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Why is Moshe called 'Eved Hashem (ה׳)' when being a servant seems inferior to being God's children? The shiur develops that humans have dual natures - soul (relating as children) and body (relating as servants). Moshe uniquely perfected both aspects, making his physical being itself a vehicle for divine presence, which is why his death required transitioning to ordinary human leadership.
This shiur analyzes the opening of Sefer Yehoshua, which repeatedly refers to Moshe as 'Eved Hashem (ה׳)' (servant of Hashem) upon his death. Rabbi Zweig addresses the apparent contradiction between the Jewish people being called God's children (banim) versus servants (avadim), noting that the Midrash teaches we are children when we follow Hashem's will, but servants when we don't - making 'servant' seem like a negative designation. The resolution lies in understanding the dual nature of man's creation. Drawing from the two creation narratives in Bereishis, Rabbi Zweig explains that humans have two components: the body (formed from earth) and the soul (breathed directly from Hashem). The soul, coming from Hashem Himself, relates to Him as a child and must strive to emulate divine characteristics (halacha (הלכה) b'drachav). The body, created from earthly matter that Hashem owns, relates to Him as a servant and must perform physical mitzvos.
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Sefer Yehoshua 1:1
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