לא ימיש מתוך האהל נערומשרתו יהושע בן נון
“His assistant, Yehoshua bin Nun, a young lad, who never left the tent” (Shemos 33:11)
Yehoshua was such a devoted disciple that he never left the tent of his teacher Moshe. However, in discussing Yehoshua’s dedication, the Torah curiously refers to him as a נער, a term that means “young lad” and hardly seems appropriate for someone who was 56 at this time. Rav Yitzchok Sorotzkin suggests that נער does not only describe a person who is young in years, but also someone young at heart. Thus, the Torah is telling us that even as a mature adult, Yehoshua did mitzvos with the enthusiasm and vigor of a young boy. In this vein, the Navi Hoshea tells us (11:1): כי נער ישראל ואהבהו - Hashem loves the Jews when they serve Him with the zeal and freshness of a נער.
Rabbi Dan Lifshitz adds that this youthful approach is essential for success in Torah study. In the wilderness, Hashem spoke to Moshe from between the two keruvim on top of the Aron (Bamidbar 7:89). Noting that the keruvim resembled young children (Rashi Shemos 25:18), Rav Aharon Lopiansky explains that Hashem specifically chose to communicate there to teach us that everyone – even Moshe Rabbeinu – should relate to the Torah like a new student just starting out. Indeed, we do not describe Torah scholars as “chachamim” [wise men], but as talmidei chachamim – students of the wise – alluding to the importance of maintaining a lifelong passion and insatiable curiosity to continue learning and adding to our knowledge. (R’ Ozer Alport)
