The word “v’ha’ish,” “and the man,” seems to be superfluous. It should have been written, “and Moshe.” Horav Eliyahu Meir Bloch,zl, cites the pasuk in Shmuel I, 15:17, “Though you are small in your own eyes, you are the head of the tribes of Yisrael,” in which the Navi criticizes Shaul ha’Melech for being overly humble. In the end, this misplaced humility resulted in Shmuel telling Shaul, “You have rejected the word of G-d.” Evidently, the only blemish to be found on Shaul’s character was his excessive humility. Should this have been sufficient cause for the Navi to so severely censure Shaul?
We see from here that while humility may be an impressive virtue, it must be tempered with a balance of authority. Uncontrolled, humility can have tragic results, as seen in Shaul’s situation. Hashem Yisborach creates man in such a manner that he is balanced. If an individual acts excessively to either extreme, if he is too humble or if he gets carried away with a desire for power, he tips the delicate balance. Then he may be consumed by this character trait.
This is the reason that the Torah emphasizes the “ish“, “man,” Moshe, a person who was in total control of himself. He kept within his limits. While in his heart he was the epitome of humility, he knew full well his value. Yet, he realized that as the accepted leader of Klal Yisrael, he must maintain a presence befitting his lofty position.
Horav Eliyahu Schlessinger, Shlita, maintains that the Torah’s description of Moshe as an anav, characterizes his essence. It was Moshe’s remarkable humility that rendered him worthy of his role as Klal Yisrael’s leader. Indeed, in the Talmud Eruvin 13b, Chazal suggest that the reason that the halachah is most always decided according to Bais Hillel is their self-effacing nature. In his sefer, Shem Hagedolim, the Chidah writes that he heard the following from a great Jew, who had heard from a group of elders who had lived during the time of the Arizal. In the generation of the Bais Yosef, Heaven decreed that someone should codify the laws of the Torah and Talmud. Three great tzaddikim lived in that generation who were capable and worthy of authorizing the Shulchan Aruch. Hashem “decided” that the clear choice for the Shulchan Aruch’s “authorship” was the Bais Yosef, as a result of his incredible humility. Never would he speak ill of anyone with whom he did not agree halachically! Imagine, the Shulchan Aruch, by which every Jew lives, the standard by which a Jew maintains his religious observance, was authored by the Bais Yosef because of his humility! This perspective supports the crucial role that – middos, character refinement – plays in the development of a true ben Torah and Torah scholar.
