( L"N FOR Azriel Mordechai ben YITZCHAK REUVAN)
The seventh foundation of the Jewish faith is that the prophecy granted to Moses was not only true, it was of a higher level than that granted to other prophets. In the last foundation, we discussed how prophets received their messages in visions. Moses was an exception. The Torah tells us that he alone was able to receive God’s word in perfect clarity. This was a pinnacle of spiritual perfection, the highest level a human being could achieve.
Moses’ prophecy differed from that of other prophets in numerous aspects: he was awake, it was not a traumatic experience, he did not require an angel to serve as an intermediary, and in many other ways. Most notably, other prophets had to wait for God to contact them. Only Moses was capable of starting the dialogue with God.
In the Ani Maamins, this foundation is phrased, “I believe wholeheartedly that the prophecy of Moses our teacher was true and that he was the greatest of all prophets, both those who preceded him and those who succeeded him.”
In Yigdal, this foundation is the line that reads “Lo kam b'Yisroel k'Moshe od, navi umabit es t'munaso” – “There has not arisen in Israel a prophet like Moses, capable of perceiving the nature of God.”
By Rabbi Jack Abramowitz
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