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The Legends of the Jews
by Louis Ginzberg
Volume III
Bible Times and Characters from the Exodus to the Death of Moses
MOSES' LEGACY TO JOSHUA
After Moses had announced Joshua as his successor before all the congregation, he
disclosed to him that the course of his own life was run, and that he would now depart to
his fathers. At his inheritance he gave to Joshua a book of prophecy, which Joshua was to
anoint with cedar-oil, and in an earthen vessel to lay upon the spot that from the
creation of the world God had created for it, so that His name might there be invoked.
This book contained in brief outline the history of Israel from the entrance into the
promised land to the establishment of God's kingdom upon earth, when, in wrath and
indignation on account of His children, the Lord will rise from His Throne of power and
proceed from His holy dwelling.
When Joshua heard the words of Moses as they are written in his Holy Scriptures, he rent
his garments and fell at Moses' feet, who, himself in tears, yet comforted him. Joshua,
however, said: "How canst thou comfort me concerning the bitter word that thou hast
spoken, which abound in sobs and tears, that thou are to depart from thy people? What
place will receive thee? What monument will point to thy grave? Or who will dare to remove
thy corpse from one place to another as if it were an ordinary mortal's? All dying men
receive a grave upon earth according to their rank, but thy grave extends from sunrise to
sunset, from South to North; all the world is thy tomb. Thou goest. Who not, O master,
shall care for this people? Who shall take pity upon them and be a guide upon their way?
Who shall pray for them incessantly, that I may lead them into the land of their fathers?
How shall I provide food for them according to their wish, or drink according to their
desire? From the beginning they numbered sixty myriads, and now, thanks to thy prayers,
they have greatly multiplied. Whence shall I draw insight and understanding to give them
judgement and counsel? Even the kings of the Amorites, hearing that we desire to attack
them, will say, 'Let us not set out against them, for there is now no longer among them
the many-sided, incomprehensible and sacred spirit, worthy of the Lord, the ever-faithful
master of the word, the Divine prophet of all the world, the most consummate master of
this age. If now our enemies once more transgress before the Lord, they will have no
defender to offer up prayers for them before God, as Moses had done, the great messenger
who at all hours of the day kneeled down and prayed, lifting up his eyes to Him who rules
all the world, and constantly reminding Him of His covenant with the Patriarchs, and
appeasing Him with invocation.' For thus will the Amorites speak saying, 'He is no longer
among them; arise then and let us wipe them from the face of the earth.' But what then, O
my lord Moses, will become of this people?"
When Joshua has spoken these words, he cast himself once more at Moses' feet. Moses seized
his hand, raised him to a seat before them, and answered him, saying: "Do not
underestimate thyself, O Joshua, but be light of heart, and pay heed to my words. All the
nations that dwell in the universe hath God created, and us also. Them and us did He
foresee from the beginning of the creation of the universe even unto the end of the world,
and He overlooked nothing, even down to the smallest, but He at the same time foresaw and
foredoomed everything. All that was to happen in this universe did God foresee and
foredoom, and lo! it cometh to pass. He appointed me for them and for their sins, that for
them I might make prayer and exhortation. Not for my fitness or my strength was I chosen,
but only through the grace of His mercy and His long-suffering. For I assure thee, Joshua,
not on account of the excellence of this people wilt thou destroy the heathens; all the
fastnesses of heaven and the foundations of the universe were created and approved by God,
and are beneath the ring of His right hand. Those, therefore, that maintain and fulfil
God's commandments thrive and prosper, but those who sin and neglect the commandments will
now receive the promised possessions, and will be punished by the heathens with many
plagues. But that He should wholly destroy or abandon them is impossible, for God will
step forth, who foresaw everything even to eternity, and whose covenant is firmly founded,
in accordance with the oath which He swore to the Patriarchs. Then the hands of the angel
will be filled and he will be appointed chief, and he will forthwith avenge them of their
enemies." [838]
MOSES' LAST CAMPAIGN
Balaam's prophecy, "He shall not lie down until he eat of the prey, and drink the
blood of the slain," was very quickly fulfilled. Shortly before his death, before he
lay down to everlasting sleep, it was granted Moses to rejoice in the death of Balaam and
the five Midianite kings allied to him. [839] Israel's sinful profanation at Shittim,
occasioned by Balaam's wicked advice, sorely smote Moses' heart. God had appointed Moses
as lord of the angels, who through fire and cloud had to step aside to make room for him
and let him pass, yea, at his appearance they rose from their seats to do him honor. As he
had power over the angels, so too did he rule the sea, which he clove at will and then
commanded to resume its former guise, and the treasures of hail, which he employed to sent
hail over the Egyptians. Now this man, who was sovereign over the angels and over the
forces of nature, could only weep when Israel committed whoredom with the daughters of
Moab and Midian. To comfort Moses, God now said: "As truly as thou livest, thou shalt
not depart out of this world until thou shalt have avenged those who tempted Israel to
sin. 'Avenge the children of Israel of the Midianites: afterward shalt thou be gathered
unto thy people.'" [840] God at the same time reproached Moses for his despair and
lack of energy at Shittim, saying: "When all the tribes of Israel, save the tribe of
Levi, were against thee, thou didst not then lack courage to stand up against all the
people on account of the worship of the Golden Calf; how much more then at Shittim, when
all Israel save only one tribe, the tribe of Simeon, were on thy side, shouldst thou have
proven thyself sufficiently strong to keep back the sinners from their sin!" [841]
When Moses received the command to wage war upon the people that had tempted Israel to
sin, he said to God: "Yesterday didst Thou say to me, 'Vex not Moab,' and now Thou
sayest, 'Avenge the children of Israel.'" God, however, replied: "When I said,
'Vex not Moab,' I named these people after their grandsire, the son of Lot, but not that
through their own fault they have lost the claim to kind treatment from Israel, I shall no
longer think of their grandsire Abraham's kinsman, but shall call them Midianim, 'they
that lost their claim.'" [842]
Lot's descendants now not only had no further claims to exemption, but a command was given
to Moses to treat them with still greater hostility than the other nations. Until then it
had been Israel's duty not to fight against a city of the heathens unless they had first
proclaimed peace to it and the heathens had refused to accept it, but now they were
instantly to proceed to hostility; and whereas they had formerly been prohibited from
destroying the trees that surrounded a city, they were now ruthlessly to destroy all that
lay in their path. This wrath of God against those who had tempted Israel to sin was
justified, for "the tempter to sin is him of this world alone, but he that tempts
another deprives him of this world and the world beyond." Two nations, the Egyptians
and the Edomites, attacked Israel with the sword, but God nevertheless said, " Thou
shalt not abhor an Edomite; thou shalt not abhor an Egyptian." The Moabites and
Ammonites, on the other hand, tempted Israel to sin, hence God's word concerning them was
as follows: "An Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter into the assembly of the Lord,
even to the tenth generation." [843]
Israel received the command to make war upon the Midianites at the same time as that to
fight the Moabites, but whereas Moses at once waged war against Midian, it was not until
David's time that a relentless war was waged against Moab. There was several reasons why
the Midianites were to receive their punishment before the Moabites. Firstly, Moab's
hatred against Israel was not quite without foundation, for although the Israelites had
not attacked them in war, still they had inspired them with great fear by pillaging the
Moabite region, hence the Moabites tried by every means to be rid of Israel. Midian, on
the other hand, had no cause for undertaking hostilities against Israel, and yet they not
only joined the Moabites, but outdid them in their hatred against Israel. Furthermore Moab
wanted to kill Israel, but Midian wanted to tempt them to sin, which is worse than death.
[844] The delay in punishing Moab also corresponded in other ways to God's plan, for the
Moabite Ruth was destined to become the mother of the dynasty of David, hence God said to
Israel: "Wait yet a while in this matter of the war against the Moabites: I have lost
something valuable among them. As soon as I have found it, ye shall avenge yourselves of
them." [845]
God indicated that the war against Midian would be Moses' last in these words,
"Avenge the children of Israel of the Midianites: afterward shalt thou be gathered
unto thy people." The connection between the war and Moses' death is as follows. When
God announced to Moses that he was to die on this side of the Jordan, Moses implored God
with the words: "O Lord of the world! Is it right that death should so soon overtake
me, that have seen Thy ways, Thy actions, and Thy path?" God replied, saying:
"Moses, if a long life were better for men, surely I should not then have permitted
thy ancestors to taste of death; but it is better for thee if thou are taken from this
world than if thou wert to remain in it." Moses was not, however, satisfied with this
answer from God, whereupon God said: "Well then, thou mayest live many years longer,
yea, thou shalt live even to a thousand years, but know thou that Israel will not then
conquer their foes, and that Midian will not be brought under their yoke." In this
way was Moses made to yield by God, for he thought, "Whether I die to-day or
to-morrow matters little, for death will come to me at last. I would rather see Israel
conquer their foes and bring Midian under their yoke than that I should live longer."
God therefore bade Moses avenge Israel of the Midianites, if he was thereupon ready to
die. [846]
Moses then thought: "I know that if I were now to go into battle against the
Midianites, the people would declare that I wished for my own death, since God made it
dependent upon the punishing of the Midianites, and my life is assured me as long as ever
I wish to put it off." This consideration did not, however, determine him, for, fully
aware that his enterprise of war would hasten his death, he nevertheless set about the
execution of this war as soon as God commanded him. Wherever the execution of a Divine
command, or the possibility of furthering Israel's cause was concerned, Moses gave no
thought to himself, even though it touched his life. Not so Joshua. When he came to
Canaan, he thought: "If I wage an incessant war upon the Canaanites, I shall
certainly die as soon as I shall have conquered them, for Moses also died immediately
after his conquest of Midian." He therefore proceeded very slowly in his conquest of
the Holy Land, so that he might be sure of a long life. But, "however many thought
there may be in man's heart, God's words prevails," and whereas Joshua hoped to
become very aged, he died ten years before the time God had originally allotted to him,
for, although he would otherwise have attained his master's age, he now died at the age of
a hundred and ten. [847]
THE COMPLETE ANNIHILATION OF MIDIAN
Whereas Moses, disregarding the expected consequences of the war upon himself, gladly went
into battle, Israel did not want to obey his summons to war. The people of whom Moses had
on one occasion said, "They be almost ready to stone me," when they now learned
that their leader Moses was to die at the end of this war, tried to evade it, saying that
they preferred to forego impending victory rather than to lose their leader, and each one
hid himself, so as not to be picked out for this war. God therefore bade Moses cast lots
to decide their going into battle, and those whose lots were drawn had to follow the call
to arms even against their will. Moses' summons to battle was as follows: "Arm ye men
from among you for the war, to execute the Lord's vengeance on Midain." Moses spoke
of the Lord's revenge, whereas God designated this war against Midian as Israel's revenge.
For Moses said to God: "Lord of the world! If we had worshipped the stars and
planets, the Midianites should not have hated us, they hate us only on account of the
Torah and the commandments that Thou hast given us, hence must Thou avenge Thyself of
them." [848]
Moses did not in person lead the war against Midian, for he was mindful of the proverb,
"Cast no stone into the well from which thou hast drawn water," and he who as a
fugitive from Egypt had sought refuge in Midian, did not wish to make war upon that land.
He relinquished the leadership of the people to Phinehas, for "he that beginneth a
good deed shall also complete it," and it was Phinehas who had begun God's war
against the Midianites by slaying the princess Cozbi, Zimri's mistress, hence the task of
completing this war fell to his lot. Phinehas, as a descendant of Joseph, had, moreover, a
special reason for wishing to take revenge upon the Midianites, as those had been
Midianites who had sold Joseph as a slave in Egypt. [849]
The forces under Phinehas's command consisted of thirty-six thousand men, one third to
take active part in battle, one third to guard the baggage, and one third to pray, whose
duty it was in the course of battle to implore God to lend victory to the warriors of
Israel. Moses passed on to Phinehas not only the Holy Ark, which Israel always takes into
battle, but also the Urim and Tummim, that he might, if necessary, consult God. [850]
Outside of this Phinehas also received the gold plate of the mitre from the high priest's
forehead, for Moses said to him: "The knave Balaam will by means of his sorceries fly
into the air, and will even enable the five Midianite kings to fly with him, therefore
shall ye hold up to them the plate of pure gold upon which is engraved God's name, and
they will fall to earth." They did as Moses commanded, and truly Balaam and the five
kings fell to earth. They then executed Balaam according to the four forms prescribed by
the Jewish laws. They hanged him, kindled a fire beneath the gallows, struck off his head
with a sword, and then dropped him from the gallows into the fire below. [851]
Although Israel undertook the war against Midian upon God's bidding, to take vengeance for
the wrong that had been done them, still their method of warfare was most humane. They
attacked the cities of the Midianites from three sides only, so as not entirely to cut off
flight. Victory was on the side of Israel, into whose possession fell the cities with all
their temples, idols, and palaces. The same fate overtook all the five kings of Midian.
All were slain alike just as all had made a common cause of the wish to destroy Israel.
Balaam who had come to Midian from his home in Mesopotamia in order to receive his reward
for his counsel not to fight Israel, but to tempt them to sin, instead of a reward, met
with death at the hands of the Jews. [852]
THE GRUESOME END OF BALAAM
This arch-magician at first tried to escape Israel's power by sorcery. For when he saw
Phinehas and the leaders of the hosts of Israel, he flew into the air, [853] a feat which
he accomplished by magic arts, but particularly through the assistance of his wizard sons,
Jannes and Jambres. At the sight of Balaam flying high in the air, Phinehas shouted to his
army, "Is there any one among us who is able to fly after this villain?" The
Danite Zaliah, a past master in the art of sorcery, followed this summons, and flew high
into the air. Balaam, however, surpassed him, and took a path in the air on which Zaliah
could not follow, and after the former had soared through five different layers of air, he
had quite vanished from Zaliah's ken, who knew not what to do. Phinehas, however, came to
his aid. By means of a magical invocation he dispelled the clouds that covered Balaam, and
then Zaliah forced Balaam to descend to earth and appear before Phinehas. [854] He began
to implore Phinehas to spare his life, promising never again to try to curse Israel, but
Phinehas replied: "Art not thou the Aramean Laban who tried to destroy our father
Jacob? Then thou didst pass on to Egypt to destroy Jacob's seed, and when they removed
from Egypt thou didst incite the wicked Amalek to harass us, and not thou didst attempt to
curse Israel. But when thou sawest that thy endeavor to curse them was without avail,
since God would not hear thee, thou gavest Balak the despicable advice to deliver up the
daughters of his land to prostitution, and thereby to tempt Israel to sin, and wert in
part successful, for twenty-four thousand Israelites died in consequence of their sin with
the daughters of Moab. In vain therefore dost thou plead that thy life by spared." He
then ordered Zaliah to kill Balaam, admonishing him, however, to be sure not to kill him
through the holy name of God, as it does not befit so great a sinner to meet his death in
such a way. Zaliah now tried in vain to kill Balaam, for through his magic wiles he was
proof against every weapon, until Phinehas at last gave Zaliah a sword on both sides of
which was engraved a serpent, with the words, "Kill him with that to which he belongs
- through this he will die," and with this sword Balaam was killed. [855]
His corpse was not buried, but his bones rotted, and from then arose several species of
harmful snakes, that bring disaster to human beings; and even the worms that devoured his
flesh were turned into snakes. The magicians made use of these snakes for three different
types of enchantment, for the heads, the bodies, and the tails, had each a different
effect. One of the questions that the Queen of Sheba put to Solomon was how to withstand
these three different kinds of enchantment, and the wise king knew even this secret, which
he then imparted to her. [856]
THE VICTORIOUS RETURN FROM THE WAR
After the close of the campaign against Midian, the warriors returned with rich spoils to
the camp of Israel, but they were such pious and honorable men that they did not lay claim
to the booty, but rendered it all up, so that it might be impartially divided among all.
[857] As there were honest and conscientious in their relations between man and man, so
likewise were they very strict in their observance of religious statutes. Throughout the
time of war not a single one of them neglected even the slightest religious ceremony, were
it only to put on the phylactery of the forehead before that of the arm. [858] But they
were especially careful never again to be tempted by the Midianite women. If they entered
a house to take its treasures from it, they did so in pairs, one blackening the faces of
the women, and the other seizing their ornaments. In vain would the Midianite women cry,
"Are we not creatures of God, that ye treat us thus?" whereupon the Israelites
would say, "Were not ye the cause that so many of us found their death?" Justly
therefore could these pious men say to Moses: "Thy servants have taken the sum of the
men of war which are under our charge, and not one among us had committed a sin or an
unchaste action. We have therefore brought the Lord's oblation to make atonement for our
souls." Moses thereupon said in surprise, "Ye contradict yourselves, what need
of atonement is there if no man among you is guilty of sin?" They replied: "It
is true, our teacher Moses, two by two did we approach the women, one blackening their
faces, and the other taking off their ear-rings, but even though we committed no sin with
the Midianite women, still the heat of passion was kindled in us when we took hold of the
women, and therefore by an offering do we seek to make atonement." Moses thereupon
set out to praise them, saying: "Even the common men among you are filled with good
and pious deeds, for a man that was under conditions that enabled him to sin, but
controlled himself, had done a pious deed, not to speak of the pious and chaste men among
you whose pious deeds are legion." [859]
As among those who had been slain in Midian there was a Jewish apostate, the warriors were
polluted, and hence might not enter the camp, but had to stay without. Moses in his
meekness did not, however, wait for them to come to him, but hastened to them. When,
however, he heard that they had killed only the men but not the women, his wrath was
kindled against the leaders of the army, for, "Upon the leaders falls the blame for
the faults of the people." He reproached them, pointing out to them that it had been
the women who really had brought disaster upon Israel at Shittim. But Phinehas replied:
"Our teacher Moses, we acted according to thy instructions, thou didst bid us only
'avenge ourselves of the Midianites,' but madest not mention of the women of Midian."
[860] Moses then ordered them to execute all the women of the Midianites that were ripe
for marriage, but to spare the young girls. In order to determine the difference in age,
all were led past the gold plate of the mitre on the high priest's forehead, and this had
the effect of making those who had been doomed to death grow pale. [861]
In punishment for Moses' outburst of anger God caused him to forget to communicate to the
soldiers outside the camp the laws of purification. These were then announced by Eleazar,
Aaron's son. It was not, however, proper for him to pronounce a law in the presence of his
teacher Moses, and he was accordingly punished for his lack of reverence to his teacher
Moses. God had previously said that whenever Joshua wanted to inquire of God, he was
"to stand before Eleazar the priest, and inquire of him by judgement of the Urim and
Tummin." But this did not come about. In all his long career, Joshua had no need of
asking Eleazar's counsel, so that the latter lost the honor that had been intended from
him. [862]
The occasion that led to the war against Midian had been Israel's seduction by the
Midianite women, but these had succeeded only by having first intoxicated the sinners with
wine. Phinehas, to make sure that this might not be repeated in the future, put the
earthly as well as the heavenly ban upon all those who should drink the wine of the
heathens, for the latter used it only as libations to their idols and for immoral
purposes. In pronouncing this ban, he called upon the Ineffable Name and upon the holy
writing of the two tables against its transgressors. [863]
WEALTH THAT BRINGETH DESTRUCTION
God gave three gifts to the world, wisdom, strength and wealth. If they come from God,
they are a blessing, otherwise they bring ruin. The world had two great sages, Balaam
among the Gentiles, and Ahithophel among the Jews, but both of these, on account of their
wisdom, lost this world as well as the world beyond. There were two great heroes in the
world, Samson in Israel, and Goliath among the Gentiles, but both met death on account of
their strength. There were two wealthy men in the world, Korah among the Jews, and Haman
among the Gentiles, and both perished on account of their wealth. A similar fate overtook
the two and a half tribes that stayed on the hither side of the Jordan. These had grown
very rich in cattle through the spoils of the Midianites, and therefore preferred the
pasture land on the hither side of the Jordan as their inheritance. But later on their
wealth brought them destruction, because, choosing on their brethren, they were afterwards
the first that were driven from their dwelling place into exile. [864]
How intent these people were upon their possessions is shown in the words with which they
presented their wish to Moses, saying, "We will build sheepfolds here for our cattle,
and cities for our little ones," showing that they rated the cattle higher than their
children, for they thought of the animals before they considered their children. Moses did
not indeed call them to account for this, but showed them in unmistakable words that it
was their duty first to consider men and then animals, by saying in his reply to these
tribes, "Build you cities for your little ones, and folds for your sheep." [865]
The land which these tribes had selected was indeed of great excellence, as even the names
of the cities indicate. One was called Ataroth, "garlanded with fruits;" a
second, Dibon, "flowing with honey;" a third, Jazer, "help," for its
possession was a great help to those who owned it. These other cities in this region that
were names on account of the excellence of the soil were: Nimrah, "gaily
colored," for the ground of this city was gaily colored with fruits; Sebam,
"perfume," whose fruits scattered a fragrance like perfume; and Nebo,
"produce," because it was distinguished for its excellent product. [866] This
last mentioned city, like Baalmeon, did not retain its name when it passed into Israel's
possession, for they wanted to have not cities that bore the names of idols, and therefore
gave them new names. [867] Many another town as well received a new name from the
Israelites, just as Nobah gave his own name to the city of Kenath that he had gained by
arms, hoping in this way to immortalize his name, for he had no children. His name was,
however, not preserved in this way, for after the death of the conqueror, the old name of
Kenath returned again. [868]
It was among the possessions of these two and a half tribes also that Moses shortly before
his death founded the cities of refuge. Moses in this instance illustrates the proverb,
"Whosoever loves pious deeds, never has enough of them." Although God had told
Moses that he would never cross to the other side of the Jordan, he still insisted upon at
least determining the site for the asylum in the region of the East Jordan. God gave Moses
the law concerning the cities of refuge in accordance with Israel's wish. For the people
said to God: "Lord of the world! Thou didst promise us a long course of life as a
reward for fulfilling the commandments, but supposing now that a man hath slain another
unintentionally, and the avenger of the blood slays him, he will die before his
time." God then said to Moses: "As truly as thou livest, they speak wisely.
Appoint therefore several cities for cities of refuge, 'that the manslayer might flee
thither, which slayeth his neighbor unawares.'" Moses rejoiced greatly at this
statute, and instantly set about its execution, for "he that hath tasted of a food
knoweth its flavor," and Moses who had erstwhile been obliged to flee on account of
having slain an Egyptian, knew the feelings of the man who is pursued on account of a
manslaughter that he had committed unawares. [869]
MOSES' DEATH IRREVOCABLY DOOMED
When God in wrath against Moses and Aaron vowed, "Therefore ye shall not bring this
assembly into the land which I have given them," Moses forbore to implore God to do
away with this sentence, acting in accordance with the percept, "Do not attempt to
dissolve thy neighbor's vow in the moment he hath made it." Moses waited forty years
before he approached God with the request to permit him to enter the promised land with
Israel. [870] This occurred when he had received God's command to appoint Joshua as his
successor, for he now perceived that God had actually resolved to execute His sentence.
[871] For although God had ten times decreed that Moses was to die in the desert, still
Moses had not troubled much about it, even when the resolution had been sealed in the
heavenly court. He thought: "How often did Israel sin, and yet, when I prayed for
them, He annulled the punishment He had decreed; surely God should accept my prayer, if I
- a man who never sinned - should pray to Him." [872] Moses had also a special reason
for assuming that God had changed His determination concerning him, and would not permit
him to enter the promised land, for he had been permitted to enter the part of Palestine
lying on this side of the Jordan, the land of Sihon and of Og, and from this he reasoned
that God had not irrevocably decreed punishment for him, and that it might therefore now
be recalled [873] He was strengthened in this assumption by the fact that after the
conquest of the east-Jordanic region God revealed to him the instructions as to how the
land was to be divided, and it seemed to him as if he were in person to carry out these
instructions. He was, however, mistaken, for shortly after these laws had been revealed to
him, God informed him that he was to look upon the promised land from Mount Abarin, as he
should never enter it. [874]
When God saw that Moses was not much concerned about the impending punishment, He sealed
the command He had issued against him, and swore by His Ineffable Name that Moses should
not march into the land. Moses thereupon put on sackcloth, threw himself upon the ashes,
and prayed not less than fifteen hundred prayers for the annulment of the Divine resolve
against him. He drew a circle about himself, stood in the center of it, and said, "I
will not move from this spot until judgement shall have been suspended." Heaven and
earth, as well as all the forms of creation, trembled and said, "Perhaps it is God's
wish to destroy this world, to create a new universe." But a voice sounded from
heaven and said: "God's wish to destroy the world has not yet come, the commotion in
nature is due to this that 'in God's hand is the soul of all living things and the spirit
of all flesh,' even the spirit of the man Moses, whose end is not at hand."
God then bade them proclaim in heaven, and in all the celestial courts of justice, that
they should not accept Moses' prayers, and that no angel was to carry Moses' prayer to
Him, because Moses' doom of death had been sealed by Him. God quickly called before Him
the Angel Akraziel, who is the celestial herald, and bade him proclaim the following in
heaven: "Descend at once and lock every single gate in heaven, that Moses' prayer may
not ascend into it." Then, at Moses' prayer, trembled heaven and earth, all the
foundations thereof and the creatures therein, for his prayer was like a sword that
slashed and rends, and can in no wise be parried, for in it was the power of the Ineffable
Name that Moses had learned from his teacher Zagzagel, the teacher and scribe of the
celestial beings. But when the Galgalim and Seraphim saw that God did not accept Moses'
prayer, and without taking consideration of him did not grant his prayer for longer life,
they all opened their mouths, saying: "Praised be the glory of the Lord from its
place, for there is no injustice before Him, no forgetfulness, no respect of persons
toward the small or the great." [875]
MOSES' PRAYER FOR SUSPENSION OF
JUDGMENT
Moses began his long but fruitless prayer by saying: "Lord of the world! Consider how
much I had to bear for the sake of Israel until they became the people of Thy claim and of
Thy possession. I suffered with them, shall I not then take part in their rejoicing? Look
Thou, by forbidding me to enter the promised land, Thou givest the lie to Thy Torah, for
it says, 'In his day thou shalt give the laborer his hire.' Where, then, is my hire for
the forty years during which I labored for the sake of Thy children, and for their sake
suffered much sorrow in Egypt, in the desert, and at the giving of the Torah and the
commandments? With them I suffered pain, shall not I behold their good fortune as well?
But Thou tellest me that I may not cross the Jordan! All the time that we were in the
desert I could not sit quietly in the academy, teaching and pronouncing judgement, but not
that I should be able to do so, Thou tellest me that I may not." [876]
He continued: "May the mercy in Thee precede Thy justice, so that my prayer may be
answered, for I well know that 'there is no mercy in justice,' [877] Thou Thyself didst
tell me when I asked Thee how Thou didst conduct the world, 'I owe nothing to any
creature, and what I do for them is a free gift on My part,' therefore as a free gift,
grant now my prayer to me. [878] Thou Thyself didst point out to me that it is Thy desire
that people should pray to Thee to cancel punishment that was laid upon them. When Israel
committed that terrible sin, the worship of the Golden Calf, Thou didst say to me, 'Let Me
alone, that I may destroy them, and blot out their name from under heaven.' I then
thought, 'Who can restrain God, that He should say, "Let Me?" It is plain that
He desires me to pray for His children;' and I prayed, and was answered. The prayer of the
individual for the community was answered, but not so the prayer of the community for the
one individual! Is it because I called Israel, 'rebels?' But in this I only followed Thy
example, for Thou too didst call them, 'the sons of rebellion.' [879]
"Thou didst call me, as well as Leviathan, thy servant; I sent up prayers to Thee,
and Leviathan likewise, and him didst Thou answer, for Thou madest a covenant with him
that Thou keepest, but the covenant that Thou madest with me Thou breakest, for Thou didst
say, 'Die in the mount whither thou goest up.' In the Torah Thy words are: 'If the servant
shall plainly say, I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free:
then his master shall bring him unto the judges; and he shall serve him for ever.' I
implore Thee now, 'hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer.' [880] Thou are not in the
position of a judge of flesh and blood who, when granting a prayer, has to consider that
he may be compelled by his superior to repeal his answer, Thou canst do what Thou wilt,
for where on earth or in heaven is there one so mighty that he can do such deed as Thine
in Egypt, or who can perform such mighty deeds as Thou didst at the Red Sea? [881] I pray
Thee, therefore, let me behold the land that, in spite of the slander of the spies, I
praised, and Jerusalem and the Temple also. [882]
"When, in answer to the proposition Thou madest me to go into Egypt and deliver
Israel, I said, 'I can not do it, for I made a vow to Jethro never to leave him,' Thou
didst release me from that vow. O Lord of the world! As then Thou didst absolve me of my
vow, saying, 'Go, return into Egypt,' so do Thou now absolve Thyself from Thy vow, and
permit me to enter the land of Israel." Then God answered: "Thou hast a master
to absolve thee from thy vow, but I have no master." [883] Moses then said: "Thy
judgement against me reads that I shall not as king enter the promised land, for to me and
to Aaron Thou didst say, "Ye shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have
given them.' Permit me then, at least, to enter it as a common citizen."
"That," said the Lord, "is impossible. The king shall not enter it degraded
to the rank of a common citizen." "Well, then," said Moses, "if I may
not even go into the land as a common citizen, let me at least enter into the promised
land by the Paneas Grotto, that runs from the east bank to the west bank of the
Jordan." But this request, too, God denied him, saying, "Thou shalt not go from
this bank of the Jordan to the other." "If this request also is to be denied
me," begged Moses, "grant me at least that after my death my bones may be
carried to the other side of the Jordan." But God said, "Nay, not even thy bones
shall cross the Jordan." [884] "O Lord of the world!" exclaimed Moses,
"If Joseph's bones were permitted to be carried into the promised land, why not
mine?" God replied, "Whosoever acknowledges his country shall be buried therein,
but whosoever does not acknowledge his country shall not be buried therein. Joseph pledged
allegiance to his country when he said, 'For indeed I was stolen away out of the land of
the Hebrews,' and therefore also does he deserve to have his bones brought to the land of
Israel, but thou didst in silence hear the daughters of Jethro say to their father, 'An
Egyptian delivered us out of the hands of the shepherds,' without correcting them by
saying, 'I am a Hebrew;' and therefore shall not even thy bones be brought into the land
of Israel." [885]
Moses furthermore said to God: "O Lord of the world! With the word, 'Behold' did I
begin Thy praise, saying, 'Behold, the heaven and the heaven of heavens is the Lord's' and
with that very world, 'Behold,' dost thou seal my death, saying, 'Behold, thy days
approach that thou must die.'" God replied to this: "A wicked man in his envy
sees only the profits, but not the expenditures of his neighbor. Dost thou not recall that
when I wanted to send thee to Egypt, thou didst also decline My request with the word,
'Behold,' saying, 'Behold, they will not believe me.' Therefore did I say, 'Behold, thy
days approach that thou must die.'" [886] "As furthermore," continued God,
"thou didst say to the sons of Levi when they asked thy forgiveness, 'Enough, ye take
too much upon ye, ye sons of Levi,' so too shall I answer thy prayer for forgiveness, 'Let
it suffice thee; speak no more unto Me of this matter.'"
"O Lord of the world!" again pleaded Moses, "Wilt not Thou recall the time
when thou didst say to me, 'Come now, therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that
thou mayest bring forth My people the children of Israel out of Egypt.' Let them be led by
me into their land as I led them out of the land of bondage." But to this also God
found a reply: "Moses, wilt not thou recall the time when thou didst say to Me, 'O my
Lord, send, I pray Thee by the hand of him whom Thou wild send?' 'With the measure that a
man uses, shall measure be given him.' [887] I announce death to thee with the word,
'Behold,' saying 'Behold, thy days approach that thou must die,' because I wanted to point
out to thee that thou diest only because thou are a descendant of Adam, upon whose sons I
had pronounced death with the word, 'Behold,' saying to the angels: 'Behold, the man is
become as one of us, to know good and evil; and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take
also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever.'" [888]
Moses then said, "O Lord of the world! To the first man didst Thou give a command
that could easily be obeyed, and yet he disobeyed it, and thereby merited death; but I
have not transgressed any of Thy commandments." God: "Behold, Abraham also, who
sanctified My name in the world, died." Moses: "Yea, but from Abraham issued
Ishmael, whose descendants arouse thy anger." God: "Isaac, also, who laid his
neck upon the altar to be offered as a sacrifice to Me, died." Moses: "But from
Isaac issued Esau who will destroy the Temple and burn Thy house." God: "From
Jacob issued twelve tribes that did not anger Me, and ye he died." Moses: "But
he did not ascend into heaven, his feet did not tread the clouds, Thou didst not speak
with him face to face, and he did not receive the Torah out of Thy hand." God:
"'Let it suffice thee; speak no more unto Me of this matter,' speak not many words,
for only 'a fool multiplieth words.'" Moses: "O Lord of the world! Future
generations will perchance say, 'Had not God found evil in Moses, He would not have taking
him out of the world.'" God: "I have already written in My Torah, 'And there
hath not arisen since a prophet in Israel like unto Moses.'" Moses: "Future
generations will perhaps say that I had probably acted in accordance with Thy will in my
youth, while I was active as a prophet, but that in my old age, when my prophetic
activities ceased, I no longer did Thy will."
Moses: "Lord of the world! Let me, I pray, enter into the Land, live there two or
three years, and then die." God: "I have resolved that thou shalt not go
there." Moses: "If I may not enter it in my lifetime, let me reach it after my
death." God: "Nay, neither dead nor alive shalt thou go into the land."
Moses: "Why this wrath against me?" God: "Because ye sanctified Me not in
the midst of the children of Israel." Moses: "With all Thy creatures dost Thou
deal according to Thy quality of mercy, forgiving them their sins, once, twice, and
thrice, but me Thou wilt not forgive even one single sin!" God: "Outside of this
sin of which thou are aware, thou hast committed six other sins with which I have not
until now reproached thee. At the very first, when I appeared to thee, thou didst say, 'O
my Lord, send I pray Thee, by the hand of him whom Thou wilt send,' and didst refuse to
obey My command to go to Egypt. Secondly thou didst say, 'For since I came to Pharaoh to
speak in Thy name, he hath evil entreated this people; neither hast Thou delivered Thy
people at all,' accusing Me thereby of having only harmed Israel, instead of aiding them.
Thirdly didst thou say, 'If these men die the common death of all men, then the Lord hath
not sent me,' so that thou didst arouse doubts among Israel if thou wert really My
ambassador. Fourthly didst thou say, 'But if the Lord make a new thing,' doubting if God
could do so. Fifthly didst thou say to Israel, 'Hear now, ye rebels,' and in this way
didst insult My children. Sixthly didst thou say, 'And behold, ye are risen up in your
fathers' stead, an increase of sinful men.' Were Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, Israel's
fathers, perchance sinful men, that thou didst thus address their children?" Moses:
"I only followed Thy example, for Thou, too, didst say, 'The censers of these
sinners.'" God: "But I did not characterize their fathers as sinners."
Moses: "O Lord of the world! How often did Israel sin before Thee, and when I begged
and implored mercy for them, Thou forgavest them, but me Thou wilt not forgive! For my
sake Thou forgavest the sins of sixty myriads, and not thou wilt not forgive my sin?"
God: "The punishment that is laid upon the community is different from the punishment
that is laid upon the individual, for I am not so severe in my treatment of the community
as I am in dealing with an individual. But know, furthermore, that until now fate had been
in thy power, but now fate is no longer in thy power."[889] Moses: "O Lord of
the world! Rise up from the Throne of Justice, and seat Thyself upon the Throne of Mercy,
so that in Thy mercy, Thou mayest grant me life, during which I may atone for my sins by
suffering that Thou shalt bring upon me. Hand me not over to the sword of the Angel of
Death. If Thou wild grant my prayer, then shall I sound Thy praises to all the inhabitants
of the earth; I do not wish to die, 'but live and declare the works of the Lord.'"
God replied: "'This is the gate of the Lord; the righteous shall enter into it,' this
is the gate into which the righteous must enter as well as other creatures, for death had
been decreed for man since the beginning of the world." [890]
Moses, however, continued to importune God, saying: "With justice and with mercy hast
Thou created the world and mankind, may mercy now conquer justice. In my youth Thou didst
begin by showing me Thy power in the bush of thorns, and now, in my old age, I beseech
Thee, treat me not as an earthly king treats his servant. When a king of flesh and blood
had a servant, he loves him as long as he is young and strong, but casts him off when he
is grown old. But Thou, 'cast me not off in the time of old age.' Thou didst show Thy
power at the revelation of the Ten Commandments, and thy strong hand in the ten plagues
that Thou didst bring upon Egypt. Thou didst create everything, and in Thy hand doth it
lie to kill and to give life, there is none who can do these works, nor is there strength
like Thine in the future world. Let me then proclaim Thy majesty to the coming
generations, and tell them that through me Thou didst cleave the Red Sea, and give the
Torah to Israel, that throughout forty years Thou didst cause manna to rain from heaven
for Israel, and water to rise from the well." For Moses thought that if his life were
spared, he should be able everlastingly to restrain Israel from sin and to hold them
forever in faith to the one God. But God said: "' Let it suffice thee.' If thy life
were to be spared, men should mistake thee, and make a god of thee, and worship
thee." "Lord of the world!" replied Moses, "Thou didst already test me
at the time when the Golden Calf was made and I destroyed it. Why then should I die?"
God: "Whose son art thou?" Moses: "Amram's son." God: "And whose
son was Amram?" Moses: "Izhar's son." God: "And whose son was
he?" Moses: "Kohath's son." God: "And whose son was he?" Moses:
"Levi's son." God: "And from whom did all of these descend?" Moses:
"From Adam." God: "Was the life of any one of these spared?" Moses:
"They all died." God: "And thou wishest to live on?" Moses: "Lord
of the world! Adam stole the forbidden fruit and ate of it, and it was on this account
that Thou didst punish him with death, but did I ever steal aught from Thee? Thou Thyself
didst write of me, 'My servant Moses, who is faithful in all Mine house.'" God:
"Art thou worthier than Noah?" Moses: "Yes; when Thou sentest the flood
over his generation he did not beg Thy mercy for them, but I did say to Thee, 'Yet now, if
Thou wilt forgive their sin; and if not, blot me, I pray Thee, out of Thy book which Thou
hast written.'"
God: "Was it I perchance, that counseled thee to slay the Egyptian?" Moses:
"Thou didst slay all the firstborn of Egypt, and shall I die on account of one single
Egyptian that I slew?" God: "Art thou perchance My equal? I slay and restore to
life, but canst thou perchance revive the dead?" [891]
GOD TRIES TO COMFORT MOSES
CONCERNING HIS DEATH
That Moses might not take his approaching end too much to heart, God tried to comfort him
by pointing out to him that in his lifetime he had received such distinctions from his
Creator as no man before him, and that still greater distinctions awaited him in the
future world. God said: "Dost not thou remember the great honor I showed thee? Thou
didst say to Me, 'Arise,' and I arose; thou saidst, 'Turn about,' and I turned about; for
thy sake too did I invert the order of heaven and earth, for the order of heaven it is to
send down dew and rain, and earth's order is it to produce bread, but thou didst say to
Me, 'I do not wish it so, but bid heaven to send down bread, and earth to bring forth
water,' and I acted in accordance with thy wish; I caused bread to rain from heaven, and
the well 'sprung up.' Thou didst say, 'If the Lord make a new thing, and the ground open
her mouth, and swallow them up, then ye shall understand that the Lord hath sent me,' and
I fulfilled thy wish, and it swallowed them. I had also spoken, 'He that sacrificeth unto
any god, save unto the Lord only, shall be utterly destroyed,' but when Israel sinned with
the Golden Calf and I meant to deal with them according to My words, thou wouldst not let
Me, saying: 'Pardon, I pray Thee, the iniquity of this people,' and I forgave them as thou
didst ask Me. More than this, the Torah is named after Me, it is the Torah of the Lord,
but I named it after Thy name, saying, 'It is the Torah of My servant Moses.' The children
of Israel also are named after Me, 'for unto Me the children of Israel are servants; they
are My servants,' but I called them after thy name. I distinguished thee still more, for
just as there is neither food nor drink for Me, so also didst thou stay in heaven forty
days and forty nights, and in all that time, 'didst neither eat bread, nor drink water.' I
am God, and see, 'I made thee a god to Pharaoh;' I have prophets, and thou hast a prophet,
for I said to thee, 'and Aaron, thy brother, shall be thy prophet.' Again, no being may
see Me, and thee too did I make so that 'the people were afraid to come nigh thee,' and as
I said to thee, 'thou shalt see My back: but My face shall not be seen,' so too did the
people see the back of thee. I glorified the Torah with twenty-two letters, and with all
these letters did I glorify thee. I sent thee to Pharaoh, and thou didst lead Israel out
of Egypt; through thee did I bestow the Sabbath upon Israel, and the law of circumcision;
I gave thee the Ten Commandments, I covered thee with the cloud, I gave thee the two
tables of stone, which thou didst break; I made thee unique in the world; I gave thee the
Torah as an inheritance, and honored thee more than all the seventy elders."
Moses had to acknowledge that extraordinary marks of honor had been his. He said:
"Lord of the world! Thou didst set me on high, and didst bestow upon me so many
benefits that I cannot enumerate one of a thousand, and all the world knows how Thou didst
exalt me and honor me, and all the world knows as well that Thou art the One God, the only
One in Thy world, that there is none beside Thee, and that there is nothing like Thee.
Thou didst create those above and those below, Thou art the beginning and the end. Who can
enumerate Thy deeds of glory? Do one of these, I beseech Thee, that I may pass over the
Jordan." God said: "'Let it suffice, speak no more unto Me of this matter.'
[892] It is better for thee to die here, than that thou shouldst cross the Jordan and die
in the land of Israel. There in a tomb fashioned by men, on a bier made by men, and by the
hands of men wouldst thou be buried; but now shalt thou be buried in a tomb fashioned by
God, on a bier made by God, and shalt be buried by the hands of God. [893] O My son Moses,
much honor had been stored up for thee in the future world, for thou wilt take part in all
the delights of Paradise, where are prepared three hundred and ten worlds, which I have
created for every pious man that through love of Me devoted himself to the Torah. And as
in this world I appointed thee over the sixty myriads of Israel, so in the future world
shall I appoint thee over the fifty-five myriads of pious men. Thy days, O Moses, will
pass, when thou art dead, but thy light will not fade, for thou wilt never have need of
the light of sun or moon or stars, nor wilt thou require raiment or shelter, or oil for
thy head, or shoes for thy feet, for My majesty will shine before thee, My radiance will
make thy face beam, My sweetness will delight thy palate, the carriages of My equipage
shall serve as vehicles for thee, and one of My many scepters upon which is engraved the
Ineffable Name, one that I had employed in the creation of the world, shall I give to
thee, the image of which I had already given thee in this world." [894]
THE INTERCESSIONS FOR MOSES
When Moses saw that God lent no ear to his prayers, he sought to invoke God's mercy
through the pleadings of others. "To everything there is a season, and a time to
every purpose under the heaven." So long as the course of Moses' days had not yet
been run, everything was in his power, but when his time was over, he sought for some one
to appeal to God's mercy for him. He now betook himself to Earth and said: "O Earth,
I pray thee, implore God's mercy for me. Perhaps for thy sake will He take pity upon me
and let me enter into the land of Israel." Earth, however, replied: "I am
'without form and void,' and then too I shall son 'wax old like a garment.' How then
should I venture to appear before the King of kings? Nay, thy fate is like mine, for 'dust
thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.'"
Moses hastened to Sun and Moon, and implored them to intercede for him with God, but they
replied: "Before we pray to God for thee, we must pray for ourselves, for 'the moon
shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed.'"
Moses then took his request to the Stars and the Planets, but these, too, replied:
"Before we venture to plead for thee, we must plead for ourselves, for 'all the host
of heaven shall be dissolved.'"
Moses then went to the Hills and the Mountains, beseeching them, "Pray appeal to
God's mercy for me," and they, too, replied: "We too have to implore God's mercy
for ourselves, for He said, 'The mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed.'"
He then laid his plea before Mount Sinai, but the latter said: "Didst thou not see
with thine eyes and record in the Torah that, 'Mount Sinai was altogether in smoke,
because the Lord descended upon it in a fire?' How then shall I approach the Lord?"
He then went to the Rivers, and sought their intercession before the Lord, but they
replied: "'The Lord made a way in the sea, and a path in the mighty waters.' We
cannot save ourselves out of His hand, and how then should we aid thee?"
Then he went to the Deserts, and to all the Elements of Nature, but in vain sought to
secure their aid. Their answer was : "All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and
turn to dust again."
The Great Sea was the last to which he brought his request, but it replied: "Son of
Amram, what ails thee today? Art not thou the son of Amram that erstwhile came to me with
a staff, beat me, and clove me into twelve parts, while I was powerless against thee,
because the Shekinah accompanied thee at thy right hand? What has happened, then, that
thou comest before me now pleading?" Upon being reminded of the miracles that he had
accomplished in his youth, Moses burst into tears and said, "Oh, that I were as in
months past, as in the days when God preserved me!" And turning to the sea, he made
answer: "In those days, when I stood beside thee, I was king of the world, and I
commanded, but not I am a suppliant, whose prayers are unanswered." [895]
When Moses perceived the Heaven and Earth, Sun and Moon, Stars and Planets, Mountains and
Rivers turned a deaf ear to his prayers, he tried to implore mankind to intercede for him
before God. He went first to his disciple Joshua, saying: "O my son, be mindful of
the love with which I treated thee by day and by night, teaching thee mishnah and halakah,
and all arts and sciences, and implore now for my sake God's mercy, for perhaps through
thee He may take pity upon me, and permit me to enter the land of Israel." Joshua
began to weep bitterly, and beat his palms in sorrow, but when he wanted to begin to pray,
Samael appeared and stopped his mouth, saying, "Why dost thou seek to oppose the
command of God, who is 'the Rock, whose work is perfect, and all whose ways are
judgement?'" Joshua then went to Moses and said, "Master, Samael will not let me
pray." At these words Moses burst into loud sobs, and Joshua, too, wept bitterly.
Moses then went to his brother's son, Eleazar, to whom he said: "O my son, be mindful
of the days when God was angry with thy father on account of the making of the Golden
Calf, and I save him through my prayer. Pray now thou to God for me, and perhaps God will
take pity upon me, and let me enter into the land of Israel." But when Eleazar, in
accordance with Moses' wish, began to pray, Samael appeared and stopped his mouth, saying
to him, "How canst thou think of disregarding God's command?" Then Eleazar
reported to Moses that he could not pray for him.
He now tried to invoke Caleb's aid, but him, too, Samael prevented from praying to God.
Moses then went to the seventy elders and the other leaders of the people, he even
implored every single man among Israel to pray for him, saying: "Remember the wrath
which the Lord nursed against your fathers, but I brought it to pass that God relinquished
His plan to destroy Israel, and forgave Israel their sins. Now, I pray ye, betake
yourselves to the sanctuary of God and exhort His pity for me, that He may permit me to
enter into the land of Israel, for 'God never rejects the prayer of the multitude.'"
When the people and their leaders heard these words of Moses, they broke out into mournful
weeping, and in the Tabernacle with bitter tears they entreated God to answer Moses'
prayer, so that their cries rose even to the Throne of Glory. But then one hundred and
eighty four myriads of angels under the leadership of the great angels Zakun and Lahash
descended and snatched away the words of the suppliants, that they might not reach God.
The angel Lahash indeed tried to restore to their place the words which the other angels
had snatched away, so that they might reach God, but when Samael learned of this, he
fettered Lahash with chains of fire and brought him before God, where he received sixty
blows of fire and was expelled from the inner chamber of God because, contrary to God's
wish, he had attempted to aid Moses in the fulfillment of his desire. When Israel now saw
how the angels dealt with their prayers, they went to Moses and said, "The angels
will not let us pray for thee." [896]
When Moses saw that neither the world nor mankind could aid him, he betook himself to the
Angel of the Face, to whom he said, "Pray for me, that God may take pity upon me, and
that I may not die." But the angel replied: "Why, Moses, dost thou exert thyself
in vain? Standing behind the curtain that is drawn before the Lord, I heard that thy
prayer in this instance is not to be answered." Moses now laid his hand upon his head
and wept bitterly, saying, "To whom shall I now go, that he might implore God's mercy
for me?"
God was now very angry with Moses because he would not resign himself to the doom that had
been sealed, but His wrath vanished as soon as Moses spoke the words: "The Lord, the
Lord, a God full of compassion and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy and
truth; keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin."
God now said kindly to Moses: "I have registered two vows, one that thou are to die,
and the second that Israel is to perish. I cannot cancel both vows, if therefore thou
choosest to live, Israel must be ruined." "Lord of the world!" replied
Moses, "Thou approachest me artfully; Thou seizest the rope at both ends, so that I
myself must now say, 'Rather shall Moses and a thousand of his kind perish, than a single
soul out of Israel!' But will not all men exclaim, 'Alas! The feet that trod the heavens,
the face that beheld the Face of the Shekinah, and the hands that received the Torah,
shall not be covered with dust!'" God replied: "Nay, the people will say: ' If a
man like Moses, who ascended into heaven, who was peer of the angels, with whom God spoke
face to face, and to whom He gave the Torah - if such a man cannot justify himself before
God, how much less can an ordinary mortal of flesh and blood, who appears before God
without having done good deeds or studied the Torah, justify himself?' I want to
know," He added, "why thou are so much aggrieved at thy impending death."
Moses: "I am afraid of the sword of the Angel of Death." God: "If this is
the reason then speak no more in this matter, for I will not deliver thee into his
hand." Moses, however, would not yield, but furthermore said, "Shall my mother
Jochebed, to whom my life brought so much grief, suffer sorrow after my death also?"
God: "So was it in My mind even before I created the world, and so is the course of
the world; every generation has its learned men, every generation has its leaders, every
generation has its guides. Up to now it was thy duty to guide the people, but not the time
it ripe for thy disciple Joshua to relieve thee of the office destined for him."
[897]
MOSES SERVES JOSHUA
Moses now said to himself: "If God has determined that I may not enter the land of
Israel, and I am thus to lose the reward for the many precepts that may be observed only
in the Holy Land, for no other reason than because the time has come for my disciple
Joshua to go to the front of Israel and lead them into the land, then were it better for
me to remain alive, to enter the land, and relinquish to Joshua the leadership of the
people." What now did Moses do? From the first day of Shebat to the sixth of Adar,
the day before his death, he went and served Joshua from morning until evening, as a
disciple his mater. These thirty-six days during which Moses served his former disciple
corresponded to the equal number of years during which he had been served by Joshua.
The way in which Moses ministered to Joshua was as follows. During the period he arose at
midnight, went to Joshua's door, opened it with a key, and taking a shirt from which he
shook out the dust, laid it near to Joshua's pillow. He then cleaned Joshua's shoes and
placed them beside the bed. Then he took his undergarment, his cloak, his turban, his
golden helmet, and his crown of pearls, examined them to see if they were in good
condition, cleaned and polished them, arranged them aright, and laid them on a golden
chair. He then fetched a pitcher of water and a golden basin and placed them before the
golden chair, so to wash himself. He then caused Joshua's rooms, which he furnished like
his own, to be swept and put into order, the ordered the golden throne to be brought in,
which he covered with a linen and a woolen cloth, and with other beautiful and costly
garments, as in the custom with kings. After all these preparations had been made, he bade
the herald proclaim: "Moses stands at Joshua's gate and announces that whosoever
wishes to hear God's word should betake himself to Joshua, for he, according to God's
word, is the leader of Israel."
When the people heard the herald, they trembled and shook, and pretended to have a
headache, so that they might not have to go to Joshua. Every one of them said, in tears,
"Woe to thee, O land, when thy king is a child!" But a voice from heaven
resounded, crying, "When Israel was a child, then I loved him," and Earth, too,
opened her mouth, and said, "I have been young, and now am old, yet have I not seen
the righteous forsaken."
While the people refused to lend ear to the herald's summons, the elders of Israel, the
leaders of the troops, the princes of the tribes, and the captains of thousands, of
hundreds, and of tens appeared at Joshua's tent, and Moses assigned to each his place
according to his rank.
In the meantime approached the hour when Joshua was wont to arise, whereupon Moses entered
his room and extended his hand to him. When Joshua saw that Moses served him, he was
ashamed to have his master minister to him, and taking the shirt out of Moses' hand, and
dressing himself, trembling, he cast himself to Moses' feet and said: "O my master,
be not the cause wherefore I should die before half my time is done, owing to the
sovereignty God has imposed upon me." But Moses replied: "Fear not, my son, thou
sinnest not if thou are served by me. With the measure wherewith thou didst mete out to
me, do I mete out to thee; as with a pleasant face thou didst serve me, so shall I serve
thee. It was I that taught thee, 'Love thy neighbor as thyself,' and also, 'Let thy
pupil's honor be as dear to thee as thine own.'" Moses did not rest until Joshua
seated himself upon the golden chair, and then Moses served Joshua, who still resisted, in
every needful way. After he was through with all this, he laid upon Joshua, who still
resisted, his rays of majesty, which he had received from his celestial teacher Zagzagel,
scribe of the angels, at the close of his instruction in all the secrets of the Torah.
When Joshua was completely dressed and ready to go out, they reported to him and to Moses
that all Israel awaited them. Moses thereupon laid his hand upon Joshua to lead him out of
the tent, and quite against Joshua's wish insisted upon giving precedence to him as they
stepped forth. When Israel saw Joshua precede Moses, they all trembled, arose, and made
room for these two to proceed to the place of the great, where stood the golden throne,
upon which Moses seated Joshua against his will. All Israel burst into tears when they saw
Joshua upon the golden throne, and he said amid tears, "why all this greatness and
honor to me?" [898]
In this way did Moses spend the time from the first day of Shebat to the sixth of Adar,
during which time he expounded the Torah to the sixty myriads of Israel in seventy
languages.
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