The Inner Dimension of Tanach - Yehoshua 1:1 Yehoshua Brings Moshe Into Eretz Yisrael

Shecheyanu V'Kiyamanu V'Higiyanu L'Zman Hazeh!
With gratitude to Hashem that we have had the merit to make Aliyah and live in the Holy land of Eretz Yisrael. The Torah of Eretz Yisrael is both unique in it's quality and integral to the connection of the Jewish people to it's Land. To put it in other words, the whole reason we have access to this special land is to gain access to a deeper understanding of the Torah itself.
And there is no area of Torah study more relevant to this than the study of Tanach. In most circles Tanach has been cast to the side, relegated to the halls of the academics, viewed as dry, repetitive and Chas V'Shalom, almost irrelevant.
But the resurgence of Torah in Eretz Yisrael is turning this tide, re-engaging in the study of Tanach with fresh eyes and a longing spirit, understanding that contained within the words of our holy prophets contains the greatest secrets of the Torah themselves.
And the bridge to this world of depth and revelation begins with the book of Yehoshua. It, according to the Talmud is the most timeless book of Tanach and creates a unique bond of Klal Yisrael to Eretz Yisrael.
As opposed to looking at the book of Yehoshua as a laundry list of battles and borders of the Eretz Yisrael, let's take a deeper look and uncover the hidden depth that lies within the words of Tanach, our Sages, and the Land itself!
These words and many others that I will share are primarily from the esteemed Talmud Chacham, Rav Yussie Zakutinsky, shlita.

This Gemara in Nedarim is very interesting. What exactly is it trying to tell us?
What makes Sefer Yehoshua so unique that it seems to have the status close to the Torah itself?
Is the only function of the book to teach us the boundaries of Eretz Yisrael? And if this is so important, why doesn't the Torah itself delineate what we need to know?
Let's take a look at another interesting section of the Torah which might shed some light on this.

What exactly is going on here? What were Eldad and Meidad prophecizing about and why did Yehoshua want to stop this?

Rashi here records one of the versions of the prophecy. But keep in mind, this was said before the sin of Moshe hitting the rock. It seems that they understood on a deeper level that Moshe would not enter the Land. The sin of the rock was only a pretext to justify this decree. But how did they know. Why couldn't Moshe enter Eretz Yisrael and why was Yehoshua trying to hard to suppress this prophecy?
The Cryptic Words of the Arizal
The Arizal in Likutei Torah on this Parsha makes a shattering remark. The Arizal, in quoting the Zohar Hakadosh says that Moshe couldn't go into Eretz Yisrael because his spiritual level was above the Land itself.
The holiness of Eretz Yisrael couldn't contain Moshe and in a certain sense it would have brought him down.
For the entire Jewish people, Eretz Yisrael was Holy of Holies, the place they needed to be to bring out the essence of their collective soul.
But Moshe Rabbeinu was on a categorically different level. He had already been raised up to connect to the Eitz Hachaim, the Tree of Life itself. Connecting to the physical manifestation of the Source of Life, Eretz Yisrael, on his level would have been a downgrade.
And, in a certain sense, Moshe understood this. That is why when he prayed to go into the Land, he only asked to pass through it without being connected to the Land itself.

But what did this have to do with Yehoshua? If the prophecy of Eldad and Meidad was indeed true, why was Yehoshua trying to silence them?
To understand this, let us take a look at a fascinating comment of the Komarna Rebbi in Heichal Bracha which will shed light on the entire topic.
He says that when Yehoshua tried to silence Eldad and Meidad, it was the equivalent of saying Shema Yisrael twice.
Shema twice, but Baruch Shem zero.
What does this mean and what was Yehoshua really trying to accomplish in a spiritual sense?
Upper and Lower Unity
There is a foundational understanding echoed in the writings of the Mekubalim which describe the difference between two points of Unity.
Upper Unity, Yechudei Ilah, and Lower Unity, Yechudei Tata.
Upper Unity represents Hashem's oneness in the most complete sense. It is the absolute unity that existed before creation and will be manifest again at the End of Time.
This is the unity mentioned daily with the Shema, culminating in Hashem Echad. No division, no doubt, no separation whatsoever.
This is the level of Moshe Rabbeinu himself. In fact the deeper sources reveal that his name is alluded in this level of Achdus.

The Torah describes that water appears to be the essential building block that is on the stage even before creation. And when the Torah describes Moshe's name that he was drawn from the water, on the deeper level, his Neshama comes from a place that was even deeper than the most core element of all physicality. Moshe was truly beyond it all.
But there is another level of unity. One more down to the earth so to say. This is Yichudei Tata, Lower Unity. It is a unity that exists by bringing all of the elements of humanity and the creation itself to a source of oneness.
This Lower Unity is represented when we say the line after Shema, Baruch Shem Kavod Malchuso L'Olam Va'ed.
Interestingly, every word of the Shema comes from the Torah itself, but Baruch Shem is not there at all. The Torah is the world of Higher Unity. From the perspective of Divine Oneness, there is no place for the Lower Unity of Baruch Shem.
And this was exactly was Yehoshua's brilliant plan was. He understood that the reason that Moshe couldn't go into the Land is because Moshe was connected to the Higher Unity.
Yehoshua himself on the other hand was connected to the Lower Unity, and therefore he was uniquely chosen to bring the Jewish people into Eretz Yisrael. To conquer, to plant, and the build. To bring all of the elements of society and the physical world to the Beis Hamikdash, the place of Lower Unity itself.
But Yehoshua wasn't up for the job. He wanted Moshe to go in and connect Higher and Lower Unity together in Eretz Yisrael. Effectively, to bring Moshiach. This is why he said Shema twice, essentially replacing the Lower Unity of Baruch Shem for the Higher Unity of Shema Yisrael only.
He calculated that if he could rise up to the level, there would be no difference between him and Moshe. And if he could erase that difference, then Hashem would pick Moshe instead as the one to lead the Jewish people into Eretz Yisrael.
But this was Yehoshua's mistake. It wasn't Moshe's role anymore. It was his.
Eldad and Meidad were right. Only Yehoshua was uniquely capable of bridging that gap. He had to mature to that understanding and step into the role that his Rebbe could no longer bring him.

The Highest Level of Wisdom and Ignorance
This concept is further elaborated by one of the Tzaddikim of our generation, Rabbi Yitzchak (Itche) Meir Morgenstern in his writing, Shearis Yisrael.
He describes that there are three levels of knowledge in the world.
There are those who understand.
There are those who know they don't understand.
There are those who don't even know what they don't understand.
Let's give an example in the physical world. Take quantum physics.
Imagine you go up to a kid. You ask him, do you understand how the world works?
The kid would probably say yes. Rain falls. The sun comes up. Trees grow. Everything makes sense. This is the lowest, most basic level of knowledge.
Now imagine you go up to the average adult and ask him, do you know how the world works? You know, string theory, quantum physics, Heisenberg's uncertainty principle?
The average layman would probably say no, I have no idea what you are talking about.
He knows there is a thing called advanced physics and he knows he doesn't get it.
But this is not the highest level of knowledge.
Let's take a genius scientist who's has been studying theoretical physics his entire life.
He also doesn't understand how everything works. But he is aware of all of the complexities of the world to the point that he doesn't even know what he doesn't know.
The laymen thinks he knows what he doesn't understand. But the expert knows that there is so much more that he doesn't even fathom what he doesn't yet know.
The same holds true with Divinity.
There are simple people who think they understand God.
On a higher level, there are people who recognize that God is above them and there are things they don't understand.
But the highest level are those that are so connected with Hashem's world that they recognize that they don't even rise up to the level to know what they don't know.
This absolute humility is at the same time the highest point of knowledge. And this was the level of Moshe Rabbeinu.
He was so above it all that the God he described was completely beyond comprehension of the Jewish people.
This is why when the Jewish people thought that Moshe has disappeared on Har Sinai they panicked and created the Golden Calf. They couldn't be left alone with a God they couldn't understand.
It was Yehoshua's job to close that gap.
In fact, the Jewish people really only understood who Moshe was in the times of Yehoshua. He had put Moshe in their perspective and they finally realized what they lost.

Yehoshua Brought Moshe Rabbeinu to Eretz Yisrael
There is a very interesting comment of Rav Nosson of Breslov in Likutei Halachos, Morning Blessings 5.
He describes the student teacher relationship, where often the student not only makes known the depth and the teachings of his Rebbe to the world, but he actually reveals it to the Rebbe himself!
This is why when Hashem asked Moshe to go deliver the Jewish people from Egypt, he said no! He had no idea who he truly was. It wasn't until he connected back with the Jewish people and began teaching them Torah that they revealed to Moshe who he really was.
This is why the Talmud considers Sefer Yehoshua as essential as the Torah itself. Without Yehoshua, Moshe Torah's would be inaccessible to the Jewish people. Yehoshua was the Lower Unity that would allow the Torah to flow the the Jewish people in Eretz Yisrael.
Yehoshua's job was to teach Moshe who he really was, translate that greatness to the Jewish people, and bring them to their next chapter in history, Eretz Yisrael.
To be continued.
Doron Lazarus
Ramat Bet Shemesh