כבד את-אביך, ואת-אמך–למען, יארכון ימיך, על האדמה, אשר-יהוה אלהיך נתן לך

Honor your father and your mother, in order to lengthen your days on this Land that the Lord your God has given to you (Shemot 20:11)

In this, the fifth of the “Ten Commandments”, we are commanded to honor our parents. Why is this commandment located precisely at this point?

Ramban explains: Up to this point, we had been commanded on things that are בין אדם למקום – relating solely to God (Belief in God, no idols, do not swear falsely, remember the Shabbat). After this, the commandments are all relating to issues that are solely בין אדם לחבירו – between man and his fellow (No murder, adultery, theft, false witnes or coveting). The commandment to honor one’s parents is an appropriate segue between these two sections of commandments because one’s relationship with one’s parents has both of these aspects within it.

One the one hand, parents are called a “partner with God” in creating their children. Ramban understands Devarim 5:15 (the second time that the Commandments are given, in which the words
כבד את-אביך ואת-אמך, כאשר צוך יהוה אלהיך
are added to this commandment) to mean that just as God has commanded you to observe his honor, so to your are commanded honor the onw who “joined me in your being formed”. On the other hand, this mitzvah is towards another person, and is carried out in this world. So it embodies both aspects: towards God and towards man, and is thus appropriately placed in between the first set of commandments and the last.

I decided to take a closer look into the exact measurements involved in this scenario.

According to Wikipedia, from the ground to a person’s knees is 25% of their height, and from their knees to their waist is another 25% of their height. So when a person sits down (assuming that they sit on a surface so that their knees can bend at a 90 degree angle), their total height is 75% of what it originally was (since their upper-legs are know parallel with the ground. Additionally, the middle of a person’s chest (equal to where there arms are) is 75% of their height. After they are sitting down, this makrs 67% (2/3) of their height.

If we take Chazal’s statement of Moshe’s height at face value (and not as some sort of allegory), this means that when he was sitting down, his head was now 7.5 amot off of the ground (10 * 75% – approximately, assuming that Moshe’s body proportions are the same as everyone else’s), and his arms were approximately 5 amot off the ground (7.5 * 67%).

If we say that an Amah is 48cm (6 tefachim x 8cm per tefach), this means that when sitting, a 10 amah tall Moshe had his arms 2.4 meters (7.9 feet) off the ground. This means that in order for Aharon and Chur (not Yehoshua, who was leading the battle, 17:9-12) would need to reach (with some strength, since they were holding the position for hours) in order to hold up Moshe’s hands was nearly 8 feet off the ground. And this is just in order to have Moshe’s arms at shoulder level. If they wanted to hold Moshe’s arms above shoulder level (as the passuk implies that they may have done), then they would need to be able to reach even higher.

After some more calculations (a person can reach to approximately 125% of their height if their arms are vertical), this means that Aharon and Chur would have to be (at a minimum, approximately) 1.92m tall (6.3 feet, 4 amot) in order so support Moshe’s hands at a horizontal, shoulder-height (assuming that their arms were vertical). In order for Aharon and Chur to both hold up Moshe’s arms above his shoulder level, and do so by supporting his arms away from the bicep/shoulder area (since that would be the most difficult spot to support his arms, given the mechanics of the situation), they would have to have been even taller that 1.92m.

So, this explanation of the Netziv is supported by the fact that Aharon and Chur could have been very very tall (but within the normal range of human height, at least for NBA players) and still have been able to support Moshe’s arms when a 10 amah tall Moshe was sitting.

Alternatively, we could take the 10 amot height of Moshe as being allegorical and not literal, since it is physically impossible for the human body as we know it to support a body that is 4.8 meters tall (15 feet), and simply say that Moshe was sitting down because he was tired, and by sitting down, he made it easier for Aharon and Chur to hold his hands up as far above his head as possible.

(Of course, this raises the whole discussion of whether or not we are to take statements of Chazal like “Moshe was 10 amot tall” as being literal or allegorical, whether we need to believe as a principle of faith that the main figures in the Chumash were like super heroes, or whether they were ordinary humans, and whether or not it is legitimate to apply modern scientific knowledge to statements of Chazal rather than relying on the assumption that meshaneh haTeva – the nature of the world has changed. But all of that is beyond the scope of this post).

ויאמר משה אל-בני ישראל ראו קרא ה’ בשם, בצלאל בן-אורי בן-חור, למטה יהודה…ולהורת נתן בלבו: הוא, ואהליאב בן-אחיסמך למטה-דן

And Moshe said to Bnei Yisrael, see God has called by name Betzalel son of Uri son of Chur of the tribe of Yehuda…And he put in his heart that he be able to teach, him and Ohaliav son of Achisamach of the tribe of Dan

Shemot 35: 30, 34

Over the last several weeks, the Torah has made it quite clear who is the main architect of the mishkan: Betzalel. He has the know-how, he has the lineage. He is the man.

Among all of the other craftsmen who are mentioned in connection with building the mishkan, only one other is mentioned by name: Ohaliav. The obvious question: what is so special about Ohaliav that he is receives such a distinction?

Rashi comments on the passuk above (35:34): Ohaliav is of the tribe of Dan, which is one of the lowest of the tribes (in stature) as Dan was the son of Bilha, hand-maiden to Rachel. Despite the fact that he did not have the pedigree of Betzalel, God has made him on equal standing with Betzalel, who comes from the mightiest of tribes (Yehuda; he is also a descendent of Levi through his grandmother Miriam).

The message: when it comes to doing the work of the mishkan, building a place for people to feel God’s presence more acutely in this world, one’s kavana (intentions) are what matter, not ones yichus (pedigree).

(It is also interesting to note that when Shlomo was building the first temple, he also chose a master craftsman, Hiram of Tzur, who was from the tribe of Naftali – brother of Dan, son of Bilha – Malachim 1, 7:13-14).