Why Moshe Said 'Around Midnight' - Avoiding Definitive Language

Full Summary

This shiur analyzes a fundamental Gemara (גמרא) in Brachos that explores why Moshe Rabbeinu modified God's exact words when delivering the prophecy about the final plague. The Gemara questions why Moshe said 'k'chatzos' (around midnight) instead of 'b'chatzos' (at midnight) when God had told him the precise time. The answer reveals a profound lesson: even though Moshe knew exactly when midnight would occur, he chose indefinite language to prevent Pharaoh's astrologers from potentially claiming he was wrong if their measurements were slightly off. The discussion expands into the fundamental difference between Moshe's prophecy and that of other prophets. While other prophets received the divine message and transmitted it in their own words (using 'ko amar Hashem (ה׳)' - thus says God), Moshe typically received and transmitted the exact words of God ('zeh hadavar' - this is the word). This created a seeming contradiction: if Moshe always received exact words, why do we sometimes find 'ko amar Hashem' in the Torah (תורה) attributed to Moshe? The shiur resolves this by explaining three distinct categories where Moshe used 'ko amar Hashem': First, when speaking to Pharaoh and the Egyptians, God deliberately had Moshe use his own words to emphasize that God was not speaking directly to them, but sending a message through an intermediary - itself a form of rejection. Second, after the sin of the Golden Calf, when the Jewish people had demonstrated they wanted an intermediary rather than direct divine communication. Third, in this case with the plague timing, where Moshe chose to teach the lesson of avoiding definitive language. The deeper significance emerges regarding the nature of midnight itself. True midnight represents a moment outside of time - not the last second of the first six hours or the first second of the last six hours, but a miraculous point transcending temporal boundaries. If the plague occurred exactly at midnight, it demonstrated God's mastery over time itself, proving there is nothing beyond His control ('ein od milvado'). The Egyptians' desperate need to claim it happened even one minute off midnight wasn't mere pedantry - it was their attempt to maintain that powerful natural forces, rather than a transcendent Creator, govern reality. This analysis illuminates why the Gemara could deduce that Moshe made the change independently: the use of 'ko amar Hashem' indicated he was using his own formulation rather than God's exact words. The lesson extends beyond avoiding embarrassment to teaching proper speech patterns - always leaving room for potential error in our definitive statements. The shiur concludes by explaining how this connects to the unique prophetic level shared only by Moshe and Bilaam, both of whom received God's exact words, though only Moshe's transmission became Torah when God commanded him to record it.