Why can’t the Hebrews teach their children how to speak?
The Case of Moshe
Dr. Yocheved Engelberg Cohenwas shlicha in Syracuse (1999-2001) and Princeton (2003-2005) and is currently translating Rabbi Eliezer Melamed’s Peninei Halakha serie
Have you ever noticed that there are certain word pairs which are used in such specific contexts, that when you hear the first word uttered, you know the word that will follow? There are certain adjectives that are, almost invariably, followed by very specific nouns – inseparable friends, irreconcilable differences, the wee hours. A number of important adjectives in recent Torah portions do not really modify the expected nouns. Moshe declared himself uncircumcised – of lips (Shmot 6:12 and 30), and heavy – of mouth and tongue (4:10)! Just what do these rather awkward expressions mean?
This has been a source of contention among the commentaries. Rashi (1040-1105) suggests that it means that Moshe stuttered. Ibn Ezra (1089-1167) argues that Moshe had difficulty pronouncing certain sounds. Shadal (1800-1865) thinks that Moshe was not a polished orator. Rashbam (1085-1174) suggests an entirely different possibility – Moshe’s Egyptian was rather rusty because he had fled Egypt forty years earlier. All of these possibilities seem reasonable and ring true. How many times have public speakers been castigated because they are boring, because their accent is so heavy that they are incomprehensible, or because they have some other distracting speech habit?
So we can understand that Moshe was hesitant to undertake a mission which seems to involve being a spokesperson for a people. Now let’s turn around the question. In light of what we have said, why would God want the leader of the people to be someone who has difficulty speaking? Not surprisingly, there are a variety of approaches to this issue. I would like to share three suggestions which I find most thought-provoking.
First, Alan Carr suggests that like Moshe, people have a tendency to look at their disadvantages (lack of education, handicap, age, income, etc.) and use that as a reason to avoid serving God. But there are no legitimate excuses for this.
That Moshe was less than perfect is a lesson for all of us. We should not let whatever flaws we have (yes, we all have them) keep us from being the very best that we can be. For even Moshe, the most revered leader of the Jewish people, was flawed.
Second, Lynn Koss, a speech therapist who attended my parsha classes back in my Torah MiTzion days in Syracuse, made a very interesting observation that came out of her work experience. When someone with a speech impediment takes the trouble to voice their thoughts, they are generally worth listening to. Since it is difficult for them to speak at all, they generally don’t speak foolishly or frivolously. Since a speech impediment makes speech more difficult for the speaker, it may make people more inclined to pay attention to what is said.
Finally, the Ran (Rabbeinu Nissim, 1290-1375), in his famous work Derashot HaRan, suggests that because it is so critical that the Torah’s truth be accepted, it is critical that the giver of the Torah not be a glib orator:
For since the Torah and its acceptance is critical for humanity, it is right that the nation accept it with strong proofs that the Torah is true. . . . It was divine providence that removed from [Moshe] fluent speech, so that no one should think that the Jews and their leaders followed him because of the smoothness of his words. As it is known . . . a smooth talker draws the hearts of the people to him, and his lies are thought to be truths. All of this is the opposite when someone is “heavy of mouth.” For even the truth won’t be accepted from him unless it is an open and shut case.
It seems even in the good old days, politicians and lies were often associated. It was important that Moshe not speak smoothly, so that we could be confident that what he said stood on its own merit.
Let it be resolved that we will: 1) Work to overcome our flaws. 2) Think before speaking. 3) Make our words count. 4) Be sincere and truthful.
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