Did Moshe Have a Speech Impediment?

Parshat Va'era

by Rabbi Avi Billet

There is no question that the person who does the most talking in all of the Torah is Moshe Rabbenu. The Book of Devarim alone comprises 3 large and several smaller speeches delivered by Moshe to the people. Combine that with all the things he says throughout the Torah, and the things we are told that he told and taught the people (all of the Mitzvot, all of his teachings, all of his presiding over court cases), and we have quite the loquacious individual. 

 And yet, because of 3 comments he makes (2 of which are essentially the same comment twice), people assume he had a speech impediment or even a physical deformity. Aside from the argument presented above, consider two more points. When Moshe is born the Torah informs us ותרא אותו כי טוב הוא – “it was seen about him that he was good.” This is hardly a description of someone born with a physical defect. Secondly, at the Burning Bush, while Moshe has many objections to why he doesn’t want to be God’s messenger, basically the last one he brings up is that he is a כבד פה וכבד לשון – that he has a “heavy mouth and a heavy tongue.” (4:10) If I had an inability to speak, and I was being tasked with being a representative whose main job was to use language of persuasion before a king, that would be my FIRST excuse for my being unfit for the job. 

For those who think these words heretical, let me assure you that I am quite familiar with the Midrash that depicts Pharaoh’s advisors as telling Pharaoh, from whom little Moshe has just playfully taken the crown, to set before the child shiny coal and precious metals to see if he is attracted to wealth or to shiny objects. That he takes the coal and puts it in his mouth makes no sense to me (he would take the coal, burn his hand and drop the coal, and then perhaps put his mouth to his hand), but this is suggested as to how Moshe got a permanent defect. 

 However, even if we were translating the Hebrew words above literally, at best they would describe someone whose lower jaw doesn’t close, and whose tongue cannot be lifted. The Maharal of Prague (Gur Aryeh) notes that this is a most unlikely scenario (and I agree with him). 

Going through the teachings of many commentaries who address these verses, I found that there are three categories into which Moshe’s issue falls. 1. A Royal or Regal concern, 2. A Mental Block, 3. A Physical Issue or Blemish. 

Let’s unpack each of these. (I couldn’t look up everything, and you are more than welcome to disagree with how any view presented is categorized.)

Royal or Regal Concern 

In his Tosefes Bracha, Rabbi Baruch HaLevi Epstein argues that Moshe felt unprepared to speak before the king of Egypt because his use of language was unpolished, therefore insubordinate or even insulting to a royal. Rabbi Hertz argues Moshe was ineloquent because “he had spent the years of his manhood in the great silent spaces of the desert, and he could only stammer forth the message of freedom.” He did not possess “forensic eloquence” or the ability to “state his case fluently and convincingly before Pharaoh.” 

Other arguments that fall in this category include: He did not speak 70 languages (as was available in the court of the king) (Midrash Aggadah, Hadar Zekenim, Beis Yosef Lehava); he is not used to speaking before the palace audience, as Aharon was (Pesikta, Seforno); he felt unworthy to be God’s Shaliach (emissary) (Alshikh, Midrash Sechel Tov (4:10), Rabbenu Bachaye 6:30); he felt God wasn’t supporting him because after 4 (Sechel Tov) or 6 days (R Chaim Paltiel) at the Burning Bush, God still hadn’t healed his speech problem (more on that soon), which suggested to him that God was (in a way) messing with him; he forgot how to speak Egyptian (Hadar Zekeni, Chizkuni, Rabbi Epstein, Ibn Ezra HaKatzar) (strangely, Ibn Ezra in his full commentary rejects this argument); Netziv suggests he was no longer “fluent” in Egyptian; He was not “polished” as a speaker (Ibn Ezra HaKatzar).

Mental Block 

In the mental block camp, we can begin with Ramban and Rabbenu Bachaye who say he did not ask for God to heal him because he did not want to go; he used God not healing him as a leverage for why he shouldn’t go (B’khor Shor); he had difficulty speaking (Ramban – though it is unclear if Ramban is ascribing this to a physical deficiency or a mental-block); he was concerned people would think him ignorant on account of a stutter he had (Or HaChaim); Koheles Rabba and Rabbi Epstein compare Moshe’s experience to that of the prophet Amos who was rejected by the people because of his speech impediment, wondering how (or if indeed) God would send such a messenger; He calls himself ערל שפתים (more on this phrase later) because he thought Aharon was only going to represent him one time, and after that he’d be on his own in being uncomfortable speaking (Seforno); R Pinchas Halevi Horowitz (Panim Yafos) gives two explanations: ערל שפתים is because Moshe and Aharon are going together, and it is hard to discern between two voices, AND that Moshe was befuddled because the Children of Israel hadn’t listened to him. In other words, he took their rejection personally and was unable to come up with coherent sentences on account of that rejection. 

 Physical Problem 

The Midrash of the coal injury has been acknowledged. The la’az (old French) word that Rashi uses suggests Moshe had a stutter, which Maharal (Gur Aryeh) acknowledges is not “the pshat” understanding of what a “heavy mouth and heavy tongue” mean, because he finds it impossible that Moshe was unable to close his mouth. Midrash Sechel Tov essentially describes a tongue-tie, noting that the frenulum under Moshe’s tongue didn’t allow him to lift his tongue. Without going into specifics, Ibn Ezra said Moshe had difficulty making certain sounds, presumably referencing what B’khor Shor refers to as a mum kavua (permanent blemish). Rabbenu Bachaye and HaKtav V’Hakabbalah record a teaching of Rabbenu Chananel who claimed Moshe could not produce sounds that required use of the tongue – זשסר"ץ and דטלנ"ת (Z, Sh, S, Tz, D, T, L, N, Th, and a rolling R). Toldos Yitzchak (R Yitzchak Karo) adds the plosive letters that require both lips בומ"פ (B, V, W, M, P, F). Seforno compares Moshe’s issue to Yeshayahu’s לשון למודים (tongue for teaching) noting that Moshe did not work on his tongue’s inadequacies as for all his life until the Burning Bush he had no reason to. Targum Yonatan (6:30) simply says that speaking is hard for Moshe. 

 Rav Shimshon Rafael Hirsch distinguishes between the heavy mouth/tongue (4:10) and the Aral S’fasayim depiction (of 6:12,30): “The former depicts a clumsiness of speech, whereas ערל is one who has no control over the faculty with which he is naturally endowed. Moshe is saying ‘Even if I overcome the clumsiness of my vocal organs, I still lack the power of actual speech, the right words fail me. As much as I would like to announce glorious tidings to the people, and inspire them and uplift them, the power to do so fails me; I do not have the ability, and I fail, as I have just experienced.’” 

As much as Rav Hirsch seems to be going in the direction of a physical blemish, he is really talking about a confidence, and dare I say, mental block. 

A couple of explanations for how things worked out in the end, and how Moshe ultimately became the most loquacious person in the Torah, as noted at the very beginning, are suggested by Ramban and Netziv. Ramban says God did not heal Moshe because he wanted all of Moshe’s speaking to appear as “מעשה נס” – of a miraculous nature – a further testament to God’s power. Netziv suggests God had mercy on Moshe on account of Moshe’s humility, and made him able to speak to Pharaoh after Moshe noted about himself - twice - that he is ערל שפתים (sealed lips). 

 Nachshoni quotes the Dubno Maggid who felt Moshe’s concern was that if he showed up with some deficiency, people would not accept him as they’d think he was a messenger of the Sitra Achra (a Jewish equivalent of “the dark side”). Rav Saadiah Gaon had explained that there are two ways that a person could be deemed a false prophet: a. he makes things up, or b. people accept that he had a vision, but they assume he didn’t understand whatever he saw. Therefore, the first two signs given to Moshe to convince the Bnei Yisrael aimed at countering both of those arguments. The staff turns into a snake – clearly a sign from God, for a person can’t make an immobile object into something that is alive. His hand turns to tzara'as – must be a punishment from the sitra d’kedusha, as only God would punish Moshe for speaking disparagingly of the Bnei Yisrael (that they wouldn’t believe him) whereas such a claim would be embraced by the sitra achra. 

While the notion that Moshe had an actual deformity/deficiency/stammer/stutter would certainly make his leadership and success ever so much more miraculous, owing to the very many interpretations of the heavy mouth/tongue and sealed lips claims of Moshe that look at other concerns Moshe had about his abilities, confidence (or lack thereof), qualifications (or lack thereof), as well as the overwhelming lack of proof in the text for the physical challenges, I think it is safe to land in the arena of Moshe being overwhelmed with the task at hand, Moshe feeling unexcited about leaving his quiet life in Midian, and his general humility guiding him to stay out of the limelight. 

His taking charge and his success are the stuff of miracles anyway. Why turn the most loquacious person in the Torah, and the most inspiring person in the Torah, into something he was not?