Q&A: Moses’ Knowledge of God
Moses’ Knowledge of God
Question
It is known from Maimonides’ commentary that Moses asked God, “Please show me Your glory,” and by this he wanted to know God the way he knows human beings, but the Lord refused (because a person cannot attain that kind of knowledge). My question is: why did Moses ask God to make Himself known to him in the first place? He already believed in His existence, so why is it necessary to know Him if he already knows Him?
Answer
I have no idea. Apparently it interested him.
Discussion on Answer
I don’t understand these questions. Even assuming you’re right that there is a commandment to know Him and not only to believe in Him—what is difficult about that? How is it different from any of the other 613 commandments? On the contrary, it is even more understandable than many of them.
Maimonides’ first commandment cannot be interpreted literally for other reasons as well. For example, there neither is nor can be a commandment to accept facts. I don’t know what the explanation is according to his view. Some claim that the commandment is to investigate this.
But there is a commandment to draw close to God, that is, to know Him, and I simply don’t understand why, if I already “believe” in Him. Also, Rabbi, I’d be glad to know how you explain the first commandment in Mishneh Torah, that there is a commandment to believe in God, if you say that belief in God is actually what obligates the service of God, if I understood you correctly, and not the other way around?