1

The Ran in his drashos (drush 5) explains Moshe's speech impediment as bolstering the emunah that klal yisroel had in the Torah, because someone with slick speech could easily convince a group of people to believe him, but Moshe with his speech impediment did not have this on his side. (See it inside, because I took short snipets out of a longer piece. His question about Moshe is part of a longer discussion about nevi'im)

והנה יש כאן שאלה, היות משה אדון הנביאים (שמות ו, ל): "ערל שפתים" עד שהוצרך אהרן אחיו להיות מתורגמנו (שם ז, א-ב)

והתשובה על זה כי מהיות התורה וקיבולה הדבר היותר גדול שאפשר שיהיה במין האנושי, ראוי לעם שיקבלו אותה, שינתנו להם הוראות חזקות שהתורה היא אמיתית, ושיוסר כל ספק מאותן ההוראות ...ולזאת הסיבה נשלם משה בכל שלמות נביא, להאמין שענינו בכח אלהי, והוסר ממנו בהשגחה גמורה הדיבור הצח, יען לא יחשב שהיות ישראל וגדוליהם נמשכים אחריו, היה לצחות דברו כמו (שאמר) [שיאמר] על מי שהוא צח הדיבור שימשיך ההמון אחריו, ושהשקר ממנו יחשב אמת, והדבר בהפך למי שהוא כבד פה וכבד לשון, שהאמת לא יקובל ממנו רק לחוזק הגלותו, ולזה הוסר בהשגחה, לא היה דבר נופל במקרה.

My question is that Aharon was still his meturgaman and he had no speech impediment. So what's the pshat with the Ran's svara? Is it that Aharon was only his meturgaman when talking to Paroh? The footnotes in the Artscroll Drashos HaRan don't say anything, so I imagine the answer is something simple like that.

2
  • See Ramban to Shemos 6:13, based on Shemos Rabbah 8:3 and Midrash Tanchuma Va’eira § 10
    – robev
    Commented Aug 3, 2022 at 20:04
  • I think he had a speech impediment unless he was teaching Torah. People knew he had this weakness, and it couldn't be his orator abilities which convinced the Jews to make him their leader.
    – robev
    Commented Aug 3, 2022 at 20:06

1 Answer 1

0

The Gemara Eruvin 54B explains the way the Torah was taught by Moshe. Although he taught Aharon first, he himself taught the rest of klal Yisroel as well, while Aharon listened:

תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן, כֵּיצַד סֵדֶר מִשְׁנָה: מֹשֶׁה לָמַד מִפִּי הַגְּבוּרָה. נִכְנַס אַהֲרֹן, וְשָׁנָה לוֹ מֹשֶׁה פִּירְקוֹ, נִסְתַּלֵּק אַהֲרֹן וְיָשַׁב לִשְׂמֹאל מֹשֶׁה. נִכְנְסוּ בָּנָיו, וְשָׁנָה לָהֶן מֹשֶׁה פִּירְקָן. נִסְתַּלְּקוּ בָּנָיו, אֶלְעָזָר יָשַׁב לִימִין מֹשֶׁה, וְאִיתְּמַר לִשְׂמֹאל אַהֲרֹן. רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר: לְעוֹלָם אַהֲרֹן לִימִין מֹשֶׁה חוֹזֵר. נִכְנְסוּ זְקֵנִים וְשָׁנָה לָהֶן מֹשֶׁה פִּירְקָן. נִסְתַּלְּקוּ זְקֵנִים, נִכְנְסוּ כׇּל הָעָם וְשָׁנָה לָהֶן מֹשֶׁה פִּירְקָן. נִמְצְאוּ בְּיַד אַהֲרֹן אַרְבָּעָה, בְּיַד בָּנָיו שְׁלֹשָׁה, וּבְיַד הַזְּקֵנִים שְׁנַיִם, וּבְיַד כׇּל הָעָם אֶחָד.

The Gemara continues to discuss methods of Torah study. The Sages taught the following baraita: What was the order of teaching the Oral Law? How was the Oral Law first taught? Moses learned directly from the mouth of the Almighty. Aaron entered and sat before him, and Moses taught him his lesson as he had learned it from God. Aaron moved aside and sat to the left of Moses. Aaron’s sons entered, and Moses taught them their lesson while Aaron listened. Aaron’s sons moved aside; Elazar sat to the right of Moses and Itamar sat to the left of Aaron. Rabbi Yehuda disagreed with the first tanna with regard to the seating arrangements and said: Actually, Aaron would return to sit to the right of Moses. The elders entered and Moses taught them their lesson. The elders moved aside, and the entire nation entered and Moses taught them their lesson. Therefore, Aaron had heard the lesson four times, his sons heard it three times, the elders heard it twice, and the entire nation heard it once

After that, Aharon repeated it to klal Yisroel too, but they had already heard it from Moshe:

נִסְתַּלֵּק מֹשֶׁה וְשָׁנָה לָהֶן אַהֲרֹן פִּירְקוֹ. נִסְתַּלֵּק אַהֲרֹן שָׁנוּ לָהֶן בָּנָיו פִּירְקָן. נִסְתַּלְּקוּ בָּנָיו, שָׁנוּ לָהֶן זְקֵנִים פִּירְקָן. נִמְצָא בְּיַד הַכֹּל אַרְבָּעָה.

Moses then departed to his tent, and Aaron taught the others his lesson as he had learned it from Moses. Aaron then departed and his sons taught the others their lesson. His sons then departed and the elders taught the rest of the people their lesson. Hence everyone, Aaron, his sons, the elders and all the people, heard the lesson taught by God four times

6
  • I don't see how this answers the question. See my comment to the OP.
    – robev
    Commented Aug 3, 2022 at 20:03
  • 1
    The question was based on the fact that the Ran says Moshe had a speech impediment, and the question was that Aharon was his go between so regardless Moshe wasn’t the one teaching it so who cares if he has an impediment. The answer, is that when it came to teaching Torah, Moshe spoke himself not through Aharon. Hence the Ran says that the impediment helped prove the truth of the Torah
    – Chatzkel
    Commented Aug 3, 2022 at 20:14
  • Doesn't the medrash say that he was healed by matan torah? I understood that the ran was discussing prior to matan torah, that moshe rabbenu didn't convince the nation to follow him based on oratory talent, but convinced them to believe in hashem. Later, teaching torah, the a good oratory talent is a good thing.
    – אילפא
    Commented Aug 3, 2022 at 20:18
  • 1
    @Avrah I never heard that. Could be. However, the Ran seems to be talking about after matan Torah when he was giving over the actual mitzvohs
    – Chatzkel
    Commented Aug 3, 2022 at 20:21
  • It wasn't clear to me that the OP was asking that since Moshe didn't teach them Torah directly who cares if he has an impediment. That makes perfect sense according to the Ran's explanation that he didn't convince him due to his orator skills...the very reason he didn't teach them directly was because of his speech impediment. I think the OP is asking something else.
    – robev
    Commented Aug 3, 2022 at 21:00

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .