In our Gemara on Amud Aleph a government official confronted Rabbi Yochanan Ben Zakkai about discrepancies in certain biblical calculations, leading him to assert: “Moses your teacher a thief, or was he a gambler [kuveyustus], or was he not expert in accounting?”

The translation of this word, kuveyustus, is not completely clear. It might mean thief, gambler, swindler, or even kidnapper. Regardless of the precise meaning, the implication is an unsavory sociopathic character.

From a mystical perspective, there is no such thing as a purely halachic dispute. Every position in the Torah represents a specific divine value or aspect of God’s will. A disagreement in halacha reflects a debate over what should be done practically, but both sides express legitimate and meaningful spiritual truths. For example, in Rosh Hashana (33b), there is a three-way safek (doubt) about the nature of the teruah sound of the shofar, leading us to blow three variations on Rosh Hashana: Shevarim, Teruah, and Shevarim-Teruah. According to the Zohar (III:232a), each sound activates a different middah (attribute) of God, demonstrating that all three sounds are spiritually necessary.

Applying that principle here, in a radical sense we might say the accusation that Moshe was a kuveyustus must have truth to it in some remote dimension. Ben Poras Moshe (Kuntres Acharon) makes this point in a deeply psychological way. He asserts that Moshe, despite or indeed because of his great potential, recognized that he also had a dangerous dark side. Moshe was able to direct all of his energies to purely spiritual pursuits, bringing him to extreme heights. It was not by getting rid of these aspects, but rather by handling them appropriately. He describes Moshe’s encounter at the burning bush as this key moment. God calls out to Moshe twice, “Moshe, Moshe.” Why twice, and why did Moshe not respond the first time? This represents Moshe’s hesitancy. He wasn’t sure yet—was this a demonic force, a descent into dark places represented by the bush not being consumed by the fire? There’s a physicality here, but what’s primary? Then comes the second call with his name, “Moshe.” Moshe finally responds. He was able to integrate both sides of himself and found his way upward, trusting that it was not delusions of power or self-aggrandizement coming from demonic forces, but a true calling from God.

This is fascinating because while of course none of us are prophets, we can intuitively understand the need to respect our impulses and intuitions while also being suspect of those motivations. We must respect the powerful passions that stir within us while questioning them appropriately, but also not being afraid to tap into them if they seem to be genuine and constructive.