“וידבר משה לפני ד' לאמר, הן בני ישראל לא שמעו אלי ואיך ישמעני 6:12פרעה ואני ערל שפתים” 6:30“ויאמר משה לפני ד', הן אני ערל שפתים ואיך ישמע אלי פרעה”
“Moshe spoke before Hashem saying, ‘Behold, B’nei Yisroel have not listened to me, so how will Paroah listen to me? And I have blocked lips’.” Hakodosh Boruch Hu commanded Moshe Rabbeinu to speak to Paroah on behalf of Klal Yisroel to free them. Moshe replied that Klal Yisroel did not listen to him; undoubtedly Paroah will ignore him. In addition, Moshe had a speech impediment. The Torah then continues to list the genealogy of Shevet Levi, the Shevet of Moshe and Aharon. Afterwards, the Torah goes back to discussing the mission at hand, for Moshe to speak to Paroah concerning freeing Klal Yisroel. “Moshe said before Hashem, ‘Behold, I have blocked lips, so how shall Paroah heed me’?" Why does Moshe repeat to Hakodosh Boruch Hu that Paroah will not listen to him due to his speech impediment? 4:10 “כי כבד פה וכבד לשון אנכי” – “For I am heavy of mouth, and heavy of speech.” The Ribbono Shel Olam previously told Moshe to speak to Paroah, and Moshe already told Him that he had a speech impediment. Why did Moshe repeatedly tell the Ribbono Shel Olam that he cannot speak to Paroah because of his speech impediment?
“ויאמר משה אל ד' ... לא איש דברים אנכי” – “Moshe said to Hashem, ‘I am not a man of words’.” Man is a synthesis of the physical and spiritual. The power of speech is the result of the fusion of the body and soul, the physical and spiritual. In ordinary humans, the relationship between man’s physical and spiritual components is basically balanced, the result is normal speech. Moshe had a speech impediment because his relationship between body and soul was unbalanced. He was mostly soul. (גבורות ד')
It says in Mechilta in Parshas Yisro that at the time of Matan Torah, everyone’s blemishes were healed. Why wasn’t Moshe Rabbeinu healed from his speech impediment? Had Moshe been healed, and had a “smooth tongue”, one could have advanced an argument that the reason that Klal Yisroel accepted the Torah Hakdosha was because of his smooth tongue, and not because the Torah is true. Moshe remained with his speech impediment so that it would be known that Klal Yisroel accepted the Torah for their love of Hakodosh Boruch Hu and the Torah, and not because they were convinced. (דרשות הר"ן)
Moshe Rabbeinu knew that the Ribbono Shel Olam can make anything happen. Certainly, had the Ribbono Shel Olam wanted, He could have made Moshe speak fluently in all languages without any speech impediments. There were reasons that Moshe had the speech impediment. Most importantly is what we can learn from it. Moshe stating that he was “ערל שפתים” was a soliloquy. Moshe was speaking to himself to be mechazek himself. Moshe was on a great level of Ruchniyos, yet even he had to consistently work on himself. He continued to repeat, that everything is in the control of the Ribbono Shel Olam, and he was just following His will.
