Pinchas

Fascinatingly, Rabbeinu Bahya deduces these two contrasting positions from the same letter in the same word. The Hebrew word for “their case” is mishpatan, and unusually, in a Torah scroll, the letter nun at the end of this word is elongated.

We also know that the gematria (numerical value) of the letter nun is 50, which our sages say represents the highest level of wisdom (Rosh Hashanah 21b). As such, Rabbeinu Bahya suggests that the longer nun could point to the fact that the fiftieth gate of knowledge eluded Moses, whereas it could also suggest that Moses reached that level and knew the answer to the question, but simply sought to teach a lesson.

To my mind, this disagreement is a classic example of the debate regarding how we should perceive our religious leaders. It is comforting for some to paint a flawless picture of our religious leaders; whereas for others, comfort comes in recognising that even our greatest leaders err.

Either way, either by force or by choice, Moses teaches us a fundamental lesson; no leader can be an island, because Jewish law is too important to be left in the hands of any one person.