As Moshe descends Har Sinai with the second set of tablets, he is unaware of the radiance emanating from his face (34:29). The Midrash explains that after Moshe finished transcribing the Torah, the residual ink left on his quill accidentally touched his face and caused it to shine. Why would there have been extra ink? How would extra ink manifest itself as Moshe’s shining face?
Ohr Hachaim suggests that when Moshe got to the passuk (verse) “and Moshe was the most humble man ever” (Numbers 12:3), he found himself unable to spell עניו ( the word for humble) and left out the yud. The ink not used for that yud is the extra ink that anecdotally got on Moshe’s face. This explanation highlights an ironic correlation: Moshe’s humility is in fact what caused his face to shine. The lesson worth internalizing is that sometimes the quietest people are the loudest._______________________________________________
