badly about Moshe. Rashi explains that they should have been afraid to speak against an eved Hashem even if it wasn’t Moshe or against Moshe even if he wasn’t an eved Hashem. What does this mean? Why would it be wrong to speak bad about Moshe if he wasn’t an eved Hashem?
“The answer is found in the Gemara (Brachos 27B) that says that Rav Yochanon ben Zakai said that Rav Chanina ben Dosa was like a servant standing before his king, and not like a minister before a king. Some Gedolei Yisroel are ‘ministers of Torah.’ Those are the ones who learn Torah and night. Other Gedolei Yisroel are ‘servants of Hashem.’ Those are the ones who are busy with avodas Hashem and serve Him like a servant.
“Thus, Rashi is saying that even if Moshe had not been an eved Hashem, meaning that he was a ‘minister of Hashem’ who learned Torah day and night, one should still be afraid to speak badly about him. Your Rov is a minister of Hashem and it is forbidden for you to disrespect him at all!”
