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How can the Torah (תורה) say Moshe "yabit" (looked down) at God's image when "habata" means looking downward? The shiur develops that Moshe's greatness stemmed from his anavut—when he physically looked down at people (being ten amot tall), he saw the divine image within them. True humility means recognizing everyone's unique godly qualities.
The shiur addresses a linguistic and conceptual difficulty regarding the phrase "usmunat Hashem (ה׳) yabit" (he gazed upon the image of God) describing Moshe's unique prophetic level. The problem stems from Rashi (רש"י)'s commentary on Parshat Lech Lecha, where he explains that the word "habata" specifically means to look downward from a higher place to a lower one. When the Torah (תורה) tells Avrohom "habeyt hashamayim" (look at the heavens), Rashi explains that God must have elevated Avrohom above the heavens so he could look down upon them, since "habata" cannot mean looking upward. This creates a difficulty with the verse about Moshe: if "yabit" (from the same root as "habata") means to look down, how can it describe Moshe looking at God's image? The resolution comes through understanding Moshe's defining characteristic of anavut (humility).
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Parshas Beha'aloscha, Bamidbar 12:8
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Why didn't Noach daven for his generation while Avrohom advocated for Sedom? Noach viewed each person as an independent island responsible only for their own teshuvah. Avrohom understood that all humanity is interconnected through shared perspective and values, making prayer for others both possible and necessary.
