Q&A: A Question About Moses Our Teacher
A Question About Moses Our Teacher
Question
Hello,
Was Moses our Teacher wise / a genius / a supreme intellect?
Are there midrashim about this, or other literature (I’m not familiar with any, though I’m also not very knowledgeable)?
And if so, why isn’t it mentioned in the Torah? For example, it speaks about the wisdom of King Solomon, and there are other sources about wisdom.
But about the giver of the Torah, nothing at all is written.
Answer
I have no idea. I never met him.
There are midrashim that speak about his greatness (the greatest of the prophets was presumably also very wise. It says that knowledge of God was revealed to him), but midrashim are not a reliable source for facts. Sometimes the purpose of a midrash is educational or to teach something, and not simply to convey facts.
The fact that nothing is written about it doesn’t really matter. Why is it important to describe that? Moses’ authority is not because of his wisdom but because of his prophecy. He conveys to us the word of God. As for Solomon too, his wisdom was not described for no reason, but because the Holy One, blessed be He, promised to give him wisdom.