Now, it gives me immense pleasure to explain to my dear readers why HKB”H arranged for Nachshon ben Aminadav to reincarnate into Otniel ben Kenaz—who merited restoring the 300 lost halachos with his power of “pilpul.” Let us review why Yehoshua was punished by having him forget 300 halachos:
When Moshe Rabeinu passed away to Gan Eden, he said to Yehoshua, “Ask me any uncertainties you have (regarding Torah law).” He (Yehoshua) replied to him, “Rebbe, did I leave you even for a moment and go to another place? Have you not written about me: ‘And his servant, Yehoshua bin Nun, a lad, would not stir from within the tent’?” Immediately, Yehoshua’s strength was impaired. As a consequence, he was made to forget three hundred halachos, and he seven hundred uncertainties occurred to him . . . Rabbi Avahu said: Nevertheless, Otniel ben Kenaz restored them through his “pilpul.” Rashi comments: Yehoshua was made to forget on account of the impropriety of causing Moshe to be dejected. For, Moshe was pained that Yehoshua boasted that he was as great as him.
This deserves further explanation. Why was Moshe bothered by Yehoshua’s response? After all, the Torah attests to Moshe’s unrivaled humility (Bamidbar 12, 3): "והאיש משה עניו מאד מכל האדם אשר על פני האדמה"--now the man Moshe was exceedingly humble, more so than any person on the face of the earth! Furthermore, Chazal teach us (Sanhedrin 105b): "בכל אדם מתקנא חוץ מבנו ותלמידו"—a man is jealous of everyone except his son and his disciple. If so, then it is unimaginable that Moshe would be jealous of his loyal disciple Yehoshua, who never left his side.
Therefore, it behooves us to suggest an alternative explanation for Moshe’s dispirited reaction. We have learned (Nedarim 38a) that HKB”H bestowed the gift of “pilpul” on Moshe Rabeinu exclusively. Nevertheless, Moshe graciously shared it with Yisrael. Of him, it says (Mishlei 22, 9): "טוב עין הוא יבורך"—one with a generous disposition will be blessed.
It appears that we can explain Moshe Rabeinu’s generosity related to the power of “pilpul” given to him by HKB”H based on the following teaching (Eiruvin 54a): "מאי דכתיב חרות על הלוחות, אלמלי לא נשתברו לוחות הראשונות לא נשתכחה תורה מישראל". What is the meaning of that which is written (Shemos 32, 16): “Etched on the luchos”? Had the first luchos not been shattered, the Torah would never have been forgotten by Yisrael. In other words, the fact that Yisrael forget the Torah that they learn is attributable to the shattering of the luchos.
Now, “pilpul” is a fantastic tool for restoring Torah that a person has learned and has forgotten. In the words of the Gemara (Kesubos 103b)): "אמר ליה רבי חנינא לרבי חייא, בהדי דידי מינצת, דאם חס ושלום נשתכחה תורה מישראל מהדרנא ליה מפלפולי". Rabbi Chanina said to Rabbi Chiya: Do you dare argue with me? If, chas v’shalom, Torah was forgotten from Yisrael, I would restore it through my exegesis (pilpul). This is precisely what happened with Otniel ben Kenaz. He possessed the power of “pilpul” capable of restoring the 300 halachos that had been forgotten during the mourning period of Moshe. Hence, it was precisely for this reason that Moshe graciously bequeathed the power of “pilpul” to Yisrael; he provided them with the means to restore the parts of the Torah that were forgotten on account of the shattering of the luchos.
