Moshe-the Torah of Moses!”

In the more recent past, the Jewish people were again blessed with a leader of monumental proportions. His name was also Moses, Moses Maimonides, known in his day as Rabeinu Moshe and for all of eternity as Rambam (An acrostic for Rabeinu Moshe Ben Maimon). Indeed, the parallel between these two great leaders is captured by the epitaph engraved on his tombstone: “From Moses to Moses, none has arisen like Moses.”

As the first Moses—who, notwithstanding his many achievements and talents, is known primarily as the one who transmitted the Torah to the Jewish people— Maimonides to, while famous for his philosophical, medicak and astronomical prowess, is primarily renowned for his contribution to the teaching of Torah. Maimonides’ Magnum Opus, the Mishneh Torah, is the most comprehensive restatement of the Torah that has even been penned. Its name, Mishneh Torah, literally “the restatement of the Torah” reflects the symbiotic relationship it enjoys with Toras Moshe, the teachings of the first Moshe.

Where is Maimonides Hinted in the Torah?

There is a major principle of Torah that everything that is in existence can be found in the Torah, if only in a hinted form. This principle is based on the Midrashic statement that the Torah is G-d’s blueprint for creation. It stands to reason that if something is part of creation, then it must be found, albeit in blueprint form, in the Torah.

This assertion is based on the Talmud that asks where is Mordechai, Esther and even Haman hinted in the Torah? The Talmud then proceeds to find their names mentioned, albeit in a somewhat altered form, in the Torah.

(Interestingly, many of Judaism’s greatest Sages and leaders are hinted in the very first word of the Torah: “Bereishis-In the beginning.” This word contains the letters that form the initials of rabbis such as: Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, Rav Ashi, Rashi, Rashba, Rosh, Rivash, Rabbi Yisroel Ba’al She Tov, Rabbi Shneur ben Sterna (the first Chabad Rebbe), Rabbi Sholom ben Rivka (the fifth Rebbe of Chabad), Rabbi Yosef ben Sholom (the Previous Rebbe, sixth leader of Chabad) and dozens more.)

It follows then, that there will be some prophetic reference to this great personage. The Rambam, in the Torah as well.

Indeed, there are some who found this allusion in this week’s Torah portion Bo. Right before the tenth and last plague, G-d informs Moses that the reason Pharaoh will not listen to Moses’ and Aaron’s warning to him is “in order that My wonders will be multiplied in the Land of Egypt.”

The four Hebrew words that translate “My wonders will be multiplied in the Land of Egypt” are: Revos Mofsai B’eretz Mitzraim, the initials of which is Rambam!

And, indeed, Rambam did perform great wonders in the medical as well as in the religious sense, Moreover, he did them primarily in the Land of Egypt. Furthermore, much of his medical marvels were demonstrated when he served the Sultan Saladin and his successor – before the king of Egypt!

But, there is more to the parallel than just this. It has been demonstrated that even the name of Rambam’s Magnum Opus – Mishneh Torah – can be found hinted in this section of the Torah. In a “code” that has received much attention recently, one can find the two words Mishneh Torah coded into the Biblical text in close proximity to the words that contain Rambam’s initials. When we take the letter mem that occurs in the name of Moses (appearing in the foregoing verse that alluded to the great wonders he performed in the land of Egypt) and we skip 50 letters, we will find the letter shin. By following this pattern of skipping 50 letters, we ultimately find the name Mishneh Torah spelled out!

(The number 50 is laden with meaning in Judaism. It encapsulates the nature of Torah that was given 50 days after the Jewish people’s departure from Egypt. 50 is one more than 7x7. Kabbalah explains that the number 50 transcends the order of nature represented by the number 7, as in 7 days of the week. This is what Torah is all about; transcendent Divine wisdom.)

Happy Birthday Maimonides

Even more startling is the fact that in this very section of the parsha, reference is made to the afternoon of the fourteenth day of Nissan, at which time the Israelites were to slaughter the Paschal lamb, the idol of Egypt. It is incredible that this time—the afternoon of the 14th day of Nissan happens to be Rambam’s precise time of birth!

The fact that Maimonides’ birthday occurred precisely at the time of the offering of the Paschal lamb is also not a coincidence. The slaughtering and offering of the lamb was the Jewish people’s way of repudiating the idolatrous practice of the Egyptians. Maimonides devoted much of his life and writings to dispel many idolatrous beliefs and superstitions. In his Guide for the Perplexed Maimonides demonstrates how many of the 613 commandments were directed against various forms of idolatry.

Mainonides: The Ultimate Iconoclast

If we are discussing hints, it has also been pointed out that the phrase “Moshe Rabeinu, or, the inverted form “Rabeinu Moshe” (used for the first Moses and the latter Moses, respectively), add up numerically to 613! The number 613, of course, represents the number of Mitzvos mentioned in the Torah. It is fascinating that Maimonides based his work, the Mishneh Torah on his enumeration of the 613 commandments. No less than four times does Maimonides provide us with a list of these 613 commandments!

As we see here, the essence of both Moses and Moses Maimonides was Torah in its most complete and comprehensive form—all of the 613 commandments. For it was their mission to impart to us the totality of Judaism; enabling us to implement it within our lives and thereby pave the way for Redemption.

From the book Light from the Future: Parshas Bo by Rabbi Heschel Greenberg, published by the Jewish Discovery Center.