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Why does the Torah (תורה) sometimes introduce Moshe's words with "zeh hadavar" (these are the words) and sometimes with "ko amar Hashem (ה׳)" (so said God)? The shiur develops the idea that zeh hadavar represents God speaking directly through Moshe to create an unmediated relationship between God and Israel, while ko amar Hashem indicates Moshe speaking in his own words—used when addressing non-Jews or after the golden calf. The parsha's juxtaposition of the Midian war with the laws of vows teaches that controlling one's speech is the prerequisite for controlling physical desires.
The shiur begins with a foundational question from Rashi (רש"י) on Parshas Matos: why does the Torah (תורה) introduce Moshe's prophecy with two different formulations—"zeh hadavar" (these are the words) and "ko amar Hashem (ה׳)" (so said God)? Rashi explains that all prophets used ko amar Hashem, but Moshe had the additional level of zeh hadavar. The Mizrachi interprets this as representing two levels of prophecy: ko amar Hashem means the prophet conveys God's message in his own words (approximation), while zeh hadavar means the actual words of God emerge from the prophet's mouth—the highest level of prophecy, unique to Moshe. The Maharal challenges this interpretation with a fundamental question: if these represent two levels of prophecy, and Moshe always prophesied at the highest level (aspaklaria hameira—clear lens, versus other prophets' aspaklaria she'eina meira—hazy lens), why would Moshe ever speak with the lower formulation of ko amar Hashem? The Maharal therefore rejects the Mizrachi's interpretation and offers an alternative: the distinction is not about prophecy levels but about content—ko amar Hashem is used for temporary, practical matters, while zeh hadavar is used for eternal Torah laws.
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Parshas Matos 30:2-3
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