There is an awesomeness about the personality and accomplishments of Moses that tends to place him beyond the realm of mortal man, close to divinity itself; yet there are repeated reminders of his human origins and human failings. Zeligs attempts to show that the psychological basis for this contradictory image is a problem with self-esteem: while suffering deep and painful feelings of inadequacy, Moses had a strong wish for omnipotence and the sense of being special.