And He (Hashem) called to Moshe, and Hashem spoke to him from the Ohel Moed, saying... (Vayikra 1/1)...
It is written in the Medrash at the beginning of our parsha, "Any Talmid Chacham that does not have wisdom (Daas), the body of a dead animal is better than him.” The proof: Moshe... did not go into the Mishkan until Hashem called him, like it says, "And He (Hashem) called Moshe..."
Zera Shimshon asks three obvious questions. What does the Medrash mean that a dead animal is better than a Talmid Chacham without Daas? The complete opposite is true! Any person, even one who is not a Talmid Chacham, is better than a dead animal!
Secondly, how do we understand the proof the Medrash brings from the fact that Moshe did not enter the Mishkan until Hashem called him? What does Moshe's waiting to be called into the Mishkan have to do with a dead animal being better than a Talmid Chacham who doesn't have Daas?
Thirdly, the phrase; Any Talmid Chacham who does not have Daas in itself doesn't make sense! If he is Talmid Chacham he must have Daas, and if he doesn't have Daas he can't be a Talmid Chacham!
Zera Shimshon's Answers
Zera Shimshon answers all of these questions by first answering the third question. It is written in Sanhedrin 92A: "Anyone who has wisdom eventually becomes rich". The Maharsha asks; this seems to contradict the possuk (Koheles 9/11), "Once more I saw under the sun...nor does bread come to the wise, (or) riches to the intelligent...". This possuk implies that a person can be wise and still be poor!
Maharsha explains in light of a different Gemara in b) that relates that the citizens of Alexandria 70Nidah (asked R' Yehoshua ben Chanina what a person should do to become wealthy? R' Yehoshua ben Chanina replied that they should spend a lot of time in business and conduct their businesses honestly. They replied to him that many had done this, and they were not successful. Rather, R' Yehoshua ben Chanina replied, they should pray to the One who owns all the wealth.
Maharsha explains R' Yehoshua ben Chanina meant that the way a person becomes rich is to work hard and honestly. One should make hishtadlus (personal effort). When one sees that this did not help him become financially successful, he should then realize (have the Daas) that success is not dependent on our hishtadlus, but only on Hashem. Once a person comes to this realization he will put his trust in Hashem and pray to Hashem, who is the One who owns the entire world's wealth, then he will become rich! According to this, the meaning of Daas is not knowing physics, mathematics or even Gemara, Rishonim and Achronim. Rather it is realizing that whatever we have comes from Hashem.
This is how a Talmid Chacham can lack Daas. Even if he knows all of Shas with Rishonim and Achronim, if he doesn't realize that everything he knows is a gift from Hashem he is considered not to have Daas.
Chazal teach us the reason Hashem prohibits us to eat dead animals is because Hashem gave them to the dogs as a reward for not barking when Bnei Yisroel left Mitzrayim. On the surface this seems to contradict the possuk in Tehillim (147/9) "Hashem gives animals their food, to the children of ostriches that cry to Hashem". This possuk implies that Hashem only gives animals their food when they cry to Hashem to receive it. How can this be? If Hashem promised them, why do they have to beg Hashem for it? They deserve it even without asking! Zera Shimshon answers that even though Hashem promised the animals food, they feel they are not worthy of it and therefore with true humility they cry to Hashem for it as if they were not guaranteed it. According to this we can now understand why the body of a dead animal is better than a Talmid Chacham who doesn't have Daas.
Any Talmid Chacham who has learnt and understands the depth and beauty of the Torah but does not have the wisdom to realize that everything comes from Hashem, has not reached the wisdom of the body of a dead animal, who understands that even though it was promised to be given to the dogs, it is not given until the dog asks Hashem for it, and therefore the dead animal is better than him!
We also see from the way Moshe Rabbeinu conducted himself that he lived this principle. Even though Moshe had great merits and he surely should be granted the right to enter the Mishkan whenever he wanted, Moshe realized that we can take nothing for granted and he did not enter the Mishkan until Hashem called him.
