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Tuvia Book
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Tuvia Book
Author, educator, Tour-Guide, artist
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Moses: A Great Guy, but not God

I will make you a God unto Pharaoh” (Exodus 7:1)

Citing the above line, in which God states to Moses; “I will make you a God unto Pharaoh” (The JPS translates the same verse as: “And the LORD said unto Moses: ‘See, I have set thee in God’s stead to Pharaoh…”) the famous first century Jewish Philosopher Philo of Alexandria wrote:

Did not Moses enjoy an even greater partnership with the creator of all things, having been found worthy of being called by the same form of address?” Moses, he claims, was; “the most perfect man that ever lived.”

Even though some of the young females in the Egyptian court might have thought him divine and his mum, Mrs. Yocheved Levi, thought that he was God, he was just an incredible man with close links with the boss.

moses-action-figure-7.gif

Freud in his famous book, Moses and Monotheism, claims that not only was Moses not God, but that he was not even a Hebrew! He posits that Moses was an Egyptian who learned monotheism from Akhenaten and was inspired to lead a revolt of foreign slaves in order to over throw his symbolic father! (Oedipus, shmoedipus, as long as he loved his mother)

In conclusion, Rabbi Moshe Reiss in his article “The Women around Moses” states that:

Moses is the foremost of all prophets of Israel, and the outstanding personality of the Bible. God calls upon him to take on “the role of God” (Ex. 4:16; 7:1). He is known as Moshe Rabbenu, as “the Man of Faith,” as “The Servant of God,” and as “The Man of God.” He is God’s lawgiver, and God declares him to be the one to whom “My household is entrusted” (Num. 12:8). He is warrior, a statesman, prophet and a mystic – a truly remarkable personality.

But not God…maybe BatMoses?

About the Author
Dr. Tuvia Book was born in London and raised in both the UK and South Africa. After making Aliya at the age of 17 and studying in Yeshiva he volunteered for the IDF, where he served in an elite combat unit. Upon his discharge he completed his BA at Bar-Ilan University, as well as certification in graphic design. He then served as the Information Officer at the Israeli Consulate of Philadelphia, while earning a graduate degree in Jewish Studies. Upon his return to Israel, Dr. Book graduated from a course of study with the Israeli Ministry of Tourism, and is a licensed tour guide. Tuvia has been working in the field of Jewish Education, both formal and informal, for many years. He has guided and taught Jewish students and educators from around the English-speaking world for some of Israel’s premier educational institutions and programs. Tuvia has been guiding groups for Birthright Israel since its inception and, in addition, has lectured throughout North America, Australia, Europe and South Africa. Tuvia served as a Shaliach (emissary) for the Jewish Agency for Israel as the Director of Israel and Zionist Education at the Board of Jewish Education of Greater New York (Jewish Education Project). He was a lecturer/educational guide at the Alexander Muss Institute for Israel Education (AMIIE) in Israel for a decade. Tuvia has lectured at both Bar Ilan University and Hebrew University. He was a Senior Editor and Teaching Fellow at the Tikvah Fund. He is a research associate at the Hudson Institute. Tuvia is the author and illustrator the internationally acclaimed Israel education curriculum; "For the Sake of Zion; A Curriculum of Israel Studies" (Fifth edition, Koren 2017), and "Moral Dilemmas of the Modern Israeli Soldier" (Rama, 2011) and has a doctorate in Israel Education. His latest book, "Jewish Journeys, The Second Temple Period to the Bar Kokhba Revolt – 536 BCE-136 CE," was published by Koren this year. To order: https://korenpub.com/products/jewish-journeys
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