Rashi comments that Moshe used the word “ltkn” — which also means angel — because the prophets are referred to as angels. It seems slightly out of character for Moshe Rabbeinu, the “anav mikol adam,” the paragon of humility, to chose a word that alludes to spiritual superiority.
Horav Zalmen Sorotzkin, zl, cites a response from his father- in-law, Horav Eliezer Gordon, zl. Horav Gordon recounts an incident in which a famous gaon, one of the most prominent rabbanim in Vilna, met a villager driving a wagon that was being pulled by a horse and a cow simultaneously. When the rav saw this blatant sin, he took the ignorant man to task. “Don’t you know that it is prohibited to harness together two animals of different species?” the rav asked. The man added chutzpah to his ignorance by totally ignoring the rav – even after he had reproved him several times. When the rav realized that patience was no longer a virtue, he screamed at him in exasperation, “Do you know who I am? I am one of the foremost rabbanim in Vilna. My reputation is spread far and wide. As soon as I return to Vilna, I will convene my bais din and issue a cherem, excommunication, against you.” When the man heard such strong words emanating from such a distinguished rav, he recanted his attitude and immediately unharnessed the animals from the wagon.
We derive from this incident that, at times, the most humble individual must take a stand — and act in a somewhat pretentious manner — in order to make his point clear. Regrettably, people do not simply respond to the merit of a statement, but rather to the one who makes the declaration. When Moshe Rabbeinu spoke to the king of Edom, he realized that this man was so obtuse and vain that he would only listen to a distinguished individual. Thus, Moshe compared himself to an angel of the Almighty in order to elicit a positive reaction from the king of Edom.
